The central themes of this Robert Louis Stevenson classic are self-awareness and the nature of good and evil. Markheim, a hitherto petty thief, “steps up” in the criminal world by murdering an antique dealer. It is Christmas day, the dealer’s shop is closed, and his maid has gone out. As Markheim searches the house looking for money, a mysterious stranger appears. Believing him to be the Devil, Markheim must choose between accepting the stranger’s offer of help and killing the returning maid, or paying the supreme price for his crime. Other themes: poverty, crime and punishment, death, redemption, the supernatural.
The story, which is presented in gothic horror form, turns on the question of whether the stranger is really the Devil, as Markheim believes, or an agent of God using reverse psychology to encourage his repentance.
Original Text / PDF / Audio (6,727 words)
Video Versions
This 1956 episode of the American Screen Directors Playhouse TV series is a very accurate representation of the original story. Watch and enjoy!
This 1971 episode of the Polish Theatre Macabre TV series is heavily modified to emphasize the horror aspect of the original; so much so that at the end one questions whether the whole story was little more than a dream. Watch and enjoy!