Krapp's Last Tape

Krapp’s Last Tape is a one-act, one-man play by Irish avant-garde writer Samuel Beckett. It was first performed in 1958. Krapp is elderly and emotionally depressed. It is his 69th birthday. To mark the occasion, Krapp first listens to a tape he made on his thirty-ninth birthday to record important events and thoughts of the past year.

Krapp sits at his desk but is facing away from it. Atop the desk are boxes containing reels of recorded tapes, a reel-to-reel tape recorder, and a microphone. After sitting for a moment, Krapp gets up and searches his pockets for his keys. Then he goes through his desk until he finds a banana, which he peels. Tossing the peel on the floor, he puts the banana in his mouth but does not bite or chew it. After a moment of stillness, he starts to pace while eating the banana.

After almost slipping on the discarded peel, he kicks it out of the way and continues pacing until he has consumed the entire banana. Then he looks through the desk for a second banana. Once more, he peels the banana and puts it in his mouth only to stand still, not eating it.