The Arsonists

Synopsis

The living room of Gottlieb Biedermann, a complacent bourgeois citizen, in a typical German town.

Gottlieb Biedermann lights a cigarette, uneasily contemplating the widespread fear of arsonists burning down houses in the town. His paranoia is heightened as two strangers, Schmitz and Eisenring, ingratiate themselves into his home under the pretense of seeking shelter. Despite clear signs and their blatant admissions of being arsonists, Biedermann and his wife, Babette, remain in denial, driven by their desperate need to maintain normalcy and avoid conflict. The tension escalates as the arsonists prepare their sinister plan right under Biedermann’s nose, leading to an inevitable and tragic conclusion.

The Arsonists, is a darkly comedic and satirical examination of complacency, guilt, and moral cowardice. The play’s tone oscillates between absurdity and stark reality, utilising the framework of a Greek chorus to amplify the growing sense of impending doom. Frisch’s incisive writing reveals the dangers of willful ignorance and societal complicity in the face of evil.