Book excerpt: The aim of this study is to suggest an interpretation of memory and forgetting in a selection of Samuel Beckett's plays. The main focus of interest is the protagonists' memory, whose interpretation is based on a psychological approach: Beckett makes creative use of experimental psychology in that he uses his protagonists' memory in numerous variations which all stress distinct aspects of this theme. The psychological approach of this study is complemented with the findings of gerontology which take account of the characteristics of the memory of the elderly.