Samuel Beckett certainly was one of the most important artists of the 20th century. His literature and drama changed the way people perceive arts and the tragic of human existence, further the way media displays them. Although Beckett was rigid regarding the realisation of his plays he was very open towards new media and techniques. He was up to date and wrote plays for the theatre, the radio and even for television. But he died before he could have used the possibilities the internet offers nowadays.
Nevertheless, Beckett is omnipresent in today‟s internet. You just have to type his name into Google and you will find 1.470.000 hits referring to him.1 Especially his presence on Youtube, a video community on the internet, is astonishing. There people have found many ways to adapt one or several of Beckett‟s works the way they wanted to. One could raise the question if this was what Beckett wanted, if this could have been avoided or if this was part of a logical consequence of the technological progress and the developments the internet has gone through within the last decade.
Having Paul Virilio‟s media theory in mind, the Aesthetics of Disappearance, in which he argues about the speed of information and the transformation of media, there is always a next step in terms of media, which in the end has led to the internet as it is today. Beckett always took that next step himself. Therefore, Beckett being part of the internet is the logical consequence of his work, of the way he used or was intrigued by different media, of the way he brought art to the latest medium – or is it not?
Throughout this paper I will argue that Beckett‟s work Play needed to be placed on the internet. I will try to prove that Play can make use of its full potential only within Web 2.0. I will start by reconstructing the media-history Play has gone through, from text to stage, from radio to television play. By doing that, I will point out that Beckett has always included another medium‟s potentials and techniques when adapting Play. Then, I will continue with Play on Web 2.0. I will describe what Web 2.0 actually means and where it came from, in order to later analyse Play on the internet, theoretically and aesthetically to finally conclude if Play really is best adapted on the internet.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. PLAY IN VARIOUS MEDIA
2.1 PLAY AS TEXT / ON STAGE
2.2 PLAY ON FILM
2.3 PLAY ON THE RADIO
3. PLAY IN WEB 2.0
3.1 WHAT IS WEB 2.0?
3.2 WHY PLAY FITS INTO WEB 2.0: THEORY
3.3 HOW PLAY FITS INTO WEB 2.0: TEXT AND TECHNIQUES
4. CONCLUSION
Research Objectives and Themes
This term paper explores the adaptation and presence of Samuel Beckett’s play Play within the context of the digital Web 2.0 environment, arguing that the work’s inherent mechanical structure and themes of surveillance find an ideal, modern realization through internet-based interactivity.
- Media history and the transition of Beckett’s works across platforms.
- Theoretical analysis of Web 2.0 as a user-generated, non-linear medium.
- The intersection of media theory (Virilio) with Beckett's dramatic techniques.
- The transformation of the audience into an active, voyeuristic "inquisitor."
- The interpretation of Play as a hypertextual and mechanical digital artifact.
Excerpt from the Book
3.3 How Play fits into Web 2.0: Text and Techniques
Reading, watching or listening to Play instantly gives the impression of something mechanical, especially concerning the voices, the speakers. I have shown Play to a friend of mine who immediately reacted to it by remarking that the voices reminded him of a record played backwards. Not only that these voices are “toneless” as Beckett’s direction says, moreover they speak quite quickly, with a “rapid tempo throughout” (Beckett 9). Not only the tempo and the inexpressiveness of the voices imply a mechanism. Also the exact repetition of the words in a second act, a re-enactment of the first act, and the foreshadowed third run of it can be associated with a machine, can be seen as a mechanical process (Becker 215). A few decades ago Kenner associated it with a turntable on which the same LP would be played again and again or with a second broadcasting of a movie (Becker 225). Nowadays, this can easily be compared to a computer or a player on the internet on which the play button is pushed several times. In general, as Becker states in his 1998 volume Nicht-Ich-Identität, the exact repetition of the first act is not to be seen as second run following the first. Exactly like this, the replay is rather to be judged as a process of a storage medium, of hardware, than as a human rerun (Becker 226). When, at least in the text of Play, the running order of the characters’ speeches in the chorus changes (compare Beckett 10 to 22) this implicates rather an endless rerun than an ending process. It seems, in accordance with Becker, that this shows that former repetitions are replayed again and again, a loop including several repetitions (Becker 224).
Summary of Chapters
1. INTRODUCTION: The author introduces Samuel Beckett’s significance in media history and states the central thesis that his play Play is best realized within the technological and interactive framework of Web 2.0.
2. PLAY IN VARIOUS MEDIA: This chapter reconstructs the media history of Play, tracing its development from the stage to cinematic and radio adaptations, highlighting how each medium necessitated technical adjustments.
3. PLAY IN WEB 2.0: The author defines the Web 2.0 environment and applies media theory to explain how Beckett’s work functions as a mechanical, hypertextual experience that empowers the user as an active observer.
4. CONCLUSION: The study concludes that Play is a visionary work that perfectly suits the digital era, transforming the audience into an "inquisitor" and confirming its place in the vibrant, accessible archive of the internet.
Keywords
Samuel Beckett, Play, Web 2.0, Media Theory, Paul Virilio, Hypertext, Digital Adaptation, User-generated Content, Voyeurism, Performance, Mechanics, Interactivity, Inquisitor, Internet Archive, Modern Drama.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this paper?
The paper examines how Samuel Beckett's play Play can be interpreted and analyzed within the framework of modern Web 2.0, specifically focusing on its mechanical nature and its suitability for digital platforms.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The study covers media studies, specifically the evolution of theatrical adaptations, internet culture, the theory of the "user" in Web 2.0, and the literary analysis of Beckett’s specific dramatic techniques.
What is the central research question?
The research asks whether Play is best adapted within the internet context and if the play’s inherent characteristics—such as mechanical repetition—find a more appropriate home in the digital world than on the traditional stage.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The work utilizes a combination of literary analysis of the primary text, media-historical reconstruction of previous adaptations, and the application of media theory (notably Paul Virilio) to the digital landscape.
What does the main body address?
The main body follows the media evolution of Play, defines the transition to Web 2.0, and provides a theoretical and aesthetic argument for why the internet functions as a "hypertext" environment for this specific play.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key concepts include the role of the "inquisitor," mechanical repetition, voyeurism in digital media, hypertextual narrative structures, and the concept of the artist working ahead of their time.
How does the author relate the "spotlight" in the play to the internet?
The author argues that the user, by interacting with video-sharing platforms and pressing play buttons, takes on the role of the "inquisitor," effectively replacing the mechanical light of the theatre with digital user control.
What is the significance of the "hypertext" analogy?
The author uses hypertext to describe how the disjointed, non-linear monologues of the characters in Play function similarly to navigating different links or browser windows in a digital environment.
- Quote paper
- Eike Rüdebusch (Author), 2009, Beckett on Web 2.0, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/150584
