Koralle, Die, a play (Schauspiel) by G. Kaiser, first performed at the Kammerspiele Munich, in October 1917 and published in the same year. It is often reckoned as the first part of a trilogy (Gas-Trilogie), though this title was not authorized by Kaiser. The connection between the three plays is nevertheless clear. The five acts are written in Expressionist prose. The principal figure is the Milliardär. He has begun at the bottom, climbing from poverty to fabulous wealth, and eases his conscience by distributing money and gifts to those in need. At the end of Act One he learns that his son, rather than live idly on his father's wealth, has chosen to sign on as a stoker in a collier. This news shatters the Milliardär. Although his son returns, there is no reconciliation, and the Milliardär seeks to escape from his own existence. He has a secretary (Der Sekretär), who is his double, and only distinguishable from his employer by a piece of coral (Koralle) attached to his watch-chain. The Milliardär murders him and assumes his identity, attaching the fragment of coral to his own watch-chain. He is mistaken for the secretary and charged with murdering his employer, the ‘Milliardär’, i.e. himself. He is tried and condemned, and goes to his death with firm step, content that he has successfully shaken off his own self. See also Gas I and Gas II.