''The Pillars of Society'' (or "Pillars of the Community"; original
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
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*The Norwegian language, including ...
title: ''Samfundets støtter'') is an 1877 play written by Norwegian
playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...
.
Ibsen had great trouble with the writing of this play. The ending is the most criticized feature, since Bernick is clearly guilty of attempted murder but gets off unscathed, but successfully illustrates that the rich and powerful are often selfish and corrupt.
Ibsen first planned a contemporary drama at the end of 1869 but did not begin writing until October 1875 (in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
), completing it in the summer of 1877. It was first published on 11 October of that year in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, with the first stagings following on 14 November at the
Odense Teater and on 18 November at the
Royal Danish Theatre
The Royal Danish Theatre (RDT, Danish: ') is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first ser ...
in Copenhagen. The first performance in Norway was at
Den Nationale Scene
Den Nationale Scene ( en, National Theater) is the largest theatre in Bergen, Norway. Den Nationale Scene is also one of the oldest permanent theatres in Norway.
History
Opened under the name '' Det Norske Theater'' in 1850, the theatre has root ...
in
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
on 30 November. By this date, the play had been translated into
German
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* Germany (of or related to)
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* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
, in which it was immediately well received. In December 1880 in London it became the first of any of Ibsen's plays to be performed in
English
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English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
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(under the title ''Quicksands'').
Plot
Karsten Bernick is the dominant businessman in a small coastal town in Norway, with interests in shipping and shipbuilding in a long-established family firm. Now he is planning his most ambitious project yet, backing a railway which will connect the town to the main line and open a fertile valley which he has been secretly buying up.
Suddenly his past explodes on him. Johan Tønnesen, his wife's younger brother, comes back from America to the town he ran away from 15 years ago. At the time it was thought he had run off with money from the Bernick family business and with the urge to avoid scandal because he was having an affair with an actress. But none of this was true. He left town to take the blame for Bernick, who was the one who had actually been having the affair and was nearly caught with the actress. There was no money to take since at the time the Bernick firm had been almost bankrupt.
With Tønnesen comes his half-sister Lona (whom Ibsen is said to have modelled after Norwegian feminist
Aasta Hansteen
Aasta Hansteen, also known as Hasta Hanseen (born December 10, 1824 – April 13, 1908), was a Norwegian painter, writer, and early feminist.
Life and career
Aasta Hansteen was born in Christiania, modern day Oslo, the daughter of Christopher ...
), who once loved and was loved by Bernick. He rejected her and married his current wife for money so that he could rebuild the family business. In the years since Tønnesen left, the town has built ever greater rumours of his wickedness, helped by Bernick's studious refusal to give any indication of the truth.
This mixture only needs a spark to explode and it gets one when Tønnesen falls in love with Dina Dorf, a young girl who is the daughter of the actress involved in the scandal of 15 years ago and who now lives as a charity case in the Bernick household. He demands that Bernick tell the girl the truth. Bernick refuses. Tønnesen says he will go back to the US to clear up his affairs and then come back to town to marry Dina. Bernick sees his chance to get out of his mess. His yard is repairing an American ship, the ''Indian Girl'', which is dangerously unseaworthy. He orders his yard foreman to finish the work by the next day, even if it means sending the ship and its crew to certain death because he wants Tønnesen to die on board. That way he will be free of any danger in the future. Things do not work out like that. Tønnesen runs off with Dina on board another ship which is safe, leaving word that he will be back. And Bernick's young son stows away on the ''Indian Girl'', seemingly heading for certain death.
Bernick discovers that his plot has gone disastrously wrong on the night the people of the town have lined up to honour him for his contribution to the city.
It is all set up for a tragic conclusion, but suddenly Ibsen pulls back from the brink. The yard foreman gets an attack of conscience and rows out to stop the Indian Girl from heading to sea and death; Bernick's son is brought back safely by his mother; and Bernick addresses the community, tells them most of the truth and gets away with it. His wife greets the news that he only married her for money as a sign there is now hope for their marriage.
List of characters
* Karsten Bernick, a shipbuilder.
* Mrs. Bernick, his wife.
* Olaf, their son, thirteen years old.
* Martha Bernick, Karsten Bernick's sister.
* Johan Tønnesen, Mrs. Bernick's younger brother.
* Lona Hessel, Mrs. Bernick's elder half-sister.
* Hilmar Tønnesen, Mrs. Bernick's cousin.
* Dina Dorf, a young girl living with the Bernicks.
* Rørlund, a schoolmaster.
* Rummel, a merchant.
* Vigeland and Sandstad, tradesmen
* Krap, Bernick's confidential clerk.
* Aune, foreman of Bernick's shipbuilding yard.
* Mrs. Rummel.
* Hilda Rummel, her daughter.
* Mrs. Holt.
* Netta Holt, her daughter.
* Mrs. Lynge.
* Townsfolk and visitors, foreign sailors, steamboat passengers, etc.
References
External links
(English translation by R. Farquharson Sharp)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pillars of Society, The
Plays by Henrik Ibsen
Plays set in Norway
Norwegian plays adapted into films
1877 plays