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urikastov's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
paul_viaf's review against another edition
3.0
From one who is hardly the expert on the subject of drama or the stage: I have heard many illustrious things about Mr. Beckett. This is the first set of plays I’ve actually been privy to. Compartmentalized into five different plays, the book seems to share an overall theme or perhaps it is my mind trying to find some sort of coherence from what is, for the most part, something quite nonsensical. Krapp’s Last Tape (for whom the book is named after) & Embers are my two favorites from this collection. There is no shortage of phrases packed with profundity sprinkled throughout all the plays in this book. To me, that’s what keeps the audiences’ attention. I love that he utilizes the common place as a carriage for such whimsical & simultaneously irking statements from characters who seem almost as inconsequential as the places where these events take place. It is as if the language, the statements, the intertwining of emotion & subject matter take precedence over the vessels that profess them or the locations by where the events are housed. Death looms throughout, a subject which refuses to leave our species alone, a subject that binds all of us. Time a crafty instrument by which death draws closer plays a key role as well. Ever a constant, the unspoken but ever-present character. Beckett toys with the tense, the past confronting the present, the present convoluted & mixed with different tenses, & in this cocktail of tenses, a new one is born outside & inside of the consciousness. It is as if that tense can only exist there & not exist at all except for the plain which manifests itself within the experience of the character engulfed in this reality. It is a masterful experiment of time, death, life, language, comedy & tragedy converging & confronting one another. Although I may not understand in totality the magnitude of this man’s talents thus far, I look forward to grasping & learning about his playful & serious brush strokes used throughout the readings of his version of drama on live stage.
meaganmart's review
4.0
This play focuses on an old man, who on his birthday listens to a tape he had made on a previous birthday, in this case his 39th birthday. I've read a lot of drama this semester for different classes, but this is one of the best plays I've ever read. It's fascinating to read the scene, with only one character present, and Beckett's talent really shines through. If you're not a fan of Beckett or of drama in general, I can understand that this might seem confusing, or you may not like it, but if you've read a lot of drama, you should definitely pick this up. It's a one act play, but Beckett manages to completely captivate and amaze you in that short time. It's truly a masterpiece.
jestintzi's review
5.0
Reread this gem. The more I revisit this piece (Krapp) the more I wonder if it's on par with Godot for me in the Beckett ouevre. I don't think there's another piece I've read with storytelling as brilliantly fragmented as Krapp. Or something that has as blatant "I want to kick you in face, Sam, for being a silly annoying boy" bits. Though actually those moments are pretty much at the top of the show. Pinter did an interesting interpretation that actually removed them and I think it works well (though lament the loss a bit). Nevertheless, brilliant and touching. More serious and emotional than you probably expect.
antoniomansopreto's review
5.0
listened tohttps://youtu.be/hRFSAHMaX8U?si=mFhIP2hly3GXIiEJ & https://www.amazon.com/Krapps-Last-Tape-Piece-Monologue/dp/B000ELJ9Q6
Krapps Last Tape - 4
That Time - 4.5
Embers - 5
Not I - 5
A Piece Of Monologue - 5
Krapps Last Tape - 4
That Time - 4.5
Embers - 5
Not I - 5
A Piece Of Monologue - 5
nanikeeva's review against another edition
4.0
the absurdism is truly delightful - it's shocking how much amusement the existence of a banana can bring
madd_eye_moody's review
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ruddsreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
tomhill's review against another edition
4.0
"She lay stretched out on the floorboards with her hands under her head and her eyes closed. Sun blazing down, bit of a breeze, water nice and lively. I noticed a scratch on her thigh and asked her how she came by it. Picking gooseberries, she said. I said again I thought it was hopeless and no good going on and she agreed, without opening her eyes. [Pause.] I asked her to look at me and after a few moments— [Pause.]— after a few moments she did, but the eyes just slits, because of the glare. I bent over her to get them in the shadows and they opened. [Pause. Low.] Let me in.”
My rating is mostly for Krapp's Last Tape. The other plays are also effective in portraying the bleakness of human existence, and there's definitely very obvious connections thematically between the five "pieces" here. The last two are very short and without dialogue. I watched those and listened to the first three while reading. I think you have to in order to get the full impact of the works. "All That Fall" and "Embers" were written for radio, so they were intended to only be listened to. I watched a bit of one version of Krapp's Last Tape after listening to it, and that was effective too. This was my first exposure to Beckett's work, and it is all quite strange and at times inscrutable. The kind of work that only becomes more meaningful with repeated readings or viewings. Krapp's Last Tape is brief, a one character show featuring Krapp in his old age listening to a tape of Krapp as a young man. Again, another reading would lend me a deeper understanding, but the surface level themes are quite moving to me. Krapp is defeated and embittered at the end of his life, and it seems as if there were only a few (or only one?) moment(s) in his entire life that really shone through. Very brief, very fleeting happiness. Or that's what I felt after reading. And it does make one wonder about one's own life, and the position one will be in at the end. What will we remember? Even if our lives are filled with many happy moments, how many will bleed through the suffering we may face at the end? I liked that such a brief dramatic piece was able to stir up these kinds of thoughts and anxieties in me, even if those thoughts themselves are fleeting.
My rating is mostly for Krapp's Last Tape. The other plays are also effective in portraying the bleakness of human existence, and there's definitely very obvious connections thematically between the five "pieces" here. The last two are very short and without dialogue. I watched those and listened to the first three while reading. I think you have to in order to get the full impact of the works. "All That Fall" and "Embers" were written for radio, so they were intended to only be listened to. I watched a bit of one version of Krapp's Last Tape after listening to it, and that was effective too. This was my first exposure to Beckett's work, and it is all quite strange and at times inscrutable. The kind of work that only becomes more meaningful with repeated readings or viewings. Krapp's Last Tape is brief, a one character show featuring Krapp in his old age listening to a tape of Krapp as a young man. Again, another reading would lend me a deeper understanding, but the surface level themes are quite moving to me. Krapp is defeated and embittered at the end of his life, and it seems as if there were only a few (or only one?) moment(s) in his entire life that really shone through. Very brief, very fleeting happiness. Or that's what I felt after reading. And it does make one wonder about one's own life, and the position one will be in at the end. What will we remember? Even if our lives are filled with many happy moments, how many will bleed through the suffering we may face at the end? I liked that such a brief dramatic piece was able to stir up these kinds of thoughts and anxieties in me, even if those thoughts themselves are fleeting.