Samuel Beckett
Digital Manuscript Project
Krapp's Last Tape / La Dernière Bande

MS-HRC-SB-4-2-4

X
Segment 1

[0028] Finally he has an idea, drops banana at his feet, turns
and goes [place = supralinear] with all the speed he can muster, backstage into darkness.
[0029] Ten seconds.[0030] Loud pop of
cork.
[0031] Fifteen seconds.[0032] He comes back into light carrying an
old ledger and sits down at table.
[0033] He lays ledger on table,
wio [place = overwritten] pes his mouth, wipes his hands on the front of his waistcoat,
brings them smartly together and rubs them.

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Segment 2

[0034] (briskly. [place = overwritten] ).[0035] Ah![0036] (He bendso over ledger, turns the pages, finds
the entry he wants, reads
.)
[0037] Box...thrree...spool...five.[0038] (He
raises his head and stares front.
[0039] With relish.)[0040] Spool![0041] (Pause.)
[0042] Spooool![0043] ( [place = margin left] Happy smile. [][0044] Pause. [0045] He bends over table, starts peering and poking
at the boxes
.)
[0046] Box...thrree...thrree...four...two...(with sur-
prise) nine! good God!...seven...ah! the little rascal!
[0047] (He hold
holds up a box between finger and thumb [place = supralinear] takes up box, peers at it.)
[0048] Box thrree.[0049] (He lays
it on table, opens it and peers at the spools inside
.)

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Segment 3

[0050] Spool...
(he peers at ledger)...five. (He peers at spools.) Five...five..
ah! the little scoundrel!
[0051] (He takes out a spool, holds it up
between g [place = overwritten] finger and thumb. [place = supralinear] peers at it.
)
[0052] Spool five.[0053] (He lays it on table,
closes box three, puts it back with the others. He takes up
spool
.)
[0054] Box thrree, spool five.[0055] (He bends over machine, looks
up.
[0056] With relish.)[0057] Spooool![0058] (Happy smile.) smile. [0058|001] [place = supralinear] Pause.[0059] He bends,
loads spool on machine, rubs his hands.)
[0060] Ah) Ah!

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Segment 4

[0061] (He peers at
ledger. Reading entry at foot of page
.)
[0062] Mother at rest at last
...
[0064]The black ball...[0065](He raises his head, stares blankly front.
[0066] Puzzled.)[0067] Black ball?...[0067|001] ( [place = margin left] Pause[0068] He peers again at ledger, reads.)
[0069] The dark ny [place = overwritten] urse...[0070](He raises his head, broods, peers again at
ledger
, [place = margin left] reads.)
[0071] [place = margin left] s [place = overwritten] Slight I [place = overwritten] improvement in bowel condition...[0073]Memorable...what?
[0074] (He peers closer.)[0075] Equinox, memorable equinox.

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Segment 5

[0076] (He raises his
head, stares blankly front
.)
[0078] Memorable equinox?...[0079](Pause. [0080] He
shrugs his shoulders, peers again at ledger, reads
.)
[0081] Farewell
to - (he turns the page) - love.
[0082] He raises his head, broods, bends over machine, switches it on
and assumes listening posture, i.e. leaning forward, elbows on
table, hand cupping ear towards machine, face front
.)

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Segment 6

[0083] [] [place = supralinear] (Strong voice, rather pompous, clearly Krapp's at a much earlier time).
[0084] Thirty-nine today, sound as a -[0085] (Settling himself more comfort-
ably he knocks one of the boxes off the table, curses, switches [place = inline] off,
sweeps boxes and ledger violently to the ground, winds tape
back to beginning, switches on, e [place = overwritten] resumes posture
.)
[0086] Thirty-nine
today, sound as a...(hesitates)...whistle [place = margin left] bell, apart from my old
weakness, and intellecutually I have now every reason to sus-
pect at the...(hesitates)...crest of my powers the wave - or½
or thereabouts.

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Segment 7

[0087] Celebrated the awful occasion, as in recent
years, quietly at the Winehouse.
[0088] Not a soul.[0089] Sat before the
fite fire with closed eyes, sepa [place = inline] rating the grain from the
chaff [place = supralinear] husks.
[0090] Jotted down a few notes, on the back of an envelope.
[0091] Good to be back in my den, in my old rags.[0092] Have just eaten I
regra [place = overwritten] et to say three bananas and only with difficulty refrained
from a fourth.
[0093] Fatal things for a man with my condition.[0094] [] [place = margin left] (violently [place = supralinear] Vehemently) []

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Segment 8

[0095] Cut 'em
out! out!
[0096] (Pause.)[0097] The new light above my table is a great
improvement.
[0098] With all this darkness round me I feel less alone.
[0099] (Pause.)[0100] In a way.[0101] (Pause.)[0102] I love to get up and move about in
it, then back here to...(hesitates)...me.
[0103] (Pause.)[0104] Krapp.
[0105] Pause.

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Addition 1
Happy smile. []
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Addition 2
Pause
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Addition 3
reads
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Addition 4
s [place = overwritten] Slight
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Addition 5
bell
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Addition 6
(violently [place = supralinear] Vehemently) []
Transcription
  • Segments
  • Marginal Additions