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Interpretation challenge on "Breath": The Shortest play by Samuel Beckett


Interpretation Challenge: Breath: The Shortest Play by Samuel Beckett 

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Breath by Samuel Beckett


Samuel Beckett is considered one of the last modernist writers who gave noteworthy contribution in the “Theater of Absurd.” His later plays are extremely short, Breath is an unusually brief work. The duration of this play is only of 35 seconds.

It consists of the sound of “an instant of recorded vagitues” (a birth cry), followed by an amplified recording of somebody slowly inhaling and exhaling accompanied by an increase and decrease in the intensity of light. (Wikipedia)

 Script of the play

CURTAIN up
1. Faint light on stage littered with miscellaneous rubbish. Hold about five seconds.
2. Faint brief cry and immediately inspiration and slow increase of light together reaching maximum – together in about ten seconds. Silence and hold for about five seconds.
3. Expiration and slow decrease of light together reaching minimum together (light as in 1) in about ten seconds and immediately cry as before. Silence and hold about five seconds.
CURTAIN down

Like other plays there is nothing like dialogues between characters.  The play is highly absurd. In the play there is no human or any kind of dialogues, we hear the sound of breath, cry and also see the rubbish garbage on the floor but then even it conveys basic meaning of life. As Beckett himself stated that,

It should be “Littered with miscellaneous rubbish” 

Furthermore, there  are many versions of this short play by various directors but the common thing is that all of them represents the meaninglessness of life. As being an absurd theme, the main theme of the play is understood with help of existentialism.
 Existentialism

Curtain as symbol

The play start in typical way with curtain up and also ends with curtain down. If we look at symbolically it may suggest the process of birth and death among human beings.

The rubbish on the floor may symbolize the nothingness of life.

Increase and decrease of light seems as the spinning circle of hope and despair which every human being feels in life.

Breath by Damien Hirst



In this video we can find lots of materialistic things rather a kind of rubbish lying everywhere. Among this rubbish, a symbol of Swastikis also there and equally a computer is also there. It may symbolize that among these rubbish there is something which is arranged in proper way through which we can live our lives. Rather it may also be connected with spiritual idea. With the advancement of technology, spirituality may be decreased and the rationality is increasing. The symbol of Swastik can also interpreted in another way as it is connected with Hitler who was responsible in snitching the life of many people.

Breath in and breath out
The very first sound comes in the play is of breathing. A very long sound of breath may signify the birth as well as at last when sound of breath out is coming, it may symbolizes the death of person.

Breath by Liana De Jourdan



In this one we find fresh fruits, vegetables and pesticides package of fruit juices. The idea of eating natural or hygienic fruits is somehow connected with our feetness. But it symbolizes that these may help in gaining good health but should not help in escaping from death. In this way again it showcases the very much idea of Existentialism.

Modern Interpretation of Breath




It showcases how humans are surrounded by materialistic things from birth to the death as well as whole human life from birth to death was shown in this. Though the voice of breathing is common but the vast difference is that, in the old play there is only a sound of breathing which is moving while in this one picture keeps on moving. In this photographs may symbolize the moments which has been passed away and remain only as memory.

In nutshell, all these various interpretation of Breath showcases the absurdity of life in one or another way and also put emphasizes on meaninglessness of life.




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