In The Balcony, playwright Jean Genet uses the backdrop of a brothel to condemn the corruption and pettiness of which all people are capable. He is particularly scathing towards those in power. Outside of the brothel, the city—which is never named—is undergoing a “revolution” without a clear aim. For much of the play, it is unclear whether the revolution is real, or an elaborate extension of the fantasies being played out in the brothel, which is called the Grand Balcony.

A woman named Irma is the owner of the Grand Balcony. She oversees a group of prostitutes who enact detailed—and often absurd—fantasies for their clients. The men who visit assume the titles (and costumes) of a bishop, a general, and a judge. Irma supplies girls who perform as penitents confessing their sins, torturers who wish to punish thieves, and men who wish to pre-emptively experience their own glorious funerals. Although it is a place of desire, Irma’s “House of Illusions” rarely alludes to the actual act of sex. It is, rather, a microcosm of people’s desire to have power over others, even if that dominance is only temporary.

Irma’s bookkeeper is a woman named Carmen who was formerly one of her prostitutes. Carmen misses her former job and feels suffocated by Irma’s rules. She pesters Irma constantly about the other girls, especially about an enigmatic character named Chantal, who left the brothel to join the rebellion. To keep Carmen quiet, Irma promises her that she will make an exception and allow Carmen to return to prostitution temporarily, in a major role.

The Grand Balcony is protected by a man named George. He is the Chief of Police and also Irma’s former lover. For most of the play, George is absent. When he arrives, he is the delivery mechanism for most of the information about what is happening in the city. The reader—and the other characters—have to accept his version of the rebellion until the situation outside becomes so extreme that it is obvious that George has been telling the truth. George claims that the Royal Palace has fallen to the rebels. Rather than focus on the upheaval, however, he is obsessed with questioning Irma about her clients. He specifically wants to know if any of the other men fantasize about playing him, or the role of Chief of Police. George wishes to be immortalized, and for him, that immortality is to be found in imitation.

After George’s arrival, the play leaves the brothel to focus briefly on Chantal and Roger. Roger is a rebel who was working as a plumber when he met Chantal and convinced her to leave the Grand Balcony. In their pivotal scene, they proclaim the love they have for each other but they are each conflicted. The rebels has decided to make Chantal into their symbol. Her image will be the icon of the revolution. Roger fears for her safety as she takes such a public role, but Chantal sees it as a thrilling opportunity, both to help the revolution and to enlarge her own importance.

As things grow more chaotic outside, the Queen’s Envoy arrives at the Grand Balcony. He says that everyone who was in the palace during the attack, including the Queen, has been killed. At the very least, he insists that they are all grievously wounded, but his statements contradict each other, leaving Irma and George uncertain about what has really taken place at the Grand Palace. The Envoy wants Irma to pose as the Queen and make an appearance on the literal balcony outside. This will show the populace that all is well, and maintain stability while they decide what to do next.

Irma agrees, but her appearance on the balcony ends in disaster. She is joined by Chantal, George, and three clients who are posing in roles they have formerly acted out in Irma’s chambers: the Bishop, the Judge, and the General. Chantal is struck by a bullet from an unknown assassin’s gun, and dies.

As the fighting in the city reaches its climax, a client arrives. It is Roger, the plumber and rebel who has now lost Chantal. He wishes to perform a role-play as the Chief of Police. George is overjoyed, believing that this will guarantee the immortality he has sought. He locks himself in the mausoleum portion of the brothel and claims that he will never leave. Roger, having fulfilled his fantasy but also having realized that it is an empty, unsatisfying victory, castrates himself. As the play ends, Irma is alone in her brothel as renewed gunfire roars outside.

The Balcony, though brief, contains an extraordinary amount of symbolism, political archetypes, sexual analysis, and ominous implications with regard to power systems. The play was an immense critical success, as was its playwright. Genet lived a life nearly as colorful—and bleak—as those of any of his characters, and it is his experiences which give The Balcony such undeniable authenticity.