THE VISIT

- By Friedrich Durrenmatt
(Its the railway station of a town which was once prosperous and well
established. It now stands in ruins. Fate has led to this financial crisis, thus
closing down all the factories and industries, and the people of this town have
been waiting for a hope. And tonight, the Mayer of the town, with a few others, is
waiting at the station for that hope. The hope is Claire, once a poor girl from the
same town, now turned a millionaire.)

SCENE 1:
MAYOR: Gentlemen, the millionaire is our only hope. I heard she was educated
here, her dad was a builder. You used to be a friend of hers, Ill, so now it all
depends on you.
ILL: We were the best of friends. Young and hot-headed. I used to be a bit of a
lad, gentlemen, fourty-five years ago, and she used to be slim and supple as a
willow, and tender. Life tore us apart. Thats the way life is.
MAYOR: My dear Ill, I just hope she would help us all. I shall be retiring in the
next spring. Ive sounded out the opposition, weve agreed to nominate you as
my successor.
POLICEMAN: I can confirm that.
ILL: Gentlemen, back to business. First of all, I will tell Claire all about our
wretched plight.
PRIEST: But do be careful do be tactful.
ILL: Weve got to be clever. Psychologically acute.
MAYOR: Ills right. This is a decisive moment. Madam Claire sets foot on her
native soil, shes home again, and how moved she is, there are tears in her eyes,
ah, the old familiar places, the old faces.
(Bell rings and an express train arrives. Instead of just passing by, it comes to a
halt at the wretched station of that wretched town. Everyone is surprised. Enters
Madam Claire Zachanassian, followed by her butler. She was carrying a coffin
and a caged panther.)
CLAIRE: (Shouting) Hey butler, make sure all my belongings are taken care of.
BUTLER: Madam, the train driver asks whether he should stay for you to come
back, or leave.
CLAIRE: just tell him to get lost.

ILL: Welcome, my dear Claire. Long time, no see. He is the mayor of our town,
he, the priest and he, the schoolteacher. (introducing others)
(Others greet her, and the mayor says a short welcoming speech.)
POLICEMAN: Madam, police inspector, at your service.
CLAIRE: Thank you. I shant want to arrest anybody. But can you wink a blind
eye to things from time to time?
POLICEMAN: Sure I can, madam.
CLAIRE: Ah, the priest. Do you comfort the dying?
PRIEST: I do what I can.
CLAIRE: People who have been condemned to death as well?
PRIEST (perplexed): The death sentence has been abolished in this country,
madam.
CLAIRE: It may be reintroduced.
ILL (laughing): Really, my dear! You crack the wildest jokes.
MAYOR: Madam, enjoy our hospitality. Please relax and have a great day, well
meet you later.
CLAIRE: Oh, come on Ill, lets go relive our childhood memories.
(Exits Claire with Ill. Others follow out of the scene.)

SCENE 2:
(Claire, mayor, schoolteacher, Ill are in the room.
Claire.)

The butler stands behind

MAYOR: My dear lady. 45 years have passed since you left our little town. Many
bitter things have happened since then. The village was tragically torn apart by
poverty after all the factories were shut down. But we never forgot you. Even
now, the staff at school hold up your achievements as an example to others. And
you turned from a tender village girl to a generous lady. Your social work has
been well known to us. We request you to help our town.
CLAIRE: Mr. Mayor, I am moved by your unselfish joy in my visit. After talking to
Ill, I have decided to give you one million.
EVERYONE: ONE MILLION!!??
CLAIRE: But on one condition.

MAYOR: May I ask, madam, what condition?

CLAIRE: Ill tell you on what condition. Im giving you 1 million, and Im buying
myself justice.
MAYOR: My dear lady, what do you mean by that?
CLAIRE: Butler, step forward.
BUTLER: I dont know if anyone of you still recognises me.
SCHOOLTEACHER: Chief justice Courtley!!??
BUTLER: Thats right. I was chief justice Courtly, 45 years ago. But my sins have
made me a butler now.
CLAIRE: Get to the point now.
BUTLER: Ill, step forward please.
ILL: Sure.
BUTLER: The year was 1910. I was Lord Chief Justice. I had a paternity claim to
arbitrate. Claire had claimed that you, Mr Ill, were her childs father. At that time,
Mr Ill, you denied paternity. You called 2 witnesses who claimed to have a
relationship with Claire, and thus, I had no choice but to acquit you.
ILL: oh, its an old story. I was young and thoughtless.
BUTLER: Did you notice those two blind men carrying Madams goods? Those
were your 2 witnesses that you brought for that case. You swore a false oath,
before me, before the court, before God. And now, Im paying for your sins.
ILL (stamping on floor): Its over and done with, dead and buried! Its an old
crazy story.
BUTLER: What happened to you and the child, Madam, after the incident?
CLAIRE: The child lived 1 year, and I became a prostitute.
BUTLER: What made you one?
CLAIRE: The judgement of that court made me one.
BUTLER: And now you desire justice, Madam Claire?
CLAIRE: I can afford it. A million for the town if someone kills Ill.
(Deathly silence)
ILL: But my dear, you cant ask that! It was long ago. Life went on.
CLAIRE: Life went on, and Ive forgotten nothing, Ill.

MAYOR: But Madam Claire, we are all law abiding citizens. In the name of all
citizens and in the name of humanity, I reject your offer. We would rather have
poverty than blood on our hands.
CLAIRE: Ill wait and see.

SCENE 3:
(Ill is at his shop. A lot many customers are coming to his shop today, which is
unlike the poor people of the town. Ill notices that everyone is wearing new
clothes and shoes. People are buying expensive stuff from his shop, but on
credit. Ill is afraid that they are planning to get him killed for the million pounds.
They are already planning about spending the money. So, he goes to the police
for protection, but finds that even he has new clothes. Then he goes to the
mayor, but even he denies, he is busy drinking costly whiskey. He then goes to
the priest, who pleads him to leave the town immediately, to not lead them into
temptation with his presence.
So, Ill tries to escape, but is stopped by the people of the town who do not let
him pass. Ill is devastated. He returns back to find that even his wife and
children have new clothes. He is heartbroken and locks himself in his room.)

SCENE 4:
(There is a ceremony, arranged by the townspeople, to be attended by everyone
in the town, including Ill and Claire. A few press reporters are called too.)
MAYOR: Ladies and gentlemen, citizens of the town. I am very happy to
welcome you all here this evening. I declare this meeting open. We have one
single item on our agenda. It is my privilege to announce that madam Claire
intends to make us a donation of 1 million pounds.
EVERYONE: Cheers.
MAYOR: Alfred Ill, I would like to ask you one question. Are you aware that owing
to you we have been offered this endowment?
ILL: Yes.
MAYOR: Will you respect our decision as to acceptance or refusal of Claires
endowment?
ILL: I shall respect it.

MAYOR: Are there any questions to Ill?

(Silence)
MAYOR: The Church?
(Silence)
MAYOR: The medical profession or the police?
(Silence)
MAYOR: All those pure at heart, who want justice done, raise their hands.
(All raise their hands except Ill.)
MAYOR: The Claire Zachanassian Endowment is accepted. Unanimously, not for
the sake of money.
EVERYONE: Not for the sake of money.
MAYOR: But for justice.
EVERYONE: But for justice.
MAYOR: And for consciences sake.
EVERYONE: And for consciences sake.
MAYOR: For we cannot connive at a crime. Let us then root out the wrongdoer
and deliver all souls from evil.
ILL (screams): My God!!
(Everyone, except Ill, stands up and cheers. And then they discover that Ill has
been killed. The Mayor declares that he died of heart attack, as he was over
joyed by the success of the endowment.)
MAYOR: Died of joy.
EVERYONE: Died of joy!!
CLAIRE: Bring him to me.
(The butler carries the body to Claire. Claire hands over the cheque of 1 million
pounds to the Mayor and leaves the scene followed by the butler.)

THE END