CPL310 10/20/2004 In others of his plays Durrenmatt has shown opposite positions in a world in which ideals get trumped by reality. -- The Marriage of Mr Mississippi (same structure as The Physicists; a guy wants to re-introduce the Mosaic law into modern society, creating a theocracy; another guy wants communism; in the middle is a guy who just wants to love everyone; no one prevails but the power politician sneaks in and wins) -- Romulus the Great Back to "The Physicists": -- Newton and Einstein are agents of inteligence services Newton: -- west; doesn't say he's from the west but talks about the freedom of science -- he doesn't stress it but thinks it's up to the people to deal with what science discovers; he says he doesn't care about scientists' moral responsibility [Zweig said that the mistake of his time was thinking that scientific progress would be followed by moral progress] -- he says the climate is brutal but the air conditioning is good (reference to Los Alamos) Einstein: -- east -- he says that we must become power politicians M?bius: -- challenges the other two -- asks Newton if he really has freedom, pointing out that he just turns over his scientific discoveries to the powers that be -- points out to Einstein that he's not the one who is in power They are all talking about duty. Newton says M?bius has the duty to come to the west to release his knowledge; Einstein says he has a duty to society. M?bius says he has duties to society, King Solomon/science [He puts on a mask of madness, saying that he sees visions of King Solomon; however he continues to write] -- he has a duty not to release the dangerous knowledge -- contrast to Dr. Stockman who wanted to release his knowledge not considering duty -- what about M?bius's duty to his family (just as Dr. Stockman) -- M?bius has a calling, a desire to know or to discover things Dr von Zahnd has been spying on M?bius, copying his writing and using them for her international trust. -- M?bius has been acrificing for nothing; his knowledge has gotten out anyway (paradox) -- the other two scientists finally hold him at gunpoint to get his manuscripts but he has burned them by then, not knowing von Zahnd had copied them first -- M?bius blames himself at the end for not having truly given up his quest for knowledge (having continued to write) At the end, M?bius has three opportunities to leave the sanitorium (with Monica or with either scientist) -- he decides he cannot -- now he's sacrificing hisi relationship with Monica, whom he's come to love, for this higher duty (then he kills her, as did the others the previous nurses because though they loved them, which is why the nurses figured out they weren't crazy, they had to kill them to keep their secrets) Fr?ulein von Zahnd is actually the Machtmensch, the power person who actually turns out to be crazy. Bottom of page 848: -- Einstein and Newton decide to stay with M?bius -- they are mutigen Menschen (courageous individuals) The inspector has justice as his highest motive. -- after the last murder when he realizes he can't prosecute them but that they'll be locked up, he says that for the first time justice takes a holiday (it's a relief for him not to have to follow this absolute that he can never attain) Friedrich D?rrenmatt 1921-1990 Bern (canton), Switzerland -- Brecht's successor as leading German language playwright -- initially was fascinated with Kafka -- after WWII he started writing what he called problems of the theatre, saying playwrights had to write comedies for a tragic age and use classicial form since the world was so crazy Remember that the three portraits of von Zahnd's ancestors switch (politician, economist, general) -- perhaps she's going from helping the community to making a lot of money to taking over the world -- remember she says her family was crazy and it's a wonder she's so sane! -- remember she says her family's dying off and leaving money to her The Physicists (1962) -- classicial structure (3 unities of time, place and action) -- other threes: physicists, nurses, attendants, doors, portraits, sons -- modern tragicomedy -- Einfall: conceit or bright idea (literally idea or, in another sense, invasion) -- whodunnit with a twist (we know whodunnit but why?) -- Newton's "real" name Herbert Georg Beutler but that's a cover and his real name is Alec Jasper Kilton; says he's really Einstein; killed nurse 3 months ago; love of order; dilemma (18-19); engineers, bomb (22); free science (76) Einstein -- says he's Ernst heinrich Ernesti but is really joseph Eisler -- killed nurse at beginning of play -- power politics (76) Johann Wilhelm M?bius -- drives family away (pretending to be furious for two reasons: to convince people he's mad and to let his wife go away with a clear conscience) -- he really does get furious hearing that his son wants to be a physicist (page 84 he shows he thinks being a physicist makes one somewhat guilty) -- murders nurse Monika -- explains decision to Newton and Einstein, saying it was his duty to investigate the consequences of his science -- convinces them to stay -- "duty" (pages 75, 80, 82) -- King Solomon [Edward Teller, father of the hydrogen bomb, really advocated further research, sort of like Newton; people such as Oppenheimer advocated not doing the research into the hydrogen bomb.] King Solomon is a symbol for reason or common sense in this play.</plaintext><br /></body></html>