magnifier."²³

In Hamm's monologues the most profound problems arose. The question of

who he is talking to and why go to the heart of his character. His blindness and his

inability to determine with absolute certainty the presence of Clov, along with his

apparent desire for an audience, makes this issue particularly potent for Hamm.

Jay and I spend a good deal of time working on the "chronicle."²⁴

This

"Performance" that Hamm gives to Nagg is so dense and yet so elusive in it's

specificity that it almost demands interpretation. The numerous biblical references

and suggestions that it is an explanation of Hamm's own history make it rife with

red herrings and blind allies. References to Christmas and specific geographic

locations bring up questions about the cosmology of the play. Is the story some sort

of retelling of the history of Hamm and Clov? Is the narratorHamm and the man

who shows up Clov or Clov's actual father? Or is the Narrator god, the man Hamm

and the son Clov?²⁵In addition to all of this is the clear indication that Hamm sees

himself as some kind of writer, performer or artist. I found there to be a kind of

"Pandora's Box" in examining this situation. Beckett is hinting at huge

theological/existential shadows here. Even without interpreting the content the

speech raises significant questions. The simple fact that Hamm demands that Nagg

be his audience for this story, raises questions: Is this indicating that the "actual"

audience is either insufficient or not real enough for Hamm, or is he showing us

how he can perform for an audience? Ignoring the content altogether, The telling

of the Chronicle is clearly a "performance" by Hamm, a play within a play, but what