"Endgame" by Samuel Beckett. Analysis in the Context of Pragmatics (PDF)

Research Paper (undergraduate) in the subject Didactics for the subject English - Literature, Works, grade: 2022, , language: English, abstract: The purpose of this research is to explore and analyse Samuel Beckett's ludicrous drama, Endgame, in the context of Pragmatics in general and violations of Conversational Principles in particular, as well as in the context of Pragmatics. Using Grice's idea of Conversational Principles, the study seeks to evaluate the selected conversational interactions in a formalised manner. Conversational theatre is characterised by the skillful use of language as a potent tool for communication; nevertheless, in Beckett's play, characters are concerned with various elements of language and its usage. The dialogues utilised in an absurd play are nonsensical exchanges in which there is no sense of cohesion between the characters. It opens up a wide range of possibilities for the study of many elements of language. It appears silly, yet it serves as a means of communication between the characters. The characters in this story frequently utilise broken words, make nonsensical comments, repeat themselves, and hesitate for no apparent reason, which is typical of the genre. His adept use of informal language and fragmented sentences exemplifies how language should be used in a natural setting.