The Visit

The Visit is the title of various English translations of Friedrich Dürrenmatt's play Der Besuch der alten Dame (literally, "The Visit of the Old Lady"). It is probably the most well-known of his work, at least in the English-speaking world. The play deals with the themes of punishment, greed, revenge, and moral strength.

Main themes

The author often emphasized that The Visit is intended first and foremost as a comedy. However, it is often difficult to ignore the serious and usually dark points being made about human nature throughout the play. A popular method of bringing up concerns important to an author in Germany at this period was through the use of unsettling humour of this type.

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The fundamental underlying point of the play is that money can buy anything. As the arrival of Claire Zachanassian shows, the promise of money can lead people to hate and even murder. It can pervert the course of justice, and even turn the local priest, who is one of the few who manage to warn Alfred Ill of his impending doom.

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