Krapp's Last Tape

How is future Krapp different from past Krapp? How is he the same? What do the differences and similarities between his selves say about aging and identity?

Analyze the fleeting female figures in Krapp’s Last Tape the archetypes of mother, nurse, whore, and girlfriend all make appearances. What do they represent for Krapp?

Fire and light, juxtaposed with the dark, are strong motifs throughout the play. They appear in the lighting of the stage, Krapp’s vision at the jetty, and in numerous other places. What does light symbolize for Krapp, and how does its meaning change for him as he ages?

What is the role of the physical body in Krapp’s Last Tape? Analyze its relationship with the mind, love, and free will, along with any other connections you can draw.

Since this is a one-man play, Krapp serves as a type of narrator. How reliable is he? He repeats several times, for instance, that he would not want to go back to his younger years, saying, “[t]hank god that’s all done with anyway” (10). Is he believable?

What is Krapp’s relationship with alcohol at various points in his life? What prompts Krapp to drink throughout the play? What does the play imply about the effect of alcohol on Krapp’s life?

Do a close reading of the fragments that Krapp plays of his epiphany on the jetty. What do the light, storm, night, and fire represent? How does this vision relate to what we glimpse of the rest of his life? Why does Krapp seem to have forgotten it, and why does he forward the tape past it?

Krapp often dwells on the image of various women’s eyes. What do eyes represent over the course of the play?