Publisher's Synopsis
An Enemy of the People
A Play in Five Acts
by
Henrik Ibsen
Translated by R. Farquharson Sharp
An Enemy of the People is an 1882 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. Ibsen wrote it in response to the public outcry against his play Ghosts, which at that time was considered scandalous. Ghosts had challenged the hypocrisy of Victorian morality and was deemed indecent for its veiled references to syphilis.
Upon completion of the play, Ibsen wrote to his publisher in Copenhagen, Denmark: "I am still uncertain as to whether I should call it a comedy or a straight drama. It may [have] many traits of comedy, but it also is based on a serious idea."
The Play opens in Dr. Stockmann's household. Mrs. Stockmann is entertaining the dinner guests. As the evening progresses the Mayor (also Dr. Stockmann's brother) and Hovstad (the editor of the newspaper) have come to the house. Dr. Stockmann and his two sons Ejlif and Morten have come home from a walk. As they all gather in the house, the Mayor needs to confront his brother about an article regarding the town health baths and the rumors that have been raised about them being contaminated. The Brothers get into an argument about their positions on hiding the truth and shaping the truth to get the results that are convenient. Petra (the Doctor's daughter) brings in the letter that her father has been waiting for.
