
(with proof corrections)
I
[0001] A late evening in the nineteen eighties 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 wiastcoat, four capacious pockets. [0007] Heavy silbver 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] Purples 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 mtape-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 keeys, 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, closes and locks drawer, unlocks and opens second drawer, peers into it, feels about inside it, takes out a large banana, peers at it, closes and 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, nearly falls, recovers himself, stoops and peers at skin and finally pushes it, still stooping, with his foot over the edge of stage into pit. [0027] He resumes his pacing, finishes banana, returns to table, sits down, remains a moment motioneless, heaves a great sigh, takes keys from his pocket, raises them to his eyes, chooses a key, gets up and moves to front of table, opens unlocks second drawer, takes out a second large banana, peers at it, locks drawer,
[p. 2r]
puts back keys in his pocket, turns and 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 front of his waistcoat, brings them smartly together and rubs them.
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 |
[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.
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 boxes off the table, [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 sings at this hour. [0112] But not tonight. [0113] Songs of her girlhood, she says. [0114] Hard to think of her as a girl. [0115] Wonderful woman though. [0116] Connacht, I fancy. [0117] (Pause.) [0118] Shall I sing when I am her age, if I ever am? [0119] No. [0120] (Pause.) [0121] Did I sing as a boy? [0122] No. [0123] (Pause.) [0124] Did I ever sing? [0125] No. [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 was still living on and off with Bianca in Kedar Street. [0130] Well out of that, Jesus yes! [0131] Hopeless business. [0132] (Pause.) [0133] Not much about her, apart from a tribute to her eyes. [0134] Very warm. [0135] I suddenly saw them again. [0136] (Pause.) [0137] Incompa [0169] Pause. [0170] When I look - ([0171] Krapp switches off, broods, looks at his watch, gets up and goes backstage into darkness. [0172] Ten seconds. [0173] Pop of cork. [0174] Ten seconds. [0175] Pop of second cork. [0176] Ten seconds. [0177] Pop of third cork. [0178] Ten seconds. [0179] Brief burst of quavering song. |
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, resumes his listening posture.
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 |
[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, sits down, lays it on table and looks up the word.
Krapp |
[0191] (reading from dictionary). [0192] State - or condition - of being - or remaining - a |
[0205] Pause. [0206] He closes dictionary, switches on, resumes listening posture.
Tape |
[0207] - bench by the weir from where I could see her window. [0208] There I sat, [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] [0256] Pause. [0257] Past midnight. [0258] Never knew such silence. [0259] The earth might be uninhabited. [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
[0282] Pause. |
[0285] Krapp switches off, broods. [0286] Finally he fumbles in his pockets, encounters the bana banana, takes it out, peers at it, throws it away puts it back, fumbles, brings out the envelope, fumbles, puts back the 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 out keys, raises them to his eyes, chooses key, takes opens unlocks first drawer, peers into it, feels about inside, takes out reel, peers at it, locks drawer, puts keys back in his pocket, goes and sits down, takes reel off machine, latys it on dictionary, loads virgin reel on machine, takes envelope from his pocket, consults it back of it, lays it on table, broods, switches on, clears his throat and begins to record.
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, realizes he is recording silence, switches off, broods. [0298] Finally.)
[0299] Everything there, everything, all the - [0300] (Realizes this is not being recorded, switches on.) [0301] Everything there, everything on this old muckball, all the light and dark and famine and feasting of...(hesitates)...the ages! [0302] (In a shout.) [0303] Yes! [0304] (Pause.) [0305] Let that go! [0306] Jesus! [0307] Take his mind off his homework! [0308] Jesus! ([0309] Pause. [0310] Weary.) [0311] Ah well, maybe he was right. [0312] (Pause.) [0313] Maybe he was right. ([0314] Broods. [0315] Realizes. [0316] Switches off. [0317] Consults envelope.) [0318] Pah! ([0319] Crumples it and throws it away. [0320] Broods. [0321] Switches on.) [0322] Nothing to say, not a squeak. [0323] What's a year now? [0324] The sour cud and the iron stool. [0325] (Pause.) [0326] Revelled in the word spool. [0327] (With relish.) [0328] Spooool! [0329] Happiest moment of the past half million. [0330] (Pause.) [0331] Seventeen copies sold, of which eleven at trade price to free circ [0365] Now the day is over, [0366] (Panting.) [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 |
[0391] Long pause. [0392] He suddenly bends over machine, switches off, wrenches off tape, throws it away, puts on the other, winds winds it forward to the passage he wants, switches on, listens staring front.
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 after a few moments - (pause) - after a few moments she did, but the eyes just slits, because of the glare. [0397] I bent over her to get them in the shadow and they opened. ([0398] Pause. [0399] Low.)
[0400] Let me in. [0401] (Pause.) [0402] We drifted in among the [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. [0417] (Pause.) [0418] Perhaps my best years are gone. [0419] When there was a chance of happiness. [0420] But I wouldn't want them back. [0421] Not with the fire |
[0423] Krapp motionless sytaring before him. [0424] The tape runs on in silence.
[0425] Curtain