Important works
The visit of the old lady
Friedrich Dürrenmatt's The Visit of the Old Lady (1956) was sensational at the time of its publication. The work left a strong impression on the literary and social world. Dürrenmatt used the story to formulate a sharp critique of morality and the venality of society. The plot, in which a rich woman returns to her impoverished hometown and exacts revenge on a former lover by offering the town money for his murder, was provocative and challenged the audience to reflect on the power of money and moral decay. Particularly sensational was the fact that Dürrenmatt managed to wrap up the themes of power, revenge and the corruptibility of society in a black comedy, which challenged the audience. The work was seen as a mirror of post-war society dealing with economic and moral challenges and received a great deal of international attention.
The plot of the play revolves around Claire Zachanassian, an old, rich woman who returns to her impoverished hometown of Güllen to take revenge on her former lover Alfred Ill. Many years ago, Ill betrayed her and forced her to flee the town. Now Claire offers the town a billion on the condition that someone kills Alfred. What begins as a seemingly absurd and grotesque demand gradually becomes a bitter reality as the inhabitants of Güllen, driven by economic hardship and greed, increasingly abandon their morals.
Dürrenmatt poses a central question in this work: how far are people prepared to go for material gain? Initially, the town indignantly rejects Claire's offer, but slowly the citizens succumb to temptation. They begin to live on credit, buy luxury goods and take on debt, even though they know that this can only be atoned for by Alfred's death. The social and moral order in Güllen collapses bit by bit, and it becomes clear that the promise of money has a destructive power.
Another central theme of the play is the question of justice. Claire Zachanassian embodies the principle of retribution. She sees herself as an instrument of justice, but her idea of justice is not objective, but deeply personal and driven by revenge. She wants to atone for Alfred's betrayal and turns the whole village into accomplices. In this context, the play raises the question of whether there is real justice or whether what we call justice is not often distorted by power, money and personal interests.
The form of the play, which begins as a black comedy and ends in tragedy, is characteristic of Dürrenmatt. He wanted to break the boundaries of the theater by merging the tragic and the comic. The audience remains trapped in a moral dilemma until the end: Is Alfred's murder justified? Is the town of Güllen a community of victims or complicit?