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Accidental Death of an Anarchist
by Dario Fo
Accidental Death of an Anarchist Quotes and Analysis
I've worked you out: you really do have this acting mania, so you're acting mad but in fact you're saner than I am.
Bertozzo, p. 7
The Maniac is in fact saner than most; his madness is only a theatrical device. It is ironic that the Maniac is labeled
"mad" when he is the character most dedicated to revealing the truth. Even the Journalist admits that her primary
motivation is to write a good article, whereas the Maniac has no motive beyond the pursuit of truth. It is also
ironic, of course, that in order to uncover what really happened, he has to lie and impersonate others. For this
reason it may be the world around him that is truly mad.
No, don't throw me out, Inspector. I love it here with you, among policemen. I feel safe.
Maniac, p. 9
The Maniac's statement is bitterly ironic, since the anarchist was anything but safe among policemen. For
audience members unfamiliar with the story, it foreshadows later events in which we learn that the police were
almost certainly responsible for the anarchist's death. This wry, dangerous line highlights Fo's sharp comedy, used
as a tool against corruption.
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SUPERINTENDENT: Those bastards in the government. First they ask you to help - 'Ferment a little subversion,
chip in with a bit of repression, go on, spread a sense of gathering disorder...'
INSPECTOR: '...then sit back and wait for calls for a state clampdown!'
Superintendent and Inspector, p. 33
The policemen place the blame for their actions on the government, arguing that they were told to spread a
sense of disorder so that the public will demand a firm response and even support a totalitarian state in order to
stop the violence. In so doing they voice the "strategy of tension" used by the Italian state at the time of the
play's premiere. While Fo satirizes the police and was no friend of Calabresi (the model for the Inspector), with
this quote he suggests that despite their shortcomings, the police were in a sense pawns of a larger and more
sinister force.
...it's not baloney, it's just the usual traps and scams that we in the judiciary use occasionally to remind the police
how barbaric and of course illegal those methods are.
Maniac, p. 34
The Inspector and the Superintendent justify their methods of interrogating the anarchist by explaining that they
used "a perfectly standard procedure, as practised in every police force, to draw a confession out of the suspect"
(24). These methods included engaging in a form of "psychological warfare" in which they invented information
that could have caused enough mental anguish to push the anarchist to commit suicide. Rather than merely
questioning the morality of such methods, the Maniac demonstrates their effects by using them on the Inspector
and the Superintendent. After pointing out the holes in their arguments, he tells them: "Okay, you're probably
feeling a little bit depressed right now. So what better time to add that there is damning proof of gross
negligence on your part, that you're both dead in the water, and that in an attempt to make the rest of the police
look good the Home Office are going to crucify you." (29) He then encourages the Superintendent and the
Inspector to jump out the window, which they both admit they seriously considered doing. The Maniac admits to
his deception in the quote above, which parallels the Inspector's own justification for using such methods and, in
so doing, highlights how corrupt those methods really are.
SUPERINTENDENT: I'm delighted to reveal that we have, yes, lots of undercover agents, pretty much everywhere.
JOURNALIST: Now I know you're bluffing, Superintendent.
SUPERINTENDENT: Not at all. In tonight's audience, for example. We have a few of our people in. Do you want to
see?
He claps his hands. Voices are heard from various points in the auditorium.
VOICES: Superintendent!/ Over here, sir!/ Yessir?
The Maniac laughs and turns to the audience.
MANIAC: Don't be alarmed, they're drama students. The real undercover ones are trained to sit quietly.
Superintendent / Journalist / Maniac, p. 70
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This quote expands on the theme of fear and submission, insinuating that police infiltrators could be anywhere -
even at this play. It also demonstrates one of the methods Fo uses to encourage audience members to avoid
getting drawn too much into the storyline and instead to think critically about the issues raised.
By having the Superintendent and the Maniac speak directly to the audience, Fo eliminates the invisible "fourth
wall" between the actors and the audience. The Maniac's reference to drama students goes one step
further, explicitly reminding the audience that they are watching a play.
OK. So let's take a look behind that façade. What do we find? Out of the ten members of the [anarchist's] group,
two of them were your own people, two informers, or rather, spies and provocateurs. One was a Rome fascist,
well-known to everyone except the aforementioned pathetic group of anarchists, and the other was one of your
own officers, disguised as an anarchist.
Journalist, p. 72
The Journalist brings up the practice of infiltration, one of the methods through which the police and the
government create a climate of fear. In pretending to act for the left, the infiltrators foment uncertainty through
acts of violence. This chaos fractures the radicals by muddying the motives and deeds of the political groups. The
police hoped to win the public's support for a strong state, trading democratic principles for the security that a
totalitarian government could bring.
JOURNALIST: You say you don't know anything... So you'll be unaware that of the 173 bomb attacks to date
(Reads from document) 102 have been proved to be the work of fascists? And fascist or parallel organisations
were strongly implicated in half of the remaining seventy-one cases.
SUPERINTENDENT: Those figures may be correct, yes... Any comments, Inspector?
INSPECTOR: I'd have to check.
JOURNALIST: Good, and while you're at it check how many of those attacks were made to look like the work of
far-left groups.
INSPECTOR: Well, almost all of them, obviously.
Journalist / Superintendent / Inspector, p. 72
Here the Journalist summarizes the "strategy of tension" alluded to earlier by the Inspector and the
Superintendent. By committing terrorist acts and blaming them on the far left, fascists hoped to create public
demand for a strong government capable of cracking down on the violence. Fo presented these facts to counter
the false information commonly spread by the media.
...the scandal would have served its purpose. People say they want real justice... so we fob them off with a slightly
less unjust system of justice. Workers howl that they're being flayed like donkeys... so we arrange for the flaying to
be a little less severe and slash their howling entitlement, but the exploitation goes on. The workforce would
rather not have fatal accidents in the factory... so we make it a teeny bit safer and increase compensation
payments to widows. They'd like to see class divisions eliminated... so we do our best to bring the classes
marginally closer or, preferably, just make it seem that way.
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They want a revolution... and we give them reforms. We're drowning them in reforms. Or promises of reforms,
because let's face it, they're not actually going to get anything.
Maniac, pp. 74-5
This quote reflects Fo's own views on revolution versus reform, a hotly debated topic at the time the play was
written. Through the Maniac, Fo argues that reform does very little besides calming the populace down and
keeping them under control. Scandals, he says, encourage people to clamor for change, but the small changes
that do occur do more to increase the standing of those in power than to actually improve the situation. Fo
believed that revolution, and with it a complete overthrow of existing institutions, is the way to create real positive
change.
Tensions massaged away through the miracle of catharsis, and you journalists are the over-indulged chief
masseuses.
Maniac, p. 80
Fo avoided catharsis, in which spectators purge themselves of emotions such as anger or fear through the act of
watching a play and letting their emotions flow through them. Here, he implies that people experience catharsis
when reading the news as well. News of scandals rile them up, but then the tensions fade as their negative
emotions pass. Fo's aim was the opposite of catharsis; he wanted people to engage in debate, challenge ideas,
and consider new points of view.
They've never tried to cover up these scandals. Which is great! So the public can really vent their outrage and
disgust: 'What is this government thinking of!?' 'Arsehole generals!' 'Murderers!' So they get cross, then possibly
even angry, but then the bubble bursts. It's like a burp. Then the meal is over.
Maniac, p. 81
This quote expands on Fo's ideas of reform versus revolution and the detriments of catharsis. Scandals let people
express their anger, but once expressed, this anger dissipates. Paradoxically, exposing scandals thus serves to
maintain the status quo, possibly bringing about a few minor reforms that satisfy the public's desire for a
government response while avoiding true revolutionary change.
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What important information do Significance of the glass eye? How is the theme of madness used to
Maniac's papers contain? The glass eye serves as a symbol of the reveal the truth?
Maniac's papers detail his history of lengths people like will go to disguise the GradeSaver provides a detailed look at this
madness, as well as his crimes of truth. It also symbolizes the way people theme in their study guide for the unit.
impersonation. are willing to "see" new truths with false Simply follow the link to the study guide at
Asked by Zoe A #932374 eyes—meaning they only see what what the top of the page and navigate to the
want to see. theme page from there.
Answered by jill d #170087 a year ago
12/24/2021 2:53 PM Asked by Aneenamol S #1028340 Asked by vishal m #634264
Answered by jill d #170087 a year ago Answered by jill d #170087 4 years ago
12/24/2021 2:51 PM 7/10/2019 2:39 PM
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Accidental Death of an Anarchist essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by
students and provide critical analysis of the play Accidental Death of an Anarchist by Dario Fo.
Accidental Death of an Anarchist as a Play of Social and Political Comment
How the Cold War Context Created New Perspectives: Film and Literature
Comedy, Abnormality, Irony: Methodologies Used in Accidental Death of an Anarchist
Justice at the heart of Society
Lesson Plan for Accidental Death of an Anarchist
About the Author
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Bringing in Technology
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