The Maids

These two plays which are brought together with an introduction by Jean-Paul Sartre, reflect Jean Genet's obsession with the problems of sexual identity, reality and make-believe and the uncertainty of moral absolutes. "Deathwatch", Genet's first play, focuses on three inmates of a prison cell: Green Eyes, Lefranc and Maurice. In an interplay of power and fantasy, the action culminates in the violent murder of one at the hands of his scheming cell-mates. The two protagonists of "The Maids" indulge in erotic and secret rituals of hate and revenge, directed against their wealthy employers. But they are condemned to remain prisoners of their own delusions, with a fateful consequence.