An anonymous President of an anonymous country, the First Lady, her trusted maid, and her protégé Assistant Chaplain, amidst misguided anarchist attacks for the time being, give us the opportunity to observe the absurdity of private life within the presidential palace, the habits of miserable rulers under the watchful eyes of subordinates and with the blessings of the Church. In "The President" (1975), who does not appear to perform political duties, Bernhard unfolds a wretched bedroom dictator who serves as a counterpoint to the tragic "Minetti" (1977). The long-retired old actor with the legendary name arrives amidst a New Year's snowstorm in Ostend for his – after thirty years – only reappearance as Lear, the role that made him famous. Waiting in vain at the reception of a decaying hotel, where instead of the director of the Flensburg theater, Masked, Crippled, Drunk, and Dwarfs come and go, Minetti unleashes a venomous monologue, full of malice towards everyone and everything, arrogance, and self-pity. A monologue that foreshadows what will happen next.