Women's representation in Beckett's theatre from Happy Days to Footfalls and Rockaby

Women made a late entry in Beckett’s theatre, yet they are among the most impressive and engaging characters in any of Beckett's plays. Winnie from Happy Days is the first female character to take over the stage with her entrapped body and voice while pondering on her previous recollections. The loss of body and language is radicalised even further in Beckett’s short plays Footfalls and Rockaby, in which women are shown on stage with extremely restricted motions, bent on finding someone else who looks like them. Beckett magnifies the bodies and brains of these women as the subconscious, showing us human ties, mother-daughter relationships, and the quest for oneself with remarkable skill. Beckett examines the bodies and minds of these women as the unconscious, and he masterfully depicts human ties, mother-daughter relationships, and the quest for oneself.