Krapp

The name of the character clearly makes a reference to his life and what he is. This appears throughout the play consistently, not by the judgment of the audience but by that of Krapp himself. He realizes that throughout his life he has improved, but, as time passes, this improvement turns into frustration. He knows that the tape he records right now will be object of his mocking at a later time (if there is one).

This moment shows when he makes fun of himself: “Hard to believe I was ever that young whelp. The voice! Jesus! And the aspirations! (Brief laugh in which Krapp joins.) And the resolutions! (Brief laugh in which Krapp joins.)” (Beckett) This passage contains elements used to describe a person in his youth. “The aspirations” portray the idealism that young people normally carry. “The resolutions” evoke that optimism a young person has about its future. Krapp has changed continuously through the course of his life and in the end, finds all his other versions to be fools. They were all lost, like he is now, only that in the present, he is never able to recognize this.

Krapp feels pity towards his other selves because of their inability to see the truth that he now has. Still, in the first shot from Magee’s representation, the character finds himself lost in thought. Like all those other versions of him, he can not find his current truth. Although his life seems dark and unhappy we can all relate to it. From our current advantageous position we can reflect upon the past and see which decisions were correct or incorrect. Aside from the acting and the script the idea of a person looking with disappointment at his past life is a possible future for everybody. Being something that can be so easily related to the audience, this play has the potential of truly capturing it. After all, everyone’s life can be Krapp if we choose to make it so.