NO EXIT

Summary The three people begin wondering why they have been sent to Hell. Estelle thinks that in her case an error was made. Inez’s response is a smile, and this disturbs Estelle very much. Estelle confesses that she married a man who was old enough to be her father, but […]

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Summary The Valet ushers Estelle into the room. Garcin quickly informs her that he is not the torturer, and she replies that she never thought that he was. She laughs at their situation, but Garcin is not amused. She worries about the color clash between her clothes and the sofa, […]

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Summary The Valet ushers Inez into the room. She asks for Florence, but Garcin doesn’t know such a person. Inez’s first reaction is that Hell is torture by separation: She obviously had a relationship with Florence during her lifetime but changes positions quickly to inform Garcin that she won’t miss […]

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Summary (Although there are no act or scene divisions in No Exit, we shall break the play into sections to facilitate a running commentary.) The play opens with Garcin and a Valet in a drawing room decorated in Second Empire style. This is no ordinary drawing room, however: It is […]

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Garcin Brazilian journalist of middle age. Politically leftist, he has no problem expressing himself or making a point with passion. A very intelligent man, he is attracted to Inez. But Inez despises him, and his need for her goes unrequited. Inez A lesbian. Same age as Garcin. She is attracted […]

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No Exit (Huis Clos) is one of Sartre’s finest plays; it is produced and studied more than any of his other dramas. The setting is Hell even though it resembles the real world around us. Three characters come together in this microcosm of Hell in a way which shows their […]

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