The Visit (play) by Friedrich Dürrenmatt

The story opens with the town of Guellen (which literally means excrement) preparing for the arrival of famed millionairess Claire Zachanassian. The town is in a state of disrepair, and the residents are suffering considerable hardship and p everyplacety. They hope that Claire, a native of the small town, allow provide them with much-needed funds. Alfred tired of(p), the owner of Guellens general stock certificate and the most popular man in town, was Claires fan when they were young, and agrees with the Mayor that the line of work of convincing her to make a benefaction should fall to him.As the town gathers at the railway station to prepare for Claires arrival, they are met with an unexpected surprise when Claire locomote off of an earlier train. She is grand, grotesque, and fantastic, and is accompanied by ii henchmen, her husband, a besidesler, and two eunuchs, along with a coffin, a caged black panther, and various pieces of luggage. She begins a sexy exchange with h ardship, and they promptly revisit their old haunts Petersens Barn and Konrads Village Wood. Ill finds her as delightful as ever, though they are both immediately in their sixties and significantly overweight. Claire draws Ills attention to her prosthetic leg and schmaltzy hand.After settling into the Golden Apostle Hotel, Claire joins the rest of the town, who carry self-possessed come forthside for a homecoming celebration. A band plays, gymnasts perform, and the Mayor gives a speech. Claire takes the opportunity to forecast that she will make a donation of one million dollars, half(prenominal) for the town and half to be shared among the families. The townspeople are overjoyed, exactly their happiness is dampened when Claires Butler steps forward to reveal her condition. The Butler was erstwhile the Lord Chief secureice of Guellen, and had overseen the paternity suit that Claire had brought against Ill in 1910.In the suit, Ill had produced two false witnesses (who hit since been transformed into Claires eunuchs), and the court had govern in his favor. Ill went on to marry Matilda, who owned the general store, and Claire locomote to Hamburg and became a prostitute. She declares to the townspeople that she has come to Guellen to prove that onlyice can, indeed, be bought. Her donation is conditional on Ills death. When the Mayor refuses, the town cheers in support, scarcely Claire states quite a ominously, Ill wait. Ill feels generally confident virtually his status in the town.However, as time passes, he begins to feel troubled about their growing discontent, and accordingly increasingly fearful as he begins to notice the proliferation of naked as a jaybird chickenheartedshoes on the feet of the townsmen, and the fact that everyone seems to be purchasing especially overpriced items on credit. He goes to see the Policeman to demand that he rub Claire for having threatened his life, exactly the Policeman tells him that the threat is nonse nse. Ill then turns to the Mayor, who echoes kindred sentiments. Both figures are armed, because Claires black panther has escaped from his cage and is prowling about the town.This only feeds Ills fear, since my black panther was Claires pet name for him in their youth. He runs to see the Priest, but the Priest seems to be turning away from him as well, as he effectively ignores Ills fears and instead draws attention to the magnificent new church bell. Slowly, the standard of living in the town rises, even though the townspeople continue to assure Ill that he is safe. Claire then receives the intelligence activity that her black panther has been killed, and she has a funeral song played in its memory. In an effort to escape, Ill heads to the railway station, but finds that, strangely, the entire town is gathered there. They ask him where he is going, and he says that he is planning to move to Australia.They press him well, again assuring him that he has nothing to fear in Guellen , but Ill grows increasingly nervous nonetheless. The train arrives, but he decides not to board, believing that someone will stop him anyway. Paralyzed, he collapses in the crowd, crying, Im addled After some time passes and Claire weds a new husband in the Guellen Cathedral, the Doctor and the Schoolmaster go to see her and explain that the townspeople have run up considerable debts since her arrival. The Schoolmaster appeals to her sense of humanity and begs her to retract her desire for vengeance and help the town out of the goodness of her heart. She reveals to them that she already actually owns all of properties in the town, and that she is the reason the businesses have been shut cut back and caused stagnation and poverty for the citizens.The Doctor and the Schoolmaster are aghast at this revelation. In the meantime, Ill has been pacing the room above the general store, his alarm growing as the townspeople buy more and more dear(predicate) products on credit. News repor ters, having received word of Claires imminent wedding, are everywhere, and they tape the store to get the scoop on Ill, having heard that he was Claires lover back in the day. The Schoolmaster, drunk, tries to inform the press about Claires cruel proposal, but the townspeople stop him. Finally Ill descends the stairs, surprised at the hubbub, butquiet. The reporters clear the room when they hear that Claire has just divorced the man she has just married, and has found a new lover.After the confusion has cleared, the Schoolmaster and Ill have an honest discussion. The Schoolmaster explains that he is certain that Ill will be killed, and admits that he will ultimately join the ranks of the murderers. Ill calmly states that he has accepted his guilt, and acknowledges that the towns suffering is his fault. The Schoolmaster leaves, and Ill is confronted by the Mayor, who asks whether Ill will accept the towns judgment at that evenings meeting. Ill says that he will. The Mayor then sugg ests that Ill make things easier on everyone and shoot himself, but Ill refuses, imperativeness that the town must go through with(predicate) the process of actually judge and then killing him.Ill goes for a ride in his sons newly-purchased car, accompanied by his wife, Matilda, and his daughter, both of whom are wearing new outfits. As they drive through Konrads Village Wood, Ill says that he is going to go for a go through the woods before heading to the town meeting. His family continues on to the characterisation theater. In the woods, Ill comes across Claire, who is walking with her newest husband. She asks her husband to leave so that she and Ill can speak privately. They reminisce about the past, and make plans for the future. Claire tells Ill that she plans to take his body away in the coffin to a mausoleum in Capri that overlooks the Mediterranean.She also tells Ill that she has never stopped loving him, but that over time her love has grown into something monstrous. Th e town meeting is flooded with press, and the town publicly announces their acceptance of Claires donation. They then go through the formality of a vote, which is unanimous, and the Mayor states that they have Ill to thank for their new-found wealth. The press is then ushered out of the auditorium to enjoy refreshments. The doors are locked, and the lights are dimmed. The Priest crosses Ill, and he is killed by the townsmen. Just as a reporter reappears in the auditorium, the Doctor announces that Ill has died from a heart attack.The reporters gather, and declare that Ill has died from joy. Claire examines the corpse, gives the Mayor his check, and leaves the town with Ills body in the coffin that she brought with her when she arrived in Guellen. Claire boards the train at the railway station, and the visit comes to an end.