Samuel Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape is overshadowed by the ominous theme of going “over the hill”. Krapp describes in his recording from his 39th birthday that he has reached the "crest of the wave" (334). This is quite possibly one of the most depressing topics in existence. The idea that your best days are behind you and that everything is downhill from that point leaves one with no motivation or drive to try in life. Krapp accepts this notion and it seems to dictate the rest of his life. It appears as though he has let the past 30 years go by without meaning. He lived his life as though he was over the hill and that no matter what he did, things would never be as good as they were. This leaves him feeling trapped in a life that’s going nowhere.
There is another aspect of the “over the hill” concept involved in this play. When people use the term “over the hill” they almost always use it in a humorous way. I think that this is true for parts of Krapp’s Last Tape. We see comedic breaks in the storyline in moments like Krapp searching for the tape, when he knocks over the box of tapes, and when he talks into the recorder while its off. I think that these moments lighten up the mood just enough to keep the audience from wanting to give up on the performance, just like Krapp has given up on his life.
I like this theme of "over the hill" although I feel like I would need to see the play in order to appreciate the humor of it bc it still seems a bit sad.
ReplyDeleteI disagree about the pieces of comedy throughout the play. I did laugh a couple times, but it was more like a pathetic chuckle, you know? As if the horrible sense of comedy actually made the play more depressing.
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