Plays are often written to make a statement about the world or to provoke deeper thinking from the audience. While many playwrights share the same overall goal, each playwright adopts his or her own writing style. Having adopted a certain style, playwrights then have the opportunity to customize their genre to meet 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 of Claire Zachanassian, Alfred III and the Schoolmaster with a complexity not found in the other roles in the play. To do this, Durrenmatt uses allusions throughout The Visit. These allusions create multifaceted characters that contribute to the situational irony of tragicomedy.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay One of the greatest ironies of The Visit is the fact that Madame Claire Zachanassian did not become the obvious villain of the piece. Madame Zachanassian offered “a million for Guellen if someone kills Alfred III” (Durrenmatt 38), which the mayor immediately rejects “in the name of humanity” (39). The mayor's response eventually changes, and although she orchestrated the eventual murder of merchant Alfred III, the town comes to defend Claire Zachanassian. In the first act, the schoolmaster spoke on behalf of the town, saying “we deeply sympathize for you; we understand” (66) regarding Madame Zachanassian’s feelings toward justice. While the schoolmaster is currently categorically opposed to accepting Madam Zachanassian's offer, the quote foreshadows the schoolmaster's eventual change of opinion. The schoolmaster's statement indicates that, even after being shocked by such a bold proposal, the citizens of Guellen might still be inclined to understand how Madame Zachanassian feels. Friedrich Durrenmatt creates a situational irony between Claire's actions and the townspeople's perception of her by alluding to the Greek play Medea in the second act. The schoolmaster declares “Madame Zachanassian!” You are a woman whose love has been hurt. You remind me of a heroine from Antiquity; of Medea” (66). In the play Medea, a young woman from Colchis is betrayed by her husband and father of her two sons. Medea's husband, Jason, leaves Medea for a wealthier young woman named Creusa, in the same way that Alfred Ill left Claire Zachanassian years before for Mrs. Ill, who was at the time the wealthy daughter of a merchant . At the end of the play, Medea kills her two sons in an act of ultimate revenge against Jason, but by the end of the play, a faction of the audience often believes that Medea's choice is justified. By alluding to Medea's story in The Visit to describe Madame Zachanassian, Durrenmatt asks the question: were Claire Zachanassian's actions justified? Durrenmatt's allusion deepens the complexity of Claire's character, Zachanassian. Where once stood a bitter old woman who waltzed to Guellen thirsty for blood, now stands a woman whose heart has been betrayed. This allusion allows the audience of La Visite to sympathize with Madame Claire Zachanassian; she quickly goes from vengeful murderess to heartbroken girl. The complexity created by Durrenmatt's allusion allows Claire Zachanassian to end the play without the title of "villain." When Claire Zachanassian enters for the firstOnce in Guellen, many citizens recognize that she may have come with dark intentions. The schoolmaster, symbol of enlightened thought and education, said to the mayor: “Sir, I only learned what horror is an hour ago. This old lady in a black dress getting off the train was a horrible sight. As one of the Fates; she reminded me of a vengeful 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 embody destiny. These destinies are said to be more powerful than the gods and to control each individual's life by spinning the "thread of destiny". When fate cuts the thread, life ends and the soul enters the underworld. Clotho is destiny responsible for spinning the thread and therefore creating destiny. The schoolmaster alludes to Clotho, foreshadowing Madame Zachanassian's desire to manipulate and control the town as Clotho's destiny controls life. The schoolmaster's allusion is made before Zachanassian's proposition, which serves well to indicate the intelligence and awareness that the schoolmaster embodies. Although the schoolmaster is quite apt to foresee Claire Zachanassian's eminent villainy, the irony of the situation lies in the fact that the schoolmaster admits to Alfred III, "They're going to kill you." I've known it all along, and you've known it for a long time too, even if no one else in Guellen wants to admit it... But I know something else. I will participate in it” (77). The schoolmaster, symbol of education in a town where “[people] are not savages” (39), ended up succumbing to the attraction of the riches that Madame Zachanassian offers to the town of Guellen. Durrenmatt's allusion to Clotho does not create irony, but rather the character of the schoolmaster. The schoolmaster is conceived as a symbol of everything that an enlightened European society embodies. As a symbol of civilization, the schoolmaster should have been intelligent, honest and civilized. Despite all this, even the most enlightened citizen of Guellen fell under the power of greed. The embodiment of civilized and rational thinking is no match for the allure of a woman's wealth, no matter how foresighted she may be in the situation. While the aforementioned allusions in The Visit had clearly stated meanings, Durrenmatt inscribes the meanings of other allusions more subtly. At a wedding between Madame Zachanassian and her eighth husband, the schoolmaster and his choir perform “Bach. Of the Passion according to Saint Matthew” (64). Bach's "St. 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 recounted in Bach's book. Matthew in the Bible. In addition, this marriage was Madame Zachanassian's 8th marriage. For a woman who seemed to enjoy the process of marriage and divorce, she certainly chose a somber vibe for her day. This play is as dark as most of Claire Zachanassian's actions and tells the dark story of the murder of an innocent man in the name of the people. In a traditional wedding, the piece chosen will be something more festive and light. However, Durrenmatt chose the St. Matthew Passion to highlight the irony of a marriage taking place in a town full of citizens on the verge of committing murder. The melody highlights Alfred III's role as Guellen's martyr and contributes to the irony of the enlightened city turning a blind eye to his assassination. Just like the Policeman, who Claire Zachanassian orders to “turn a blind eye to things” (22), the townspeople turn a blind eye to the tragedy that surrounds life..