Summary
"Krapp's Last Tape" offers a unique glance into the life of an aging man grappling with his past. The protagonist, Krapp, celebrates his sixty-ninth birthday by revisiting old recordings of himself, creating a poignant contrast between his past and present personas. Through these tapes, the audience witnesses a blend of regret, nostalgia, and self-reflection in Krapp's solitary existence.
Krapp in the Spotlight
Bathed in a circle of light amidst surrounding darkness, Krapp sits alone at a table in his den. His appearance is strikingly pale and clown-like, with a large purple nose, messy gray hair, and a face in need of a shave. Dressed in old black trousers, a dirty white shirt paired with a black vest, and oddly oversized dirty white boots, he exudes an air of disarray. On his sixty-ninth birthday, Krapp retrieves a small bunch of keys from his pocket, unlocks a drawer in his desk, and removes a recording tape. After examining it, he puts it back and unlocks another drawer, where he finds a banana. Stroking the banana thoughtfully, he peels it and stares into the distance before eating it and dropping the peel. In a comedic pantomime, he slips on the peel, nudges it offstage with his toe, and repeats the action with another banana before leaving the scene momentarily. He soon returns, holding a ledger in his hands.
The Recollection of Past Birthdays
Krapp finally breaks his silence as he scrutinizes the ledger, uttering the words, “Box . . . three . . . spool . . . five.” This ledger catalogs the tapes he records annually on his birthday. As he sifts through his collection, he seeks the tape from his thirty-ninth birthday. The entry in the ledger references pivotal moments such as his mother's death, an enigmatic black ball, "the dark nurse," bowel troubles, and a "memorable equinox," culminating in a "farewell to love." As Krapp listens to the cassette, the voice of his younger self recounts a birthday of drinking, writing, and eating bananas. His thirty-nine-year-old self sounds smug, convinced he's at his prime. The younger Krapp recalls listening to an even older tape from his twenties, a time marked by living with a woman named Bianca. He derides his youthful naivety, labeling these memories "gruesome," and laughs at the lofty ambitions of his past self, joined in derision by his present self. Further recollections include his father’s death and the end of an affair.
Confronting the Past
Krapp stops the tape, visibly perturbed, and exits briefly. The sound of three corks popping underscores his absence. Upon his return, he drunkenly sings until a coughing fit silences him. Resuming the tape, Krapp hears his younger self narrate his mother's death. Upon hearing the term "viduity," he halts the tape, puzzled by its meaning, and retrieves a dictionary. Discovering it denotes "widowhood" and also refers to a black bird, he is simultaneously amused and contemplative. The tape continues, revealing younger Krapp’s ambivalence as he sits by a canal during his mother's final moments, watching an appealing nursemaid and noticing the window blind lower—a sign of her passing. He recalls throwing a small black ball for a dog by the canal, a poignant memory of the dog's gentle retrieval, just after his mother's death.
Yearning for Clarity
As the tape progresses, Krapp hears his younger self allude to a significant revelation. Growing impatient, he fast-forwards through the tape repeatedly until a particular section draws him back. The voice describes an intimate encounter in a boat on a lake. As Krapp listens intently, scenes unfold: the woman, eyes closed against the sun, a...
(This entire section contains 799 words.)
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scratch on her leg from gooseberry picking, and the gentle rocking of the boat among wild iris. After pausing the tape, Krapp exits again, returning with whiskey. Though his gait is unsteady, he prepares to record a new tape for his sixty-ninth birthday. He mocks his younger self, yet soon drifts into contemplation, forgetting to speak into the recorder.
Reflections and Regrets
Amidst fragmented musings, Krapp mentions a publication with "Seventeen copies sold," a testament to his past literary pursuits. His thoughts meander to women from his past, like Effie Briest, a character from a German novel, and Fanny, an old prostitute who flattered him in his waning virility. He dismisses these recent encounters, cynically comparing them to a kick in the crotch. Attempting to escape into nostalgia, Krapp reminisces about attending vespers as a boy, gathering holly in Ireland, and hiking with his dog. Yet, he chides himself for indulging in "All that old misery." Despite his efforts to dismiss the past, the memory of the woman in the boat continues to haunt him. He replays the tape from his thirty-ninth birthday, focusing on the boat scene. This time, he allows the tape to run silently, staring into the void as the voice ceases.