Happy Days
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Key Facts
full title · Happy Days
author · Samuel Beckett
type of work · Drama
genre · Absurdist drama/comedy
language · English
time and place written · Paris, early 60s
date of first production · New York, 1961
publisher · Grove Press
narrator · No narrator; drama
climax · The climax occurs when Winnie sings her song after Willie crawls out to meet her
protagonist · Winnie
antagonist · The environment, time, and, to a lesser extent, Willie
setting (time) · Modern day
setting (place) · A piece of earth in the middle of nowhere
point of view · The audience sides with Winnie, who speaks the bulk of the play's lines
falling action · Winnie and Willie stare at each other in silence
tense · Play; present tense
foreshadowing · Winnie expresses eagerness for death and she also frequently alludes to the song, which she likes to sing before sleep
tone · Absurdly comic, philosophical
themes · Loneliness and the Need for Companionship; Stasis Masquerading as Change; Failure and Emptiness of Language
motifs · Approach of Death
symbols · Black Bag
