Samuel Becket was also famous for other works which always represent the meaninglessness (mancanza di significato) of life and Man’s uneasiness (disagio). Endgame’s protagonist, Hamm, (Finale di partita, 1957) lives in a gloomy (oscura) room with two high (alte) windows. He is blind (cieco) and can’t walk. Hamm has a servant, Clov. Clov has his legless parents (genitori senza gambe) who vegetate (vegetano) in two dustbins (cesti per l’immondizia). Clov watches outside into a grey world to pass the time, but when he sees a small boy, is horrified. He wants to murder him (ucciderlo), but he never decides to open the door. In Krapp’s Last Tape (1959) a 69-year-old-man man starts listening to a tape (nastro) recorded (registrato) on his 39th birthday. At the end, he records his last tape aware (conscio) of having thrown away (gettato via) his chance (opportunità) of happiness. Happy Days (1961)’s protagonist, Winny, is a 50-years-old good looking woman who talks while buried up (sepolta) to her breasts (al petto) in Act I and to her neck (fino al collo) in Act II. Her husband tries to kill her, but she goes own talking gaily and optimistically. Breath (1969) is certainly the most controversial amomg Becket’s plays: it is a 25 second breath, the sound of “an instant of recorded vagitus” – the playwright explains – followed accompanied by an increase and decrease (aumento e diminuzione) in the intensity of the light.
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