At its simplest, the big thing that happens to Beckett’s work in the years from 1957 to 1965 is the arrival of female voices. It would be crude to suggest that this crucial shift is merely or solely a response to Beckett’s exploration of his feelings for Ethna MacCarthy. But it is obvious that those feelings have a profound effect on the way Beckett allows his female figures to bring into his world memory, erotic desire, even tenderness.