Rick Cluchey

Rick Cluchey startled me with his answer to my question about the setting of “Krapp’s Last Tape”. I ask why the play was set in the future, and his response was deflating. He explained that home recording was highly unused at the time and this sort of home recording device would only have been possible in the future. I think that would probably been Beckett’s answer as well. So often we think our philosophical reasons for the placement of words in texts must be absolute. Then, someone gives an obvious down-to-earth explanation. Although I think Beckett would have given the same answer I doubt that it would be the only answer. Whether he had a greater philosophical reason to place those directions (seemingly pointless directions at that) in the play, or he simply saw it as the only way to render home recording, he must have known the implications of their placement. I doubt that he knew completely why he placed the play in the future, if he did know he probably would have told us, just as he would have told us who Godot was.