The Visit Lesson Plan

Swiss playwright Friederich Dürrenmatt debuted The Visit in German in 1956. Set contemporarily, the play is a satire and tragicomedy that tackles themes of capitalist exploitation and existential hopelessness. The play is, in part, a work of political commentary, reflecting Dürrenmatt's condemnation of the Swiss government's actions during the second world war. Specifically, avowing neutrality in the name of nonviolent principles, but nonetheless collaborating with the Nazi state. In the play, the townspeople of Güllen avow their humanist principles, but turn on and execute a member of their community for financial power. The play has long-since been hailed as a significant work of...