The Judge and His Hangman

Chapter summary and overview of Dürrenmatt's "The Judge and His Executioner"

The chapter summary of the work "The Judge and His Executioner" was made to the best of our knowledge and belief.

• The first chapter of "The Judge and His Executioner" tells how the village policeman Alphons Clenin finds the corpse of Ulrich Schmied in a car. This turns out to be a police lieutenant from Bern. He was shot. Schmied's superior Bärlach then goes to the landlady, but says nothing about Schmied's death, just takes a file with him and claims that the tenant has gone away.
• After reading the file, Bärlach speaks to his boss, Dr. Lucius Lutz and asks for a substitute. He then drives to Twann with his colleague Blatter. A revolver bullet is found at the crime scene. The colleague Tschanz comes back from vacation in the third chapter. Bärlach and Tschanz find out that Schmied had entered a mysterious G in the calendar. He also wore a so-called formal suit when he was murdered.
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• In the fourth chapter Tschanz and Bärlach travel together to Twann. Schmied's route via Kerzers-Inn will be confirmed at a petrol station. You stop on the road from Twann to Lamboing.
• In the fifth chapter two cars drive up. The colleagues follow them until they arrive at a house surrounded by trees and secured with a large door. There is a capital "G" on the gate. Tschanz now says that the letter stands for Names Guest man whom he has matched in the phone book.


Friedrich Dürrenmatt: The judge and his executioner - an interpretation

The book "The Judge and His Executioner" by Friedrich Dürrenmatt is a thriller about the ...

• In the sixth chapter, Bärlach and Tschanz split up to walk around the house. Barlach is attacked by an aggressive dog. Tschanz arrives and shoots the dog. Then a man appears at a window. He says Gastmann isn't there. When Bärlach and Tschanz return to the car, the National Council of Schwendi is waiting there. This is not only a colonel, but also Gastmann's lawyer. At first he wants to threaten them, but when he hears about the murder he promises that he will hold back for the time being. Tschanz then meets in one business with the police officers Lamboing, and Jean Pierre Charnel. They provide him with more information about Gastmann, who is said to be a rich philosopher and who made himself popular with the locals by paying their taxes. They also tell him about a writer.
• In the seventh chapter, Tschanz brings Bärlach home from the crime scene. He tells him about the new knowledge. When Bärlach arrives at home, it turns out that he had already bandaged his arm to protect him from the dog. This suggests that he knew what was going to happen.
• In the eighth chapter, Schwendi's lawyer reprimands Lutz about the dead dog. He demands that Gastmann should be left alone. Schmied would have been with Gastmann. He would have faked a false identity. This makes the police and not Gastmann suspicious. Lutz receives a list of more of Gastmann's guests. These are divided into the groups of artists, industrialists and, as a third group, diplomats. He indicates their immunity.
• In the ninth chapter, Lutz understands that secret meetings took place at Gastmann's. Schmied had obviously been a guest. Since Schmied had no police assignment, von Schwendi now suggests that he was a spy. Thereupon Lutz buckles. He admits that Gastmann should no longer be bothered.
• In the tenth chapter, Bärlach and Lutz go to Schmied's funeral. Two drunks appear there. They put one for Dr. Prantl determined the wreath. Dr. Prantl was Schmied's alias.
• In the eleventh chapter, Gastmann waits at home with Bärlach. He says he knew about Bärlach and Schmied. Apparently Gastmann and Bärlach have known each other for forty years. You had previously bet that Gastmann could commit a crime for which Barlach would find no evidence. He actually succeeded when he pushed a bankrupt businessman off a bridge and claimed in court that the man had committed suicide out of desperation. Gastmann is leaving again. Bärlach can't do anything, he has no evidence.
• In the twelfth chapter, Bärlach goes back to Lutz's office and learns that an investigation is being carried out against Schmied. Gastmann is above suspicion. Barlach then reports sick and then drives with Tschanz to the aforementioned writer. The writer receives Tschanz and Bärlach in the thirteenth chapter. They sit together in a room but cannot see the writer's face because they are blinded by the sun. The writer has an alibi for the murder. He admits that he knows Gastmann, but also says that he doesn't like him.
• In the fourteenth chapter, Bärlach actually wants to stop the investigation against Gastmann and says he will call in sick for a week. Tschanz is against it and asks him to investigate further.

The dramatic ending

• In the fifteenth chapter the chapter summary is already drawing to a close. Bärlach to the doctor. He tells him he must have an operation within three days, he can then live another year, otherwise he will die in four days. Bärlach finds out that Gastmann has read his medical records.
• In the sixteenth chapter, Barlach is awakened by strange noises in his house. He armed himself and wanted to confront the intruder. The light can no longer be turned on. They fight in the dark. Bärlach fires shots outside to attract attention. The intruder, wearing gloves, throws a knife at him but fails to hit and runs away.
• In the seventeenth chapter, Bärlach takes a supposed taxi. However, this turns out to be a trap. The man, an envoy from Gastmann, wears the same gloves as the man the previous night. The two talk to each other and Barlach says that he is a guest man because he was not long ago Could convict a crime, want to get hold of Schmied's murder - even if he wasn't should. He also reveals that he wants to kill Gastmann in revenge, he would send him an "executioner".
• In the eighteenth chapter, Tschanz Schmied's wife Anna assures that he knew the murderer. He also proposes to her. Then he goes to Gastmann. A servant Gastmann shoots him. He in turn shoots at Gastmann and scores - he becomes his executioner. In the nineteenth chapter it turns out that Tschanz killed Gastmann and his servants.
• Lutz states that the Gastmann files found about Schmied are proof that Gastmann was responsible for the murder of Schmied because he was afraid that Schmied might expose him. Schwendi is also impressed by this version. Bärlach asks von Schwendi to promote Tschanz. When he is alone with Gastmann in the death chamber, he covers Gastmann's corpse to see him one last time.
• In the twentieth chapter Tschanz and Bärlach meet for a meal. Barlach eats as if he wasn't sick at all. Tschanz now assumes that Bärlach had only faked his illness.
• It turns out that Bärlach knew that it was Tschanz who killed the blacksmith and that Bärlach knew about it. He repeats the sequence of events. Schmied was killed with Tschanz's service weapon. Bärlach knew from the beginning, that was the suspicion that he did not express openly. Tschanz killed Schmied out of envy and jealousy and blamed Gastmann for the deed. In order to get to the file on Schmied that was supposed to encumber Bärlach, Tschanz had to attack Bärlach. Barlach had put Schmied on Gastmann, he had long condemned him as a murderer, was his judge, so to speak, and wanted revenge. After Tschanz had killed him, he could at least use him to kill Gastmann too.
• Barlach was the judge, but Tschanz became an involuntary executioner. They say goodbye, but in the twenty-first chapter, Barlach learns that Tschanz was seized by a train and perished. Bärlach himself is sick and will die within a year.