The Italian Businessman's Visit

The subplot of the Italian visitor, which leads K. to the cathedral and the pivotal encounter with the prison chaplain.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Assignment to Guide

The Unwelcome Duty The Director's Request K. is asked to guide an important Italian businessman around the city's sights. K. is reluctant, fearing it will take time from his work and trial. He prepares by studying Italian phrases. The Italian's Arrival The Italian speaks rapidly in a dialect K. struggles to understand. The director helps interpret. They agree to meet at the cathedral at ten o'clock. K. feels the task is a burden. The Cathedral K. arrives at the cathedral, but the Italian never shows. K. waits, growing impatient. The empty cathedral becomes a stage for the chaplain's appearance.

The Chaplain's Summons

The Unexpected Sermon The Priest's Call As K. prepares to leave, the prison chaplain calls out his name from a pulpit. K. is startled and approaches. The chaplain tells him the parable of the doorkeeper. The Discussion K. and the chaplain debate the meaning of the parable. The chaplain warns K. that his case is going badly and that he relies too much on women. K. feels both enlightened and condemned. The Departure The chaplain tells K. that the court demands nothing from him; it accepts him when he comes and lets him go when he leaves. K. leaves the cathedral with a sense of doom.

A rainy morning, shortly before K.'s thirty-first birthday

Around eleven o'clock in the cathedral