Samuel Beckett

Krapp's Last Tape

A late evening in the future.
Krapp's den.
Front centre a small table, the two drawers of which open towards audience.
Sitting at the table, facing front, i.e. across from the drawers, a wearish old man: Krapp
Rusty blac narrow trousers too short for him. Rust blac sleevless waistcoat, four
capaciou pocets. !eavy silver watch and chain. "rimy white shirt open at nec, no
collar. Surprising pair of dirty white boots, si#e ten at least, very narrow and pointed.
$hite face. %urple nose. &isordered grey hair. 'nshaven.
very near(sighted )but unspectacled*. !ard of hearing.
+raced voice. &istinctive intonation.
,aborious wal.
-n the table a tape(recorder with microphone and a number of cardboard bo.es
containing reels of recorded tapes.
table and immediately ad/acent area in strong white light. Rest of stage in darness.
Krapp remains a moment motionless, heaves a great sigh, loos at his watch, fumbles in
his pocets, taes out an evelope, puts it bac, fumbles, taes out a small bunch of eys,
raises it to his eyes, chooses a ey, gets up and moves to front of table. !e stoops, unlocs
first drawer, peers into it, feels about inside it, taes out a reel of tape, peers at it, puts it
bac, locs drawer, unlocs second drawer peers into it, feels about inside it, taes out a
large banana, peers at it, locs drawer, puts eys bac in his pocet. !e turns, advances
to edge of stage, halts, stroes banana, peels it, drops sin at his feet, puts end of banana
in his mouth and remains motionless, staring vacuously before him. Finally he bites off
the end, turns aside and begins pacing to and fro at edge of stage, in the light, i.e. not
more than four or five paces either way, meditatively eating banana. !e treads on sin,
slips, nearly falls, recovers himself, stoops and peers at sin and finally pushes it, still
stooping, with his foot over the edge of the stage into pit. !e resumes his pacing, finishes
banana, returns to table, sits down, remains a moment motionless, heaves a great sigh,
taes eys from his pocets, raises them to his eyes, chooses ey, gets up and moves to
front of table, unlocs second drawer, taes out a second large banana, peers at it, locs
drawer, puts bac his eys in his pocet, turns, advances to the edge of stage, halts,
stroes banana, peels it, tosses sin into pit, puts an end of banana in his mouth and
remains motionless, staring vacuously before him. Finally he has an idea, puts banana in
his waistcoat pocet, the end emerging, and goes with all the speed he can muster
bacstage into darness. 0en seconds. ,oud pop of cor. Fifteen seconds. !e comes bac
into light carrying an old ledger and sits down at table. !e lays ledger on table, wipes
his mouth, wipes his hands on the front of his waistcoat, brings them smartly together
and rubs them.
KRAPP
(brisly). Ah! (!e bends over ledger, turns the pages, finds the entry he wants, reads.)
Box . . . thrree . . . spool . . . five. (he raises his head and stares front. $ith relish.) Spool!
(pause.) Spooool! (happy smile. %ause. !e bends over table, starts peering and poing at
the bo.es.) Box . . . thrree . . . three . . . four . . . two . . . (with surprise) nine! good God! .
. . seven . . . ah! the little rascal! (!e taes up the bo., peers at it.) Box thrree. (!e lays it
on table, opens it and peers at spools inside.) Spool . . . (he peers at the ledger) . . .
five . . . (he peers at spools) . . . five . . . five . . . ah! the little scoundrel! (!e taes out a
spool, peers at it.) Spool five. (!e lays it on table, closes bo. three, puts it bac with the
others, taes up the spool.) Box three, spool five. )!e bends over the machine, loos up.
$ith relish.* Spooool! )happy smile. !e bends, loads spool on machine, rubs his hands.*
Ah! (!e peers at ledger, reads entry at foot of page.) Mother at rest at last . . . H . . .
!he "lac# "all . . . (!e raises his head, stares blanly front. %u##led.) Blac# "all$ . . . (!e
peers again at ledger, reads.) !he dar# nurse . . . (!e raises his head, broods, peers again
at ledger, reads.) Slight iproveent in "owel condition . . . H . . . Meora"le . . .
what$ (!e peers closer.) %&uinox, eora"le e&uinox. (!e raises his head, stares
blanly front. %u##led.) Meora"le e&uinox$ . . . (%ause. !e shrugs his head shoulders,
peers again at ledger, reads.) 'arewell to(((he turns the page)((love.
!e raises his head, broods, bends over machine, switches on and assumes listening
posture, i.e. leaning foreward, elbows on table, hand cupping ear towards machine, face
front.
TAPE
(strong voice, rather pompous, clearly Krapp's at a much earlier time.) !hirt)(nine toda),
sound as a(((Settling himself more comfortable he nocs one of the bo.es off the table,
curses, switches off, sweeps bo.es and ledger violently to the ground, winds tape bac to
the beginning, switches on, resumes posture.) !hirt)(nine toda), sound as a "ell, apart
fro ) old wea#ness, and intellectuall) * have now ever) reason to suspect at the . . .
(hesitates) . . . crest of the wave((or therea"outs. +ele"rated the awful occasion, as in
recent )ears, &uietl) at the winehouse. ,ot a soul. Sat "efore the fire with closed e)es,
separating the grain fro the hus#s. -otted down a few notes, on the "ac# of an envelope.
Good to "e "ac# in ) den in ) old rags. Have -ust eaten * regret to sa) three "ananas
and onl) with difficult) restrained a fourth. 'atal things for a an with ) condition.
(1ehemently.) +ut .e out! (pause.) !he new light a"ove ) ta"le is a great iproveent.
/ith all this dar#ness around e * feel less alone. (%ause.) *n a wa). (%ause.) * love to
get up and ove a"out in it, then "ac# here to . . . (hesitates) . . . e. (pause.) 0rapp.
%ause.
!he grain, now what * wonder do * ean ") that, * ean . . . (hesitates) . . . * suppose *
ean those things worth having when all the dust has((when all my dust has settled. *
close ) e)es and tr) and iagine the.
%ause. Krapp closes his eyes briefly.
%xtraordinar) silence this evening, * strain ) ears and do not hear a sound. 1ld Miss
McGloe alwa)s sings at this hour. But not tonight. Songs of her girlhood, she sa)s.
Hard to thin# of her as a girl. /onderful woan, though. +onnaught, * fanc). (%ause.)
2
Shall * sing when * a her age, if * ever a$ ,o. (%ause.) 3id * sing as a "o)$ ,o.
(%ause.) 3id * ever sing$ ,o.
%ause.
4ust "een listening to an old )ear, passaages at rando. * did not chec# in the "oo#, "ut it
ust "e at least ten or twelve )ears ago. At that tie * thin# * was still living on and off
with Bianca in 0edar Street. /ell out of that, 4esus )es! Hopeless "usiness. (%ause.) ,ot
uch a"out her, apart fro a tri"ute to her e)es. 5er) war. * suddenl) saw the again.
(%ause.) *ncopara"le! (%ause.) Ah well . . . (%ause.) !hese old 6.M.s are gruesoe, "ut
* often find the(((Krapp switches off, broods, switches on)((a help "efore e"ar#ing on
a new . . . (hestitates) . . . retrospect. Hard to "elieve * was ever that )oung whelp. !he
voice! 4esus! And the aspirations! (2rief laugh in which Krapp /oins.) And the
resolutions! (2rief laugh in which Krapp /oins.) !o drin# less, in particular. (2rief laugh
of Krapp alone.) Statistics. Seventeen hundred hours, out of the preceding eight thousand
odd, consued on licensed preises alone. More than 278, sa) 978 of his wa#ing life.
(%ause.) 6lans for a less . . . (hesitates) . . . engrossing sexual life. :ast illness of his
father. 'lagging pursuit of happiness. ;nattaina"le laxation. Sneers at what he calls his
)outh and than#s to God that it.s over. (%ause.) 'alse ring there. (%ause.) Shadows of the
opus . . . agnu. +losing with a (((brief laugh)(()elp to 6rovidence. (%rolonged laugh
in which Krapp /oins.) /hat reains of all that iser)$ A girl in a sha"") green coat, on
a railwa)(station platfor$ ,o$
%ause.
/hen * loo#((
Krapp switches off, broods, loos at his watch, gets up, goes bacstage into darness. 0en
seconds. pop of cor. 0en seconds. Second cor. 0en seconds. 0hird cor. 0en seconds.
2rief burst of 3uavering song.
KRAPP
(sings).
,ow the da) is over,
,ight is drawing nigh(igh,
Shadows((
Fit of coughing. !e comes bac into light, sits down, wipes his mouth, switches on,
resumes his listening posture.
TAPE
((Bac# on the )ear that is gone, with what * hope is perhaps a glint of the old e)e to coe,
there is of course the house on the canal where other la) a(d)ing, in the late autun,
after her long viduit) (Krapp gives a start), and the(((Krapp switches off, winds bac
tape a little, bends his ear closer to the machine, switches on)((a(d)ing, after her long
viduit), and the((
Krapp switches off, raises his head, stares blanly before him. !is lips move in the
syllables of 4viduity.4 5o sound. !e gets up, goes bac stage into darness, comes bac
with an enormous dictionary, lays it on table, sits down and loos up the word.
<
KRAPP
(reading fro dictionar)). State((or condition of "eing((or reaining((a widow((or
widower. (:oo#s up. 6u==led.) Being((or reaining$ . . . (6ause. He peers again at
dictionar). >eading.) ?3eep weeds of viduit)? . . . Also of an anial, especiall) a "ird . . .
the vidua or weaver "ird . . . Blac# pluage of ale . . . (He loo#s up. /ith relish.) !he
vidua7"ird!
%ause. !e closes dictionary, switches on, reusmes listening posture.
TAPE
(("ench ") the weir fro where * could see her window. !here * sat, in the "iting wind,
wishing she were gone. (%ause.) Hardl) a soul, -ust a few regulars, nurseaids, infants,
old en, dogs. * got to #now the &uite well((oh ") appearance of course * ean! 1ne
dar# )oung "eaut) * recall particularl), all white and starch, incopara"le "oso, with a
"ig "lac# hooded pera"ulator, ost funereal thing. /henever * loo#ed in her direction
she had her e)es on e. And )et when * was "old enough to spea# to her((not having
"een introduced((she threatened to call a policean. As if * had designs on her virtue!
(,augh. %ause.) !he face she had! !he e)es! :i#e . . . (hesitates) . . . chr)solite! (%ause.)
Ah well . . . (%ause.) * was there when(((Krapp switches off, broods, switches on again)((
the "lind went down, one of those dirt) "rown roller affairs, throwing a "all for a little
white dog, as chance would have it. * happened to loo# up and there it was. All over and
done with, at last. * sat on for a few oents with the "all in ) hand and the dog
)elping and pawing at e. (%ause.) Moents. Her oents, ) oents. (%ause.) !he
dog.s oents. (%ause.) *n the end * held it out to hi and he too# it in his outh, gentl),
gentl). A sall, old, "lac#, hard, solid ru""er "all. (%ause.) * shall feel it, in ) hand,
until ) d)ing da). (%ause.) * ight have #ept it. (%ause.) But * gave it to the dog.
%ause.
Ah well . . .
%ause.
Spirituall) a )ear of profound gloo and indulgence until that eora"le night in March
at the end of the -ett), in the howling wind, never to "e forgotten, when suddenl) * saw
the whole thing. !he vision, at last. !his fanc) is what * have cheifl) to record this
evening, againt the da) when ) wor# will "e done and perhaps no place left in )
eor), war or cold, for the iracle that . . . (hesitates) . . . for the fire that set it alight.
/hat * suddenl) saw then was this, that the "eleif * had "een going on all ) life,
nael)(((Krapp switches off impatiently, winds tape foreward, switches on again)((great
granite roc#s the foa fl)ing up in the light of the lighhouse and the wind(gauge spinning
li#e a propellor, clear to e at last that the dar# * have alwa)s struggled to #eep under is
in realit)(((Krapp curses, switches off, winds tape foreward, switches on again)((
unshattera"le association until ) dissolution of stor and night with the light of the
understanding and the fire(((Krapp curses louder, switches off, winds tape foreward,
switches on again)(() face in her "reasts and ) hand on her. /e la) there without
oving. But under us all oved, and oved us, gentl), up and down, and fro side to
side.
%ause.
9
6ast idnight. ,ever #new such silence. !he earth ight "e uninha"ited.
%ause.
Here * end((
Krapp switches off, winds tabe bac, switches on again.
((upper la#e, with the punt, "athed off the "an#, then pushed out into the strea and
drifted. She la) streched out on the floor"oards with her hands under her head and her
e)es closed. Sun "la=ing down, "it of a "ree=e, water nice and livel). * noticed a scratch
on her thigh and as#ed her how she cae ") it. 6ic#ing goose"erries, she said. * said
again * thought it was hopeless and no good going on, and she agreed, without opening
her e)es. (%ause.) * as#ed her to loo# at e and after a few oents(((pause)((after a
few oents she did, "ut the e)es -ust slits, "ecause of the glare. * "ent over her to get
the in the shadow and the) opened. (%ause. ,ow.) :et e in. (%ause.) /e drifted in
aong the flags and stuc#. !he wa) the) went down, sighing, "efore the ste! (%ause.) *
la) down across her with ) face in her "reasts and ) hand on her. /e la) there without
oving. But under us all oved, and oved us, gentl), up and down, and fro side to
side.
%ause.
6ast idnight. ,ever #new((
Krapp switches off, broods. Finally he fumbles in his pocets, encounters the banana,
taes it out, peers at it, puts it bac, fumbles, brings out the envelope, fumbles, puts bac
envelope, loos at his watch, gets up and goes bacstage into darness. 0en seconds.
Sound of bottle against glass, then brief siphon. 0en seconds. 2ottle against glass alone.
0en seconds. !e comes bac a little unsteadily into light, goes to the front of table, taes
out eys, raises them to his eyes, chooses ey, unlocs first drawer, peers into it, feels
about inside it, taes out reel, peers at it, locs drawer, puts eys bac in his pocet, goes
and sits down, taes reel off machine, lays it on dictionary, loads virgin reel on machine,
taes envelope from his pocet, consults bac of it, lays it on table, switches on, clears his
throat and begins to record.
KRAPP
4ust "een listening to that stupid "astard * too# )self for thirt) )ears ago, hard to "eleive
* was ever as "ad as that. !han# God that.s all done with an)wa). (%ause.) !he e)es she
had! (2roods, reali#es he is recording silence, switches off, broods. Finally.) %ver)thing
there, ever)thing, all the(((Reali#ing this is not being recorded, switches on.) %ver)thing
there, ever)thing on this old uc#"all, all the light and dar# and faine and feasting of . .
. (hesitates) . . . the ages! (6n a shout.) @es! (%ause.) :et that go! 4esus! !a#e his ind off
his hoewor#! 4esus (%ause. $eary.) Ah well, a)"e he was right. (2roods. Reali#es.
Switches off. +onsults envelope.) 6ah! (+rumples it and throws it away. 2roods. Switches
on.) ,othing to sa), not a s&uea#. /hat.s a )ear now$ !he sour cud and the iron stool.
(%ause.) >evelled in the word spool. ($ith relish.) Spooool! Happiest oent of the past
half illion. (%ause.) Seventeen copies sold, of which eleven at trade price to free
circulating li"raries "e)ond the seas. Getting #nown. (%ause.) 1ne pound six and
soething, eight * have little dou"t. (%ause.) +rawled out once or twice, "efore the
suer was cold. Sat shivering in the par#, drowned in dreas and "urning to "e gone.
,ot a soul. (%ause.) :ast fancies. (1ehemently.) 0eep .e under! (%ause.) Scalded the
A
e)es out of e reading 7ffir again, a page a da), with tears again. %ffie . . . (%ause.)
+ould have "een happ) with her, up there on the Baltic, and the pines, and the dunes.
(%ause.) +ould *$ (%ause.) And she$ (%ause.) 6ah! (%ause.) 'ann) cae in a couple of
ties. Bon) old ghost of a whore. +ouldn.t do uch, "ut * suppose "etter than a #ic# in
the crutch. !he last tie wasn.t so "ad. How do )ou anage it, she said, at )our age$ *
told her *.d "een saving up for her all ) life. (%ause.) /ent to 5espers once, li#e when *
was in short trousers. (%ause. Sings.*)
,ow the da) is over,
,ight is drawing nigh(igh,
Shadows(((coughing, then almost inaudible)((of the evening
Steal across the s#).
("asping.) /ent to sleep and fell off the pew. (%ause.) Soeties wondered in the night
if a last effort ightn.t(((%ause.) Ah finish )our "oo=e now and get to )our "ed. Go on
with this drivel in the orning. 1r leave it at that. (%ause.) :eave it at that. (%ause.) :ie
propped up in the dar#((and wander. Be again in the dingle on a +hristas %ve, gathering
holl), the red("erried. (%ause.) Be again on +roghan on a Sunda) orning, in the ha=e,
with the "itch, stop and listen to the "ells. (%ause.) And so on. (%ause.) Be again, "e
again. (%ause.) All that old iser). (%ause.) 1nce wasn.t enough for )ou. (%ause.) :ie
down across her.
,ong pause. !e suddenly bends over machine, switches off, wrenches off tape, throws it
away, puts on the other, winds it foreward to the passage he wants, switches on, listens
staring front.
TAPE
((goose"erries, she said. * said again * thought it was hopeless and no good going on, and
she agreed, without opening her e)es. (%ause.) * as#ed her to loo# at e and after a few
oents(((pause)((after a few oents she did, "ut the e)es -ust slits, "ecause of the
glare. * "ent over her to get the in the shadow and the) opened. (%ause. ,ow.) :et e
in. (%ause.) /e drifted in aong the flags and stuc#. !he wa) the) went down, sighing,
"efore the ste! (%ause.) * la) down across her with ) face in her "reasts and ) hand
on her. /e la) there without oving. But under us all oved, and oved us, gentl), up
and down, and fro side to side.
%ause. Krapp's lips move. 5o sound.
6ast idnight. ,ever #new such silence. !he earth ight "e uninha"ited.
%ause.
Here * end this reel. Box(((pause)((three, spool(((pause)((five. (%ause. 6erhaps ) "est
)ears are gone. /hen there was a chance of happiness. But * wouldn.t want the "ac#.
,ot with the fire in e now. ,o, * wouldn.t want the "ac#.
Krapp motionless staring before him. 0he tape runs on in silence.
+;>!A*,
B