129:
490:, with Beckmann's dreams and dreamlike elements regularly infiltrating the reality of the plot. A door slamming shut ends each stage of Beckmann's journey, after which he finds himself "the man outside". Beckmann's gas mask goggles continually prompt negative reactions and are symbolic of the fact that Beckmann's view of the world is still shaped by his wartime experiences. A further core element running through the play is the use of
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Beckmann follows the girl to her house, where he finds out that her husband had been a soldier, like
Beckmann. The girl laughs at Beckmann's gasmask goggles, which he continues to wear, because without them he can't see. She confiscates them, and he sees the world as grey and blurry. But, her husband
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God says that Death is the new God; people believe only in death. However, God remembers a skinny, sickly death. Death explains that he has grown fat during the last century, due to all the "business" from the war, and that is the cause of his belching. The scene ends with Death telling God to take a
305:
Beckmann awakes (after his suicide attempt) to find himself floating in the Elbe. The river turns out to be a rather resolute motherly figure. Once she discovers that
Beckmann is bent on suicide, she lashes out, patronizing him. She calls him faint-hearted and explains that she will not let him kill
358:
Beckmann tells the
Colonel that he has returned to hand back to the Colonel the responsibility for the eleven men lost under his command. If he were able to sleep with those thousands killed in action under his command, eleven more will not change anything for him. The Colonel finds this whole idea
314:
The Other introduces himself to
Beckmann. He describes himself as the "yes-man". Annoyed, Beckmann tells him to leave. Thereafter, a girl turns up offering to help Beckmann, by giving him dry clothing and some warmth. She explains that she's only helping him because he's so wet and cold; later, she
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The vast majority of radio dramas produced in the years following the war with returning soldiers in central roles focused on their private problems. The topic of adultery, for example, was often a central theme, whilst wartime experiences themselves remained largely ignored. The soldier returning
596:
In 1992 Academy
Productions presented the play, directed by Andy Lavender at The Green Room, Manchester, (in association with the Manchester International Festival of Expressionism, 16â17 March) and Chelsea Centre Theatre, London, (27 May-13 June). âa fringe production of rare subtletiesâ (City
450:
One by one, each of the characters returns to defend himself. Despite their good intentions, they cannot help. Between these visits, the dialog between
Beckmann and the Other goes on. There is little change in the content of their arguments; however, both of them become increasingly desperate.
346:
made from human bones. The man is running back and forth, sweating blood. The blood gives him red stripes down the side of his trousers (like that of a
General in the German Army.) All the dead from throughout history are there, and Beckmann is forced to stand there among them, under a sickly,
591:
Herr
Borchert's play transcends nationality and ideology. It holds that the common man, selfish and complacent, is responsible for the horrors that accompany and follow world conflict. It has been written with a genuine intensity possessed only by those who have known torment and
451:
Finally, after the girl and her one-legged husband have left, a desperate
Beckmann begins a long monologue, at the end of which he demands an answer from the Other; who is fading away. There is no reply, and Beckman realizes he is all alone. Presumably, he has drowned himself.
292:
claim that this death changes nothing. The Old Man (apparently God) enters, crying and explaining: His children are killing each other. Since no one believes in him anymore, he can do nothing to stop them. Uninterested, the undertaker agrees that this is very tragic indeed.
163:
describes the hopelessness of a post-war soldier called
Beckmann who returns from Russia to find that he has lost his wife and his home, as well as his illusions and beliefs. He finds every door he comes to closed; even nature seems to reject him.
475:- who uses military slang expressions such as "crash out", "drown" and "booze". The rest of the characters are also vividly shaped by their use of everyday language. Mrs Kramer is characterised through her ordinary vocabulary as part of the
442:
The Other counters that while there is always suffering in the world, there is always hope, and there is always happiness. Dwelling on the suffering cannot accomplish anything; you can make things better by focusing on the good; as he says,
412:
point of the play comes across during this dialog: There is always suffering in the world; one cannot do anything to change that; the world will not care if you are suffering. As evidence for this, Beckmann outlines a hypothetical
385:("brave little soldierâs wife"). To the director it is all too dark and foreboding. People in these times want something encouraging, the director says. To Beckmann, that is not Truth. The director replies: "
271:): "A man" (Beckmann) returns to his German home town, but there is nobody to go to. At first, he feels distanced from his life, thinking it is a film. But slowly he realizes that it is an "all-day film".
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Upon arriving at his parents' house, a woman he has never seen (Frau Kramer) answers the door. He finds out that his parents are to be found in their graves, having killed themselves during the post-war
288:) with gas (belching) examining a body by the river Elbe, not the first one. The body does not appear to belong to a soldier, although he is wearing soldier's clothes. The undertaker makes the
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very strange declaring it to be a joke out of place. He suggests that Beckmann takes his joke to the stage. Beckmann steals a bottle of rum and some bread from the dinner table, then leaves.
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Once again, Beckmann takes up an argument with the Other, who gives him the idea to return to his parents. Beckmann expresses some enthusiasm for the first (and only) time in the play.
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clearly went further than most contemporary plays. In many cases, what the plays had in common was their didactic appeal and great moral gestures, which can also be seen in Beckmann's
378:
Beckmann arrives and expresses his ideas. The director tells him he would be better off to change his mind. Nevertheless, the director agrees to give a hearing to his odd visitor.
522:. The collapse of the old order, as well as German cities lying in ruins, radically changed forms of expression in literature. This was later referred to as Kahlschlagliteratur or
327:
Beckmann attempts to go back to the Elbe for another try to die, but the Other convinces him not to. Instead, Beckmann is going to visit the man who had given the commands to him.
339:'s house, just in time for dinner. He immediately blames the Colonel, telling him that for 3 years he ate caviar while the men suffered. He tells the Colonel about his nightmare.
494:. Beckmann's questions, which he directs to various characters over the course of the play, remain largely unanswered up until he intensifies his questioning in the final
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Limits). Featured in City Limitsâ âRecommendedâ section. Nominated for Best Lighting Design, London Fringe Awards 1992-3. The music for this production was composed by
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5th Act: It is night, deep night, and the door is closed. The man is standing outside. Outside on the doorstep. The man is standing on a riverside, be it the Elbe, the
545:
home was mostly depicted as an outsider, and through his eyes it was possible to take an alienated view of the present. However, in its critique of post-war society,
438:. The man stands there crazed, frozen, hungry, and damn tired. And then there is a splash, and the ripples make neat little circles, and then the curtain drops.
128:
375:(i.e. owner and producer of an off-off theatre) about the importance of Truth in art. Someone outspoken, new, and young should be looked for.
537:(those released from imprisonment) were central themes in everyday German life, which were also frequently dealt with in contemporary art.
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Beckmann gives a couplet, turning up to be a morose summary of the play up to this point, the melody taken from a popular war time song,
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Following the character list, there is a short introduction (two paragraphs) to the play (similar to the original dramatic use of a
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689:âEin Mann kommt nach Deutschlandâ: DrauĂen vor der TĂŒr im Kontext der Heimkehrer-Hörspiele der unmittelbaren Nachkriegszeit
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comes home, on crutches. It turns out this is due to a military command of sergeant Beckmann that he lost his leg.
171:" Despite this, the first radio broadcast (February 1947) was very successful. The first theatrical production of
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of the drama: "Will no one at all give an answer? Will no one give an answer??? Will no one, anyone, answer???"
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is one of a large number of similar works based on the theme of soldiers returning home from war.
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Due to its release during the sensitive immediate postwar period, Borchert subtitled his play "
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critic reacted favorably to the play and its production as did most of his colleagues:
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The third scene marks the emotional climax of the play. Beckmann appears at his former
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619:. Die Toten Hosen play from album Ballast der Republik (2012) - Draussen Vor Der TĂŒr.
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In that dream, a fat man (Death again) plays a Military March on a very large
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The Other follows him, and the longest dialogue of the play ensues. The
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The list of characters, translated from the original text of the play:
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A play that no theatre wants to perform and no audience wants to see.
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will admit having helped him because he looked so sad and innocent.
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693:âPack das Leben bei den Haarenâ. Wolfgang Borchert in neuer Sicht
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The end of the Second World War has often been described as the
181:) opened on the day after Borchert's death, 21 November 1947.
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A Street Sweeper, who actually does not have that profession
206:(estrangement effect) to disorient and engage its audience.
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The play received its US debut at the President Theatre in
727:"DIE TOTEN HOSEN - Draussen Vor Der TĂŒr (official video)"
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himself. The dream ends with him washing up on the sand.
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The play begins with an overfed undertaker (apparently
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Frau Kramer, who is just Frau Kramer, which is horrible
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A Cabaret Director, with daring goals, but less stamina
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Ann Arbor: University of Wisconsin Press 1968, p. 319.
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Piscator in the American Theatre. New York, 1939â1951.
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The relatively short play is largely dominated by its
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Elbe River is a coarse but maternal and tough woman.
405:. Beckmann leaves, once again eager to kill himself.
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Her Husband, who dreamed of her for a thousand nights
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2nd Act: Grey skies. The man continues to be pained.
467:, including ending the drama in this way. By using
389:" Beckmann reproaches him, and leaves the theatre.
56:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
676:Wolfgang Borchert. Sprachgestaltung in seinem Werk
637:Wolfgang Borchert. Sprachgestaltung in seinem Werk
609:In 1949 the play serves as the basis for the film
804:Art and cultural repatriation after World War II
445:Do you fear the darkness between two lamp-posts?
132:Title page of the first German print (July 1947)
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529:During the post-war period, the fate of German
486:Various structural elements serve as recurring
420:3rd Act: It is getting dark and it is raining.
236:His Wife, feeling so cold in her warm parlour
227:A Woman, whose husband came home with one leg
8:
347:discolored moon. And they are all chanting "
251:The Old Man, in whom no one believes anymore
424:4th Act: It is darker. The man sees a door.
712:, March 2, 1949, cf. Thomas George Evans:
601:and in 2012 was released through cdbaby.
254:The Undertaker with a case of the hiccups
116:Learn how and when to remove this message
416:1st Act: Grey skies. A man is suffering.
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573:. It was directed by the head of the
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54:adding citations to reliable sources
577:, German expatriate stage director
297:rest for emotional rehabilitation.
463:Beckmann, who frequently delivers
239:The Daughter, just over for dinner
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387:Truth has nothing to do with art.
569:on March 1, 1949 under the name
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21:The Man Outside (disambiguation)
733:from the original on 2021-12-12
691:. In: Burgess, Winter (Hrsg.):
650:Das Drama âDrauĂen vor der TĂŒrâ
502:Historical and Literary Context
41:needs additional citations for
260:The Other, whom everyone knows
1:
741:– via www.youtube.com.
233:A Colonel, who is very merry
383:Tapfere kleine Soldatenfrau
820:
184:The play consists of five
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799:Aftermath of World War II
224:Her Friend, who loves her
221:His Wife, who forgot him
200:techniques, such as the
367:The scene opens with a
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515:
242:Her Courageous Husband
178:Hamburger Kammerspiele
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133:
492:interrogative clauses
218:Beckmann, one of them
131:
769:Plays set in Germany
704:J.P.S.: Critique of
617:Wolfgang Liebeneiner
151:Outside, at the door
50:improve this article
19:For other uses, see
469:colloquial language
147:DrauĂen vor der TĂŒr
784:20th-century plays
774:Hamburg in fiction
710:The New York Times
561:Production history
203:Verfremdungseffekt
192:. It makes use of
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575:Dramatic Workshop
520:German literature
473:dramatis personae
455:Form and Language
155:Wolfgang Borchert
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65:"The Man Outside"
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789:Military fiction
779:TrĂŒmmerliteratur
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571:Outside the Door
531:prisoners of war
524:TrĂŒmmerliteratur
477:petite bourgeois
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16:1947 German play
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539:The Man Outside
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153:) is a play by
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106:December 2009
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764:German plays
735:. Retrieved
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48:Please help
43:verification
40:
794:Radio drama
695:, p. 48â51.
652:, p. 20â23.
516:Stunde Null
508:"zero hour"
481:personified
461:protagonist
436:Mississippi
331:Scene three
759:1947 plays
753:Categories
661:Borchert:
623:References
605:Adaptation
535:Heimkehrer
465:monologues
410:nihilistic
396:Scene five
363:Scene four
349:Beckmann!
290:nihilistic
210:Characters
196:forms and
76:newspapers
674:Schmidt:
434:, or the
371:from the
369:monologue
353:Beckmann!
344:xylophone
319:Scene two
310:Scene one
198:Brechtian
731:Archived
648:Migner:
612:Love '47
567:New York
373:Direktor
351:Sergeant
280:Prologue
269:prologue
263:The Elbe
175:(at the
737:May 31,
337:Colonel
188:in one
90:scholar
708:, in:
581:. The
551:pathos
518:) for
512:German
496:climax
430:, the
186:scenes
143:German
92:
85:
78:
71:
63:
592:pain.
432:Volga
428:Seine
413:play:
301:Dream
286:Death
97:JSTOR
83:books
739:2019
533:and
69:news
553:in
190:act
52:by
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510:(
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