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Hamm
A young man unable to sit down, Clov is Hamm’s caretaker. Although he spends most of his time conversing with Hamm, Nagg, and Nell, Clov sometimes goes into the kitchen to be alone. In fact, he seemingly wants to spend as much time there as possible. But when Hamm finally asks what, exactly, he does in there, he says that he simply stares at the wall and watches his own “light” die away. Like Hamm, Clov is eager to reach an “end” of sorts, though it’s not clear what this means. And yet, unlike Hamm, he has the option to leave this place—a fact that weighs heavily on his mind, as he tries to decide if he’s going to depart. Whether or not Clov will actually follow through with this serves as the play’s central conflict, especially since Hamm would die without Clov to care for him. What’s strange, though, is that Clov seems to think he wouldn’t be able to survive without Hamm either, since he agrees when Hamm points out that he wouldn’t last on his own in the outside world. This is perhaps because Clov has been with Hamm since he was a small child, when his own father begged Hamm to take them in. Clov doesn’t remember this, nor does he remember his father, but he sees Hamm as a father figure of sorts, even if he feels disdainful toward him and wishes he could kill him. A submissive person, Clov never manages to tear himself away from Hamm, apparently too attached or enticed by the old man to strike out on his own. Although he comes close and even gathers his things as if to leave, he stands in the room at the end of the play and silently watches as Hamm delivers his closing monologue, and it becomes clear that he most likely won’t have the courage to finally leave. By staying, though, Clov ultimately preserves his only shred of power, since Hamm’s continued dependency on Clov proves that Clov isn’t as weak or unimportant as he might seem.
Clov Quotes in Endgame
The Endgame quotes below are all either spoken by Clov or refer to Clov. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Endgame Quotes
CLOV: [fixed gaze, tonelessly] Finished, it’s finished, nearly finished, it must be nearly finished.
[Pause.]
Grain upon grain, one by one, and one day, suddenly, there’s a heap, a little heap, the impossible heap.
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HAMM: […] Can there be misery—
[he yawns]
—loftier than mine? No doubt. Formerly. But now?
[Pause.]
My father?
[Pause.]
My mother?
[Pause.]
My…dog?
[Pause.]
Oh I am willing to believe they suffer as much as such creatures can suffer. But does that mean their sufferings equal mine? No doubt.
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HAMM: […] Enough, it’s time it ended, in the shelter too.
[Pause.]
And yet I hesitate, I hesitate to…to end. Yes, there it is, it’s time it ended and yet I hesitate to—
[he yawns]
—to end.
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CLOV: Yes!
[Pause.]
Of what?
HAMM: Of this…this…thing.
CLOV: I always had.
[Pause.]
Not you?
HAMM: [gloomily] Then there’s no reason for it to change.
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HAMM: […] Why do you stay with me?
CLOV: Why do you keep me?
HAMM: There’s no one else.
CLOV: There’s nowhere else.
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CLOV: […] I’ll leave you, I have things to do.
HAMM: In your kitchen?
CLOV: Yes.
HAMM: What, I’d like to know.
CLOV: I look at the wall.
HAMM: The wall! And what do you see on your wall? Mene, mene? Naked bodies?
CLOV: I see my light dying.
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HAMM: [anguished] What’s happening, what’s happening?
CLOV: Something is taking its course.
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CLOV: […] [He gets down, picks up the telescope, turns it on auditorium.] I see…a multitude…in transports…of joy.
[Pause.]
That’s what I call a magnifier.
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HAMM: We’re not beginning to…to…meaning something?
CLOV: Mean something! You and I, mean something!
[Brief laugh.]
Ah that’s a good one!
HAMM: I wonder.
[Pause.]
Imagine if a rational being came back to earth, wouldn’t he be liable to get ideas into his head if he observed us long enough.
[Voice of rational being.]
Ah, good, now I see what it is, yes, now I understand what they’re at!
[Clov starts, drops the telescope and begins to scratch his belly with both hands. Normal voice.]
And without going so far as that, we ourselves…
[with emotion]
…we ourselves…at certain moments…
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HAMM: I once knew a madman who thought the end of the world had come. He was a painter—and engraver. I had a great fondness for him. I used to go and see him, in the asylum. I’d take him by the hand and drag him to the window. Look! There! All that rising com! And there! Look! The sails of the herring fleet! All that loveliness!
[Pause.]
He’d snatch away his hand and go back into his comer. Appalled. All he had seen was ashes.
[Pause.]
He alone had been spared.
[Pause.]
Forgotten.
[Pause.]
It appears the case is…was not so…so unusual.
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HAMM: […] Use your head, can’t you, use your head, you’re on earth, there’s no cure for that!
[…]
But what in God’s name do you imagine? That the earth will awake in spring? That the rivers and seas will run with fish again? That there’s manna in heaven still for imbeciles like you?
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HAMM: […] Did you never hear an aside before?
[Pause.]
I’m warming up for my last soliloquy.
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Get the entire Endgame LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Clov Character Timeline in Endgame
The timeline below shows where the character Clov appears in Endgame. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Endgame
Clov, a man with a rigid walk, enters a sparsely furnished room, which has two high...
(full context)
Dismounting the ladder, Clov goes to the trashcans and takes the sheet off of them. He opens each lid,...
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Still speaking to himself, Clov declares that he won’t stand for more punishment, deciding to retreat into his kitchen, where...
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...Yawning once more, he decides that he’d like to go to bed, so he summons Clov, but Clov refuses to put Hamm to bed because he has just roused him from...
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Dropping the idea of going to bed, Hamm—who is blind—asks if Clov has ever looked at his eyes while he’s sleeping. When Clov assures him that he...
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Hamm and Clov’s disjointed conversation continues, and Hamm asks if he’s had enough. At first, Clov insists that...
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Abruptly, Hamm instructs Clov to get him “ready” and to put the sheet back on him, but Clov does...
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...the fact that nobody else exists and there’s nowhere else to go, Hamm notes that Clov is going to leave him, and Clov admits that he is indeed “trying” to do...
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Clov asks Hamm if he has bled, and Hamm says that he has only bled a...
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The lack (or nonexistence) of bicycles confuses Hamm, who is surprised to hear that Clov never had one. He asks how Clov got around when he used to do “rounds”...
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As Hamm and Clov talk, the lid of one of the trashcans opens and Nagg, a very old man...
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Hamm gloats over Nagg, shouting that he’ll never have pap again. However, he tells Clov to fetch Nagg a biscuit, turning to the old man and calling him an “accursed...
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Hamm suggests that nature has forgotten about him and Clov, but Clov says there is no more nature—a statement that Hamm thinks is an exaggeration....
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When Clov retreats to the kitchen, Nagg knocks on the lid of the second trashcan, and Nell’s...
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...finished yet. “Will you never finish?” he asks. “Will this never finish?” He then calls Clov and tells him to shove Nagg back into his bin. As Clov does this, Nell...
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Hamm asks Clov if a man he refers to only as “that old doctor” is dead, and Clov...
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Unbothered by Clov’s desire to kill him, Hamm asks what the weather is like, and Clov says that...
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Clov tells Hamm that the light outside has diminished. In fact, he tells him that it’s...
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Paying no heed to Hamm, Clov yells out that he’s found a flea on himself. This startles Hamm, who’s surprised to...
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Briefly, Hamm considers leaving this place on a raft with Clov, though he worries that sharks—if they still exist—will cause them trouble. He then decides to...
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After listening to what Hamm has to say, Clov says that he’ll leave, but Hamm says that Clov can’t. In that case, Clov says,...
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Hamm asks Clov if his dog his ready, and Clov tells him it’s missing a leg. Nonetheless, Hamm...
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Changing the subject, Hamm asks Clov about a woman named Mother Pegg, wondering if her light is on. This question baffles...
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Hamm orders Clov to bring him his “gaff,” a hooked spear used by fishermen. As he does this,...
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Paying no attention to Clov, Hamm remembers a “madman” he used to know. When Hamm would visit him, the man...
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Hamm asks how he’ll know if Clov ever leaves him, and Clov tells him that he’ll simply know—after all, Clov won’t come...
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Clov begins to pace the room, trying to think about a way to ensure that Hamm...
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Clov declares that the end is “terrific,” but Hamm says he likes the middle better. He...
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...where he would find such characters in the first place. He then abruptly whistles for Clov and suggests that they should all pray. Clov, for his part, announces that he found...
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Clov tries to tidy up, saying he likes order, but Hamm forces him to stop. On...
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...says that he’s tired from the “creative effort” of telling his story. He then tells Clov to check to see if Nell is dead. Clov obliges and then announces that she...
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Hamm makes Clov push him beneath the window, saying that he wants to feel the light on his...
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After calling out to Nagg, Hamm tells Clov to check on his father. Clov then reports that Nagg is no longer weeping, but...
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When Clov exits, Hamm refolds his handkerchief, saying that things are progressing toward an end. Putting the...
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Hamm summons Clov with his whistle, and Clov enters holding the alarm clock. Hamm remarks that Clov would...
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Hamm asks Clov to look out the window again. While the younger man looks out, Hamm asks if...
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Forgetting about the telescope, Hamm asks for his dog, so Clov picks it up and hits him in the head with it, saying that Hamm is...
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Clov focuses on looking out the window like Hamm instructed him to do. At first he...
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Clov says he’s going to leave Hamm, who asks Clov to say something before he departs....
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Hamm asks Clov to cover him with the sheet, but Clov has already gone into his kitchen. Speaking...
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