[p. 1r] [0001] A late evening in the future.
[0002] Krapp's den.
[0003] Front centre a small table, the two drawers of which open towards audience.
[0004] Sitting at the table, facing front, i.e. across from the drawers, a wearish old man: Krapp.
[0005] Rusty black narrow trousers too short for him. [0006] Rusty black sleeveless waistcoat, four capacious pockets. [0007] Heavy silver watch and chain. [0008] Grimy white shirt open at neck, no collar. [0009] Surprising pair of dirty white boots, size ten at least, very narrow and pointed.
[0010] White face. [0011] Purple nose. [0012] Disordered grey hair. [0013] Unshaven.
[0014] Very near-sighted (but unspectacled). [0015] Hard of hearing.
[0016] Cracked voice. [0017] Distinctive intonation.
[0018] Laborious walk.
[0019] On the table a tape-recorder with microphone and a number of cardboard boxes containing reels of recorded tapes.
[0020] Table and immediately adjacent area in strong white light. [0021] Rest of stage in darkness.
[0022] Krapp remains a moment motionless, heaves a great sigh, looks at his watch, fumbles in his pockets, takes out an envelope, puts it back, fumbles, takes out a small bunch of keys, raises it to his eyes, chooses a key, gets up and moves to front of table. [0023] He stoops, unlocks first drawer, peers into it, feels about inside it, takes out a reel of tape, peers at it, puts it back, locks drawer, unlocks second drawer, peers into it, feels about inside it, takes out a large banana, peers at it, locks drawer, puts keys back in his pocket. [0024] He turns, advances to edge of stage, halts, strokes banana, peels it, drops skin at his feet, puts end of banana in his mouth and remains motionless, staring vacuously before him. [0025] Finally he bites off the end, turns aside and begins pacing to and fro at edge of stage, in the light, i.e. not more than four or five paces either way, meditatively eating banana. [0026] He treads on skin, slips, hnearly falls, recovers himself, stoops and peers at skin and finally pushes it, still stooping, with his foot over edge of stage into pit. [0027] He resumes his pacing, finishes banana, returns to table, sits down, remains a moment motionless, heaves a great sigh, takes keys from his pocket, raises them to his eyes, chooses key, gets up and moves to
[p. 2r]
front of table, unlocks second drawer, takes out a second large banana, peers at it, locks drawer, puts back keys in his pocket, turns, advances to edge of stage, halts, strokes banana, peels it, tosses skin into pit, puts end of banana in his mouth and remains motionless, staring vacuously before him. [0028] Finally he has an idea, puts banana in his waistcoat pocket, the end emerging, and goes 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, wipes his mouth, wipes his hands on the frontof front of his waistcoat, brings them smartly together and rubs them.
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Krapp |
[0034] (briskly). [0035] Ah! [0036] (He bends 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] Happy smile. [0044] Pause. [0045] He bends over table, starts peering and poking at the boxes.) [0046] Box...thrree...thrree... four...two...(with surprise) nine! good God!...seven...ah! the little rascal! [0047] (He takes up box, peers at it.) [0048] Box thrree. [0049] (He lays it on table, opens it and peers at spools inside.) [0050] Spool...(he peers at ledger)...five...(he peers at spools)...five...five...ah! the little scoundrel! [0051] ( |
[0082] He raises his head, broods, bends over machine, switches on and assumes listening posture, i.e. leaning forward, elbows on table, hand cupping ear towards machine, face front.
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Tape |
[0083] (strong voice, rather pompous, clearly Krapp's at a much earlier time). [0084] Thirty-nine today, sound as a - [0085] (Settling himself more comfortably he knocks one of the b [0105] Pause. [0106] The grain, now what I wonder do I mean by that, I mean... (hesitates)...I suppose I mean those things worth having when all the dust has - when all my dust has settled. [0107] I close my eyes and try and imagine them. [0108] Pause. [0109] Krapp closes his eyes briefly. [0110] Extraordinary silence this evening, I strain my ears and do not hear a sound. [0111] Old Miss McGlome always [0126] Pause. [0127] Just been listening to an old year, passages at random. [0128] I did not check in the book, but it must be at least ten or twelve years ago. [0129] At that time I think I [0169] Pause. |
[0171] Krapp switches off, broods, looks at his watch, gets up, goes backstage into darkness. [0172] Ten seconds. [0173] Pop of cork. [0174] Ten seconds. [0175] Second cork. [0176] Ten seconds. [0177] Third cork. [0178] Ten seconds. [0179] Brief burst of wavering song. quavering song.
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Krapp |
[0180] (sings). [0181] Now the day is over, |
[0182] Fit of coughing. [0183] He comes back into light, sits down, wipes his mouth, switches on, eresumes his listening posture.
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Tape |
[0184] - back on the year that is gone, with what I hope is perhaps a glint of the old eye to come, there is of course the house on the canal where mother lay a-dying, in the late autumn, after her long viduity (Krapp gives a start), and the - [0185] (Krapp switches off, winds back tape a little, bends his ear closer to machine, switches on) [0186] - a-dying, |
[0187] Krapp switches off, raises his head, stares blankly before him. [0188] His lips move in the syllables of viduity. [0189] No sound. [0190] He gets up, goes backstage into darkness, comes back with an enormous dictionary, lays it on table, sits down and looks up the word.
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Krapp |
[0191] (reading from dictionary). [0192] State - or condition - of being - or remaining - a widow - or widower. ([0193] Looks up. [0194] Puzzled.) [0195] Being - or remaining?... ([0196]Pause. [0197] He peers again at dictionary. [0198] Reading.) [0199] "Deep weeds of viduity"... [0200]Also of an animal, especially a bird...the vidua or weaver-bird... [0201]Black plumage of male... ([0202]He looks up. [0203] With relish.) [0204] The vidua-bird! |
[0205] Pause. [0206] He closes dictionary, switches on, resumes listening posture.
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Tape |
[0207] - bench by the weir from where I could see her window. [0208] There I sat, in the biting wind, wishing she were gone. [0209] [0241] Pause. [0242] Ah well... [0243] Pause. [0244] Spiritually a year of profound gloom and indigence until that memorable night in March, at the end of the jetty, in the howling wind, never to be forgotten, when suddenly I saw the whole thing. [0245] The vision, at last. [0246] This I imagine is what I have chiefly to record this evening, against the day when my work will be done and perhaps no place left in my memory, warm or cold, for the miracle that... [0256] Pause. [0257] Past midnight. [0258] Never knew such silence. [0259] The earth might be uninhabited.  [p. 6r]
[0260] Pause. [0261] Here I end - [0262] Krapp switches off, winds tape back, switches on again. [0263] - upper lake, with the punt, bathed off the bank, then pushed out into the stream and drifted. [0264] She lay stretched out on the floorboards with her hands under her head and her eyes closed. [0265] Sun blazing down, bit of a breeze, water nice and lively. [0266] I noticed a scratch on her thigh and asked her how she came by it. [0267] Picking gooseberries, she said. [0268] I said again I thought it was hopeless and no good going on, and she agreed, without opening her eyes. [0269] (Pause.) [0270] 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. [0271] I bent over her to get them in the shadow and they opened. ([0272] Pause. [0273] Low.) [0274] Let me in. [0275] (Pause.) [0276] We drifted in among the flags and stuck. [0277] The way they went down, sighing, before the stem! [0278] (Pause.) [0279] I lay down across her with my face in her breasts and my hand on her. [0280] We lay without moving. [0281] But under us all moved, and moved us, gently, up and down, and from side to side. [0282] Pause. |
[0285] Krapp switches off, broods. [0286] Fihnally he fumbles in his pockets, encounters the banana, takes it out, peers at it, throws it away, fumbles, brings out the envelope, fumbles, puts back envelope, looks at his watch, gets up and goes backstage into darkness. [0287] Ten seconds. [0288] Sound of bottle against glass, then brief siphon. [0289] Ten seconds. [0290] bottle against glass alone. [0291] Ten seconds. [0292] He comes back a little unsteadily into light, goes to front of table, takes oyut keys, raises them to his eyes, chooses key, unlocks first drawer, peers into it, feels about inside, takes out reel, peers at it, locks drawer, puts keys back in his pocke 
goes and sits down, takes reel off machine, lays it on dictionary, loads virgin reel on machine, takes envelope from his pocket, consults back of it, lays it on table, switches on, clears his throat and begins to record.
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Krapp |
[0293] Just been listening to that stupid bastard I took myself for thirty years ago, hard to believe I was ever as bad as that. [0294] Thank God that's all done with anyway. [0295] (Pause.) [0296] The eyes she had! ([0297] Broods, realises he is recording silence, switches off, broods. [0298] Finally.) [0299] Everything there, everything, all the - [0300] (Realises this is not being recorded, switches on.) [0301] Everything there, everything on this old
[0365] Now the day is over, [0366] (Gasping.) [0367] Went to sleep and fell off the pew. [0368] (Pause.) [0369] Sometimes wondered in the night if a last effort mightn't - [0370] (Pause.) [0371] Ah empty your noggin now and get to your bed. [0372] Finish this drivel in the morning. [0373] Or leave it at that. [0374] (Pause.) [0375] Leave it at that. [0376] (Pause.) [0377] Lie propped up in the dark - and wander. [0378] Be again in the dingle on a Christma |
[0391] Long pause. [0392] He suddenly bends over machine, switches off, wrenches off tape, throws it away, puts on the other, winds it forward tot the passhe passage he wants, switches on, listens staring front.
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Tape |
[0393] - gooseberries, she said. [0394] I said again I thought it was hopeless and no good going on, and she agreed, without opening her eyes. [0395] (Pause.) [0396] I asked her to look at me and
[0408] Pause. [0409] Krapp's lips move. [0410] No sound. [0411] Past midnight. [0412] Never knew such silence. [0413] The earth might be uninhabited. [0414] Pause. [0415] Here I end this reel. [0416] Box - (pause) - three, spool - (pause) - five. [0416|001] |
[0423] Krapp motionless staring before him. [0424] The tapes runs on in silence.
[0425] Curtain