Plays are often written to make a statement about the world or to provoke deeper reflections in the audience. Although many playwrights share the same general goal, each adopts their own writing style. After adopting a certain style, playwrights are given the opportunity to customize their genre to suit their literary needs. In the case of Friedrich Durrenmatt, the writer chose to combine tragedy and comedy in his play The Visit. As in many plays, Friedrich Durrenmatt uses allusions to increase the audience's understanding of key characters. Durrenmatt develops the characters Claire Zachanassian, Alfred Ill and the schoolmaster with a complexity not found in the other roles in the play. To do this, Durrenmatt employs the use of allusions throughout The Visit. These allusions create multifaceted characters that contribute to the situational irony of the tragicomedy. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay One of the most important ironies within The Visit is the fact that Madam Claire Zachanassian did not become the obvious villain of the play. Mrs. Zachanassian offered “a million for Guellen if anyone kills Alfred Ill” (Durrenmatt 38), which the mayor promptly rejects “in the name of humanity” (39). The mayor's response eventually changes, and despite orchestrating the murder of shopkeeper Alfred Ill, the city comes to defend Claire Zachanassian. In the first act, the schoolmaster spoke on behalf of the city saying “we feel you deeply; we understand” (66) regarding Madame Zachanassian’s feelings regarding justice. Although the Master is firmly against accepting Madame Zachanassian's offer at this time, the quote foreshadows the Master's eventual change of heart. The principal's statement indicates that, even after being shocked by such a bold proposal, the citizens of Guellen may still be inclined to understand how Ms. Zachanassian feels. Friedrich Durrenmatt creates a situational irony between Claire's actions and the citizens' perception of her by alluding to the Greek play Medea in the second act. The master states, “Mrs. Zachanassian! You are a woman whose love has been hurt. You make me think of an ancient heroine; of Medea” (66). In the play Medea, a young woman from Colchis is betrayed by her husband and the father of her two children. Medea's husband Jason leaves Medea for a richer young woman named Creusa, similar to how Alfred Ill left Claire Zachanassian years earlier for Mrs. Ill, who was the wealthy daughter of a shopkeeper at the time. At the end of the play, Medea kills her two children as an act of ultimate revenge against Jason, but at the end of the play there is often a faction of the audience who believe that Medea's choice is justified. Alluding to Medea's tale in The Visit in describing Madame Zachanassian, Durrenmatt asks the question: Were Claire Zachanassian's actions justified? Durrenmatt's allusion delves into the complexity of Claire's character, Zachanassian. Where once there was an old, bitter woman who entered Guellen out for blood, now there is a woman whose heart has been betrayed. This allusion allows the audience of The Visit to sympathize with Madam Claire Zachanassian; she quickly transforms from avenging assassin to heartbroken girl. The complexity created by Durrenmatt's allusion allows Claire Zachanassian to end the work without the title of “villain.” When Claire Zachanassian first enters Guellen, many citizens recognize that she may have come with bad intentions.The schoolmaster, a symbol of enlightened thought and education, says to the mayor: “Sir, I learned only an hour ago what horror is. That old lady dressed in black getting off the train was a horrifying sight. As one of the Fates; It made me think of an avenging Greek goddess. Her name shouldn't be Claire; it should be Clotho. I suspect that she herself weaves the webs of destiny” (26). In Greek mythology, the three Fates are the embodiment of destiny. These destinies are said to be more powerful than the gods and control each individual's life by weaving the "thread of destiny". When fate cuts the thread, life ends and the soul enters the underworld. Clotho is destiny responsible for weaving the thread and therefore creating destiny. The master alludes to Clotho, foreshadowing Madam Zachanassian's desire to manipulate and control the city as Clotho's fate controls life. The schoolmaster allusion is made before Zachanassian's proposal, which serves well to indicate the intelligence and awareness that the schoolmaster embodies. Although the schoolmaster is clever enough to foresee the eminent wickedness of Claire Zachanassian, the irony of the situation lies in the fact that the schoolmaster admits to Alfred Ill “They will kill you. I've known it from the beginning, and you've known it for a long time, even if no one else in Guellen wants to admit it... But I know something else. I will take part in it” (77). The teacher, a symbol of education in a city where "[the people] are not wild" (39), ultimately succumbed to the allure of the wealth that Madame Zachanassian offers to the city of Guellen. Durrenmatt's allusion to Clotho does not create the irony, rather the character of the master does. The master is conceived as a symbol of everything that an enlightened European society embodies. As a symbol of civilization, the schoolmaster was supposed to be intelligent, honest and civilized. Despite all this, even the most enlightened citizen of Guellen still fell under the power of greed. The embodiment of civilized and rational thought is no match for the attraction of a woman's wealth, regardless of her foresight regarding the situation. While the aforementioned allusions in The Visit had clearly stated meanings, Durrenmatt inscribes the meanings of other allusions more subtly. During a wedding between Madame Zachanassian and her eighth husband, the maestro and his choir perform “Bach. From the Passion of St. Matthew” (64). Bach's "Matthew Passion" is strangely beautiful, but it was ironic that the song was performed at a wedding because Johannes Bach wrote the piece in memory of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, as told by the Book of Matthew in the Bible. Furthermore, this marriage was Madam Zachanassian's eighth marriage. For a woman who seemed to enjoy the process of marriage and divorce, she sure chose a somber tune for her day. This piece is as dark as most of Claire Zachanassian's actions and tells the dark story of the murder of an innocent man on behalf of the people. In a traditional wedding, the piece chosen would be something more festive and lighthearted. However, Durrenmatt chose the St. Matthew Passion to highlight the irony of a wedding taking place in a city full of citizens on the verge of committing murder. The tune highlights Alfred III's role as Guellen's martyr and contributes to the irony of the enlightened city turning a blind eye to his murder. Just like the policeman, who Claire Zachanassian orders to “turn a blind eye to things” (22), the citizens turn a blind eye to the tragedy surrounding Alfred Ill's life. Ill was killed for the good of other citizens, just as Jesus Christ was killed for the good of the rest of the world. Just like a lamb.