An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen
Genre: Plays
Blurb (on back of book):
In An Enemy of the People
, Ibsen places his main characters, Dr. Thomas Stockman, in the role of an enlightened and persecuted minority of one confronting an ignorant, powerful majority. When the physician learns that the famous and financially successful baths in his hometown are contaminated, he insists they be shut down for expensive repairs. For his honesty, he is persecuted, ridiculed, and declared an "enemy of the people" by the townspeople, included some who have been his closest allies.
First staged in 1883, An Enemy of the People remains one of the most frequently performed plays by a writer considered by many the "father of modern drama."
MY OPINION: ***
I don't like to read plays. I never have. I also just do not think I am an Ibsen fan. I understand how important and amazing and incredible he was but I don't find any interest in reading his work. Maybe if I saw it live on stage, it might be different but I was very bored reading this one.
I read it for my Scandinavian class and found it interesting in its overall response to the public criticism about his previous play challenging his society and its morals. This play follows a man who dares to speak a truth that nobody in his community wants to believe or accept and details the public's response to an unfavorable fact of life.
Doctor Stockman investigates the new-fangled system of The Baths and basically figures out that it has been polluted to the point where it is toxic and dangerous for its enjoyers. He recommends that it be shut down, much to the anger and appalled reactions of his fellow townspeople, who adore the baths, and he's publicly ridiculed and shamed for what is literally a fact. Basically, the town is a resort town dependent on the baths to draw in new people and customers, so clearly, when money is involved, nobody is going to want to stop it, even if it means it can end with disastrous results.
Sounds familiar.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, I suggest you search up the climate crisis and the polarization it has caused in America.
All of the characters are actually very interesting. It's not a large cast but each one has their own job and their own personalities that I had fun watching develop. The doctor is clearly painted as the "insane" one and it was hard to decode what Ibsen's true feelings towards a whistleblower character like the doctor was were.
Anyways, I liked the message behind this play but the actual experience of reading it was honestly quite boring. I listened to some of it on audiobook to speed it up a bit but I found myself tuning it out sometimes, in full honesty. However, I'd definitely recommend it to Ibsen fans because it's definitely one of his most important works (not that I've read all of his works).
Main Character: Doctor Stockman
Sidekick(s): Friends, allies, etc
Villain(s): Criticism, punishment, hypocrisy, etc
Plays Elements: This was a dramatic play.
Comments
Post a Comment