Cascando (1962) by Samuel Beckett (Key Facts)

 

Cascando (1962)

by Samuel Beckett

(Key Facts) 

Key Facts: Samuel Beckett’s Cascando (1962)

 

Full Title:

Cascando

 

Author:

Samuel Beckett

 

Type of Work:

Experimental play / Radio drama / Dramatic poem

 

Genre:

Absurdist theatre / Avant-garde / Musicalized drama

 

Language:

English (also translated into French)

 

Time and Place Written:

1962, France

 

Date of First Publication:

1963

 

Publisher:

Grove Press (English edition)

 

Tone:

Minimalist, meditative, existential, introspective, sometimes haunting

 

Setting (Time):

Timeless; abstract, outside conventional chronology

 

Setting (Place):

Abstract, unspecified; imagined or auditory space rather than physical location

 

Protagonist:

The Voice

 

Major Conflict:

The struggle of the Voice to complete a story, representing the human desire for closure, meaning, and expression, contrasted with the limitations of language and understanding

 

Rising Action:

The Voice begins telling a story but repeatedly falters and fragments.

The Reader attempts to follow and organize the narrative, echoing and reflecting the Voice.

The Listener silently receives, providing a receptive space.

The interplay of voice, sound, and rhythm builds tension as completion remains elusive.

 

Climax:

The Voice reaches its maximum effort to bring the story to a conclusion, using repetitions, musical cadence, and intense rhythm.

The struggle between expression and impossibility peaks, highlighting the central existential tension.

 

Falling Action:

The Voice gradually ceases attempting to complete the story.

Repetition slows; rhythm softens; silence increases.

The story dissolves into pause and echo, leaving the narrative unresolved.

 

Themes:

Futility and limitations of human communication

Existential uncertainty and the search for meaning

Isolation and relational distance

Musicality and rhythm as a form of expression

The creative process and struggle for closure

 

Motifs:

Repetition and fragmentation of language

Musicality and cadence in speech

Silence and pauses

The “unfinished story”

 

Symbols:

The Voice: Human consciousness, expression, and creative striving

The Reader: Mediation, interpretation, and effort to make sense of meaning

The Listener: Reception, witness, and silent consciousness

Silence and Pause: Limits of language, mortality, and reflection

Fragmented Speech: Incompleteness, failure, and existential tension

 

Foreshadowing:

Early hesitations and interruptions in the Voice’s narration foreshadow the impossibility of completing the story.

Repetition of words and phrases anticipates the unresolved, cyclical structure of the play.

The fragmented musicality signals the play’s conclusion will emphasize process over resolution.