Come and Go (1965)
by Samuel Beckett
(Type of Play)
Samuel Beckett’s Come and Go is a striking example of
modern experimental drama, and its form is as important as its content. Though
extremely brief, the play resists traditional dramatic classification and
instead belongs to multiple overlapping categories. It can best be described as
an Absurd play, a minimalist drama, and a symbolic one-act play, reflecting Beckett’s
radical redefinition of theatrical form in the mid-twentieth century.
First and foremost, Come and Go is a Play of the
Absurd. Like other Absurdist works, it rejects conventional plot development,
logical progression, and psychological explanation. There is no clear
beginning, middle, or end, and no action in the traditional sense. The women do
not change, resolve conflict, or reach understanding through dialogue. Instead,
the play presents existence as static, repetitive, and quietly unsettling. The
vague references to illness, never clarified or confirmed, heighten the sense
of uncertainty and meaninglessness that is central to Absurd drama.
At the same time, the play is a minimalist drama, a
form in which Beckett was a pioneer. The cast is reduced to three characters,
the setting is bare, and the dialogue is sparse to the point of near-silence.
Gestures—such as standing, sitting, or holding hands—carry more weight than
spoken words. This radical simplicity strips theatre to its essentials, forcing
the audience to focus on implication rather than explanation. The absence of
theatrical spectacle reinforces the emotional emptiness and isolation
experienced by the characters.
Come and Go is also a short one-act play, though it
challenges the very idea of what an “act” entails. Lasting only a few minutes,
it has no subplot, no climax, and no resolution. Instead of dramatic tension
building toward a turning point, the play relies on repetition and pattern.
Each character exits and re-enters, each receives disturbing information, and
each remains silent about it. This cyclical structure aligns the play with
Beckett’s broader vision of life as a series of motions without progress.
In addition, the play can be viewed as a symbolic or
allegorical drama. The characters are not fully developed individuals but
figures representing shared human conditions—aging, illness, and mortality.
Their identical seating and similar treatment suggest interchangeability,
reinforcing the idea that suffering and death are universal experiences. The
title itself is symbolic, referring not only to physical movement on stage but
also to the transient nature of human life and health.
Finally, Come and Go belongs to postmodern theatre, in
which meaning is deliberately fragmented and left unresolved. The play refuses
to provide clear answers or moral conclusions. Instead, it invites the audience
to participate actively in interpretation, reading significance into silence,
gesture, and omission.
In conclusion, Come and Go is best understood as an
Absurd, minimalist, symbolic one-act play that challenges traditional
theatrical norms. Its power lies not in action or dialogue but in suggestion,
repetition, and silence. Through this unconventional form, Beckett presents a
haunting vision of human existence—quiet, fragile, and defined as much by what
is left unsaid as by what is spoken.
 by Samuel Beckett (Type of Play)){kind=link}
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