Disgust and Compassion in Samuel Beckett's Late Plays

Abstract

Disgust and Compassion are the core experiences in Samuel Beckett's late minimalist plays, 'Not I' and 'Catastrophe'. In the former play the disgust is caused by the unstoppable flow of words the selfless speaker struggles to master. At the same time, in 'Catastrophe', a play dedicated to Vaclav Havel, disgust is accompanied by compassion for a citizen humiliated by the dictator. In contrast with 'Not I', which demonstrates the fragmentation of the self, here we witness a rarely constructive moment, when self-identity is restored through compassion.