In the following essay, Gontarski appraises Beckett's reworking of his earlier plays and the changes they have undergone, paying particular attention to Play.
In the early 1960s the nature o...
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In the following essay, Gontarski finds Play to be a crucial element in the formation of Beckett's theatrical sensibility.
To date none of the commonly available English texts for Samuel Bec...
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Written in 1962-3, Play depicts three characters, a man (M), and two women (W1 and W2) trapped in urns with only their heads showing. These characters each present their own version of a love triangle...
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The Theatre of the Absurd expresses the idea that humans exist in a meaningless, irrational universe. It takes the basis of existential philosophy and combines it with dramatic elements to create a s...
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Congress: Turns out Donald Rumsfeld resigned as secretary of defense before last year's election. But Republicans who think announcing his departure would have saved their majority are deluding the...
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Somehow the boss doesn't see through their act and they get ahead. They're the office suck-ups. It's an issue that smacks of dishonesty, as employees try to curry favor by telling the boss how grea...
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Ah, dorm parties: the jungle juice, the big plastic jugs of liquor. Now they’re just hazy—and headachy—memories. As our capacity to overcome hangovers shrinks with each passing da...
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“Let me live again!”
Cable talk-show host Joe Scarborough was standing near the front windows of Christopher Hitchens’ enormous apartment in Washington’s embassy-heavy Kalor...
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Critical Essay by S. E. Gontarski
An Analysis of Samuel Beckett's "Play",
Playing Rummy
