Romantic love, a universal issue that many writers grapple with, consumes much of a person's life: it is constantly extolled as the highest of virtues in Christianity along with the notion of true love. Durrenmatt, however, in The Visit satirizes and distorts characteristics of romantic love, such as the idealization of the loved one and the belief in eternal romance, to show how the idealization of romance creates illusions that become a source of destruction when confronted with reality. In this way, Durrenmatt conveys a cynical view of humanity, in which love cannot thrive in states of desperation. This perspective contrasts with most fictions because, living in post-war Switzerland, Durrenmatt experienced an economic crisis that revealed to him the corrupt nature of human beings who put material wealth before love. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay First, the pastoral setting of The Visit illustrates how romantic love creates sentimental illusions of eternal romance during adolescence. For example, Claire remembers how she and Alfred "loved each other under these branches," with "the sunflowers...all golden" (28) when she reunites with him. This setting of a forest creates a bucolic image that relates to clichéd pastoral romance. This use of cliché allows Durrenmatt to satirize the concept of true love in romantic literature. A key example of this is when the nostalgic tone highlights the tendency of humans to sentimentalize romantic memories, thus representing innocence in idealized terms. For example, Claire sees their names “carved” on a tree. It is significant because the tree is a motif for innocence, which suggests that memory has caused Claire to rationalize Alfred's innocence to the point where she is psychologically vulnerable to its corruption. By creating this juxtaposition between adolescent romance and post-war desperation, Durrenmatt shows how illusions of purity create sentimental expectations of love that become a source of destruction. Additionally, “golden,” which connotes royalty and something of value, is symbolic for the value Claire sees in their relationship. Furthermore, the use of the adjective “golden” is ironic because Alfred chooses gold money over love for his marriage. Therefore, this rejection of love elevates the value of money over love, highlighting how love fails to thrive in poverty. Additionally, Claire sees “the heart with our names on it” (28) “carved” into the wood, but it is “faded.” It is significant as the “heart” connotes romance, which furthers the depiction of idealized love. This also creates dramatic irony as this secret location is unknown to the other characters, which drives emotion in the audience when the townspeople see no romantic associations between Claire and Alfred. Thus, the audience gets great insight into Claire's motive in which she not only seeks revenge, but also attempts to possess Alfred for eternity. Additionally, the verb “carve” is ironic as it symbolizes eternal commitment, but the nouns “fade away” as both Claire and Alfred married other people for money. This irony, then, shows that idealized romanticism fails to thrive in states of desperation, where “faded” serves to highlight the contamination of humanity by materialism. However, the notion of eternity accentuates Claire's desire to possess Alfred. Thus, her delusion becomes her tragic flaw and foreshadows her determination to keep Alfred for eternity, regardless of the method. Ultimately, the use ofDurrenmatt's cliché and irony allows the audience to confront the ephemeral nature of romantic love and thus question their own idealization of romance. Durrenmatt brings a cynical view of capitalism in Europe whereby romantic love is ignored. Furthermore, dialogues and actions that use secret code language for love portray the idealization of romantic love.Love. An example of this is when Alfred calls Claire "my little wildcat" and Claire "purrs like an old cat". Interestingly, the nickname and possessive adjective “my” highlight the concept of one and only, which shows that Alfred idealizes Claire as his soulmate. However, Alfred can only express his love for Claire through possessive words, which portray romance as a simple result of sexual restriction. Furthermore, the nickname is not only significant for its romantic nature, but also for its depiction of Claire's idealization. For example, after Claire is called a "little wild cat", she is seen with the corresponding caption "purrs like an old cat". This simile illustrates a softened and nostalgic side of Claire that contrasts with her decision to kill Alfred. Furthermore, the corresponding action demonstrates that Claire despises this idealized version of herself and, as a result, fails to cope with the corruption of post-war Europe. Consequently, this sentimentality of memory drives her to possess Alfred in a coffin. When he dies, she sees him “as he was,” “the black panther” (99), which is Claire's nickname for Alfred. Durrenmatt uses The Grotesque, distorting death not as separation but as romantic closure, to satirize the element of engagement, of happy endings, in romantic novels. Additionally, the coffin creates dramatic tension throughout the show to make the audience uncomfortable, and thus show Claire's distorted psychology as she anticipates physical closure with Alfred. Dramatic tension is further employed through the motif of the "black panther", which is not only a nickname but also Claire's actual pet who is killed by the police. This foreshadowing of Alfred's death creates terror in the audience, portraying a juxtaposition between romantic nickname and death, thus highlighting the destructive nature of love. Additionally, Durrenmatt's satire of the idealization of romantic love is reinforced by the way the nickname "black panther" is used to describe a corpse, which emphasizes that romance is simply a physical desire and that poverty has deprived the virtue of spiritual companionship in post-love. war in Europe. Overall, the sentimentalized dialogue and depiction of the coffin using The Grotesque convince the audience that romantic love is self-destructive as it creates the illusion of a perfect loved one. Durrenmatt states that this illusion is especially dangerous in post-war Europe as everyone, even those who are seen as ideal, lose their virtues. Finally, Durrenmatt satirizes the closure of romantic love, which is exalted in Christianity as humanity's highest virtue, in the balcony scene. The second act opens with “Claire Zachanassian appears on the balcony in the background” (43). This direction is significant because the “balcony”, an allusion to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, is the symbol of an idyllic and youthful love story. In Romeo and Juliet the lovers achieve spiritual closure despite the physical separation created by the balcony. Therefore, Shakespeare illustrates an idealized love story by suggesting that true love overcomes all obstacles. It is ironic, however, as the balcony scene created by Durrenmatt.