Watermarks Get Ready or Keep On Keepin' On: Rituals in Everyman and Endgame by Jonathan Parker

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Make the symbol of the cross--you must be Catholic--I see them doing that all of the time." I was eager to know what my friend's response would be.

"Yeah," she replied, "I am. It's holy, respect for Jesus and Mary. Sometimes we have to do it as penance after confession."

Inquisitively I asked, "I don't get it. So you perform this ritual for different reasons? What are you trying to accomplish when you do it, get into Heaven or just avoid going to Hell? Or could it be that it's just to do the same thing Catholics have always done?"

Rituals, no matter how major or minor they seem, can be found almost everywhere. Some are of a religious context, and some are not. Some are performed for specific reasons, and some are performed simply to avoid change. The presence of rituals and their importance are very evident in the plays Everyman, written by an anonymous writer, and Endgame, written by Samuel Beckett. Everyman tries to prepare for death and attain his ultimate goal of gaining entrance into heaven by changing his life through the ritualized acts of scourging himself and performing the seven blessed sacraments. In Endgame, Clov ritualistically looks out of the window to make sure that nothing has changed and that death, or anything else that may disrupt the character's repetitive cycle of life, is not on the "horizon." Hamm also resists change and attempts to avoid death by having Clov continually make sure that his chair is in the proper location so that death cannot find him in the wrong place and sneak up on him. The rituals are very different, and the major contrast between those performed is that Everyman realizes that the coming of death is inevitable and he wants to do whatever necessary to prepare for it, but the characters in Endgame fear death, and rather than prepare for it, try to avoid it by resisting any change to their daily routines.

Everyman does not resist death and even prepares for it by performing the religious rituals of the seven blessed sacraments and scourging himself. Through the performance of rituals Everyman is trying to attain the ultimate goal of reaching Heaven. He finds that the only character that will accompany him on his journey is Good Deeds, but she is weak. This represents the idea that he has not done enough good during his life and must now do something to change. He is willing to change and is told by Knowledge that he must ask for forgiveness and punish his flesh by scourging himself. The first step in changing and being found acceptable in God's sight is to ask for forgiveness: "Forgive my grievous offense" (587). He admits wrongdoing, asks for forgiveness, and proceeds to ask for help: "Save me from the power of my enemy" (599). He realizes that God is the only help in saving him from the enemy, eternal death, which has come for him. Then Everyman completes the scourging process: "My body sore and punished shall be: Take this, body, for the sin of the flesh! (Scourges himself)" (612-614). He commits to change his life and must pay reparations for his previous offenses by punishing his body for those offenses. The scourging process is the first ritual present that demonstrates Everyman's acceptance and preparation for death. Everyman is not afraid of the change that death brings, as long as he can be prepared for it. The next step, once again as instructed by Knowledge and also Five Wits, is to go to the priest. Five Wits instructs him, "The "blessed sacraments seven there be: Baptism, confirmation, with priesthood good / And the sacrament of God's Precious flesh and blood / Marriage, the holy extreme unction, and penance" (722-725). Just as repentance and scourging are required in order for Everyman to enter into Heaven, the seven blessed sacraments, holy rituals, must also be completed. Everyman must demonstrate openly that he is committed to change and, in fact, has changed his life. Baptism represents the renewing or rebirth into his new life, which is then confirmed by speaking with the priesthood. The ritualistic acts to follow, such as communion, the taking of God's flesh and blood, and penance, also are confirming actions that Everyman has changed. He changes inwardly through repenting and scourging and changes outwardly through completion of the blessed sacraments. Once he does these things, he will have successfully reformed his life and will now be prepared to face death. The rituals performed by Everyman to prepare for death are very much in contrast to those performed in Endgame.

The first and most prevalent ritual in Endgame occurs as Hamm continually has Clov look out of the window to make sure nothing has changed and that death is not approaching. As the play opens, Clov climbs off the ladder, having just looked out of the window. On page 1239 Clov states what Hamm later gloomily repeats on page 1254: "Finished, it's finished, nearly finished, it must be nearly finished." He is referring to life and the monotony of their days. Although they can barely stand the way life is, Hamm sums up the alternative by saying, "Outside of here it's death" (1241). They fear that they may die of the same darkness that Mother Pegg, an unknown character, did. Because of this fear, Hamm sends Clov to the window constantly. He feels that, by going through this constant ritual, he can avoid the nothingness that death brings. When even the slightest change is present, Hamm becomes worried. After once again returning from the window, Hamm questions Clov about the sun and horizon. Clov tells him that it is gray. "Gray! Did I hear you say gray? [...] You exaggerate" (1248), Hamm exclaims. The sky must be either light or dark, but there can be no gray, which is representative of the unknown that Hamm so dreadfully fears. Even though Clov is tired of doing the same things over and over again, such as going to the window, it is clear that he also performs the rituals to resist change. He says, "But I feel too old, and too far, to form new habits" (1264). If they do not allow change the characters believe, with a false sense of hope, that they may be able to avoid the coming of death rather than having to prepare for it. This resistance to change is also seen in the next major ritual that occurs in Endgame.

Hamm ritualistically makes Clov move his chair and makes sure both Clov and the chair are always in the perfect position so that nothing will change that will allow death an entrance. On page 1246, Hamm tells Clov to take him "for a little turn." He orders Clov to move him around the room, not too fast, and return him to his perfectly central location as if he were following the precise steps of some sort of religious ceremony or using the defensive tactics of a player trying to avoid defeat in a chess game. The title of the play, Endgame, refers symbolically to the final moments in a game of chess when the king is moved repetitively as a means of fending off ultimate defeat, checkmate. Hamm represents the king, sitting on his throne-like chair, and is the center of attention. He does not want to remain in the same location for too long because he feels the offensive player, death, may move into position and defeat him. On page 1263, while searching for the telescope, Clov moves Hamm's chair. Anguished, Hamm says, "Don't leave me there!" He does not want to feel the vulnerability or discomfort that comes from being in an unusual and unknown location. He has to reassuringly ask if he is right in the center of the room because otherwise it may be possible that the change could bring about the feared unknown, or possibly even death. Hamm prefers to remain in a stalemate, living in a seemingly meaningless life with no change, rather than be defeated and have to face the nothingness that occurs at the end of the "game" of life. He also makes sure that Clov is in the proper position: "Don't stay there (i.e., behind the chair), you give me the shivers" (1264). He feels secure when Clov is by his side protecting him. In the game of chess, the king is more secure if he has protection, barriers from the offense, such as pawns or rooks. If the king, Hamm, is ever in front of his protection, Clov, he feels vulnerable to the oncoming offensive attack of death and must do whatever necessary to prevent it.

In conclusion, rituals are an important part of both Everyman and Endgame. The rituals contrast in the two plays because Everyman understands the inevitability of death and wants to prepare for it. Hamm and Clov fear death and its consequences and perform rituals in an attempt to avoid having to face their fears. Everyman ends in a positive manner, allowing one to see that, through the performance of his rituals, Everyman is successful in achieving his goal of being found acceptable in God's sight at judgment. It is obvious that Hamm's and Clov's attempts to delay the onset of death through the use of rituals will be unsuccessful. Nell, even though there is no change in her routines, still dies near the end of the play. It is impossible to avoid death, so preparation rather than denial or avoidance is the best practice when its time draws near. The Doctor at the end of Everyman tells us: "He that hath his account whole and sound / High in heaven he shall be crowned" (916-917). He is saying that Heaven is the reward for only those who are prepared. Maybe Hamm and Clov should try once again to bow their heads in prayer and not stop until they are successful.

As this last thought of rituals and the outcome of their performance in the two plays trails from my mind, my friend then responds, "No, we don't just do it out of habit [...] and doing it alone doesn't get you into Heaven."

I still haven't received the complete answer. I guess it is a ritual similar to those in Endgame; it helps to avoid spiritual death.

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