The Visit Flashcards
“The _____ was __________”
“The year was nineteen ten”
Link to book: features of structure are carefully chosen by Durrenmatt to emphasis the key themes such as power and to drive the narrative. For example, structure is used to create binaries as seen through the use of stage direction.
- Exposition -
The use of past tense here indicates that Claire’s past is being discussed, here by her Butler. The use of exposition helps the audiences to understand what has motivated her to put a price on his head. Durrenmatt shows the audience the past from Claire’s point of view where she was once silenced.
“_______ one”
“Chorus one”
- Greek chorus -
Durrenmatts use of a greek chorus helps to place the equality of blame for Ill’s death on the Gülleners. By using the Gülleners as the members of the Greek chorus, audiences can understand why they choose to do what they do. Durrenmatt gives the audience an insight into the selfishness of humans and how everybody ultimately only cares about themselves, suggesting that humans are innately selfish.
“my _______”
“my little wildcat”
–> nickname
–> Ill and Clare used to be in love
–> domesticated / feral
In society men were always seen as in power, but throughout the book she is in power, she marries men and divorces them on a regular basis, and that’s why she’s described as being “wild” –> doesn’t meet societal standards
“Medea”
–> intertextual reference
–> Greek mythology
when Jason deserts Medea for the daughter of King Creon of Corinth; in revenge, Medea murders her two sons by Jason as well as Creon and his daughter.
–> foreshadows, she ends up taking revenge and murdering Ill for leaving her
“The world _____________________ a whore. I shall ____________________”
“The world turned me into a whore. I shall turn the world into a brothel”
–> repetition of “world”
–> metaphor of turning the world into “a brothel” suggests that Claire wants people to feel vulnerable and to have to make moral decision for money
“I want _______. Justice ____________.”
“I want justice. Justice for a million.”
Claire offers the town 1 million to murder Ill
Repetition of “justice”
→ Suggests justice can be bought (similar to buying policeman)
Can we link the turning of a blind eye to the suffering of others? context to WW2?
“Can you __________________________________”
“Can you wink a blind eye from time to time”
Claire to policeman
→ Police should be a symbol of justice
→ Argues that it can be bought
Juxtaposition example in stage
“unspeakably ragged fifth (so are the other fourth)”
Throughout the play Durenmatt constructs a deliberate juxtaposition between the opening state, costume and props, to the end stage, costume and props. The facade of wealth is complete but the moral corruption remains.
Symbol of the coffin
Coffin:
- intended for ill
- foreshadows his fate, Claire already knows Ill will be murdered
- symbol of the inevitable
“Claire’s black _________________________________”
Police officer: Claire’s black panther has escaped and that he must hunt it down.
Black panther:
- Claire brings her pet panther to the town
- invokes Claire’s old nickname for Ill, she used to call him her “black panther”
- Both ill and the panther are imprisoned by Claire and they both meet the same tragic end (death)
- Can explain how the townspeople end up seeing Ill as sub human, like a panther (animal) - ZOOMORPHISM
“But when Ill notices that _________________________________________new yellow shoes —and sporting _______________ —he recognizes that the Policeman, ______________, has succumbed”
“But when Ill notices that the Policeman is himself wearing the same new yellow shoes —and sporting a new gold tooth—he recognizes that the Policeman, like the customers, has succumbed”
→ Gold = symbol of wealth
- townspeople further commodify Ill
- one of the purchases townspeople make is the yellow shoe. (everyone wears them)
- they’re bright and ubiquitous, visibly represent Guellens decline into frantic, amoral consumerism
Tree/ setting:
“When the Guelleners act trees, therefore, this is no surrealism”
–> Can explain how the Claire sees the villagers as props to manipulate
Simulacra of a tree
Remember key (for mats)
My little
Medea
Chorus
I want
The World
The year
But when Ill
Can you
Claire’s black
MMCITTCBC
“You chose your life but forced me into mine”
“Its me your hunting down, me”
