beckett primary control

"Primary control" is a phrase that appears in Samuel Beckett's play "Endgame." In the play, the character Hamm says, "The only thing that matters is to go on, and to go on making in any way whatsoever, even if it's just a bowl of soup, or a play, or a primitive dance or a noise. You're at liberty, of course, to chuck it all in whenever you like, but why in that case did you come in?"

This passage is often interpreted as Hamm's expression of his belief in the necessity of artistic creation, even in the face of futility and despair. The "primary control" in this context could be seen as the drive to create, to make something, even if it seems small or insignificant. In other words, the act of creation becomes a form of control over one's own existence and a way to defy the overwhelming sense of meaninglessness that pervades the play.