The Lesson is a play by Eugene Ionesco. The play about a professor who is between fifty and sixty years old and his student, who is about eighteen years of age. The professor has a habit of killing his students, as is evident from a large number of bodies that need to be buried—forty in total. The current student is also not so lucky, as she ends up dead just like the other victims. The play has three characters, listed below:

The professor – He is the main character of the story. He is aged between fifty and sixty years. He is portrayed as the villain of the story, and he is known for killing his students. He kills his current student just like he has done with thirty-nine others before her.

The maid – The professor refers to her as Marie. She is a stout lady between forty and fifty years old. She is worried about the professor's deteriorating health. She is a felicitous character who welcomes the students and assures them that the professor is expecting them. She tries to watch out for the professor’s anger during lessons and keep it in check to minimize the killings.

The student – She is a young girl about eighteen years of age. She visits the professor for a lesson but ends up being another victim of the professor’s heinous acts. The professor kills her, and the maid is tasked with the duty of burying her body.