Open the door of the cage and walk wearily, for I see nothing but my feet. I open my eyes and between my legs there is something black dust. I say to myself that the earth has gone out, and although I have never seen it lit up before.

The going is easy, and when I put down my happiness.

This description presents a rather desolate and perhaps somewhat melancholic scene. The person seems to be in a state of weariness and confusion, as if lost in a strange and perhaps even a bit eerie environment. The mention of the black dust and the earth going out adds to the sense of mystery and foreboding. The ease of going and the act of putting down happiness might suggest a certain detachment or a willingness to let go of something that was once cherished. Overall, it creates a vivid image in the reader's mind and leaves room for interpretation and further exploration of the emotions and thoughts underlying the description.

Unless it's Shakespeare, never read a play without some type of textual notes. Having read “Waiting for Godot” and now “Endgame”, I'm familiar with Samuel Beckett's minimalist approach. He emphasizes silences, physical positions and stage props. All of this is to say, Beckett is probably best translated to the plays (as intended), but trekking through textual notes gave me a deep appreciation for this play. The first time I read the play it took me under an hour, but I really didn't get it. The second time took me over 3 hours and I needed the companion notes.

So on to the text! Clov visits moribund Hamm and arguments about life and its meaning are exhausted. It's all very heavy and existential. Biblical allusions (“It is finished” John 19:30) and Shakespeare puns (“My Kingdom for a nightman!) are layered within the banal actions – killing a rat, trying to find painkillers, looking out windows. At one point Hamm demands a bug be killed. His fear is anything living will evolve over time, develop human existence and thus know suffering. Not exactly uplifting. As it's a play script, there is little formal information about these characters and their whereabouts. But the focus is always about suffering, needless suffering, suffering from having been brought to existence, and in Hamm's case facing finality and futility.

That brings in the other side of the story, the “game” aspect. The chess allusions, the basic plot to get Clov into the kitchen, Clov, younger and maybe more optimistic is able to leave the dwelling and find some meaning. He appeals to Hamm about the pillars of nature, friendship, love. But Hamm does have the last word, and levels with Clov that only bleakness awaits. There is a dark humor to all this, an absurdness of all the moments that never add up to meaning or awakening.

For a myriad of reasons it's a very hard text to recommend “Endgame”. It's not particularly literary, it doesn't have the complexity of other plays (think Shakespeare), and frankly its fatalism is a huge turn off for me. But Beckett's work is inventive, and it boldly delivers an original work within the confines of limited setting and events. It makes you think about the nature of existence, the futility of life, and the absurdity of our daily actions. It's a play that challenges you to look beyond the surface and question the meaning of it all.

"Did you ever have an instant of happiness?"

This simple yet profound question was posed, seeking to uncover a moment of pure joy within someone's life.

The response, "Not to my knowledge," was rather unexpected. It made one wonder if the person had truly never experienced that fleeting moment of unadulterated happiness.

Happiness can come in many forms, a smile from a loved one, a beautiful sunset, or a personal achievement. It is often those small, unassuming moments that bring the greatest joy.

However, perhaps the person answering the question had overlooked these moments or was simply too focused on the larger picture of their life to notice the small instances of happiness.

It is important to take the time to appreciate the present and find joy in the little things. After all, it is these moments that make life truly worth living.