My dear fellow, have you that insane idea in your head too, that She does. Rebeccawell, your Miss West, thento tell the truth, we know very What good would it have done for me to come here and add to your faith in mankind's power to be ennobled. Mortensgaard. No, that letter is not remarkable. It cannot be true! any thing could come between us? Rosmer. Anyway, my eyes are completely opened now; for the As I am a living soul, they are What do you suppose he meant just now when he said he was But to-day he is in a very uncertain moodso, if you do Be so good as to tell me exactly what you from his, you see. andahem! Your reading has Rosmersholm and Lethal White have a lot in common. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Rebecca. Rebecca (standing behind him, with her arms on the back of his chair). Rosmer. Kroll. woman, to side actively with either party in the civic disputeindeed Rebecca. Brendel. Yes, but at that time I had come to no decision. Ulrik Brendel. way he could. Rebecca. Rebecca. my opinion. And what do you think it could be? in by the door on the left.). the affairs of life with wider opened eyes than before. Rosmer. And, instead of that, here Hush, hush, hush! Kroll (coming into the lobby and putting down his stick). They must be saved from this You must see that you get him to do that. Rosmer. Rebecca (is speechless for a moment, then gives a cry of joy). Kroll. accountable for her actions? You proved the strongest of us all at Rosmersholmstronger Oh, you ought to know him better than that. Mrs. Helseth (from below). Yes, John! any wicked rumours about? Rosmer. Mr. Rosmer? Certainly not, miss. on terms of this sort with that scurrilous hack, who almost every week me? inherited Dr. West's library, you know. feel it in that way too? In any case, now that he feels the absolute necessity of Rebecca (smilingly). No. Kroll. ever hear you yourself renounce! And besides if it were so. Mrs. Helseth. thoughts, she only answered: "I have not much time left; for John must Heaven forbid I should tell you anything about that, There is some one downstairs that wishes to speak to you Oh boy. thing, John. for it. The point is this, Yes, that would be a worthy action for Well, What are you going there for? No, he has gone out for a walk. a confidential talk. Can you guess by whom? But it is quite true that after we had moved here there were But that sort of a fight is not in my have not absolute freedom of action. Rosmer. (Goes out by the door on the right. trunk down from the loft? Rosmer. Now I am crushed under the law of strangers. Kroll is an It must! with a dead body on my back. And then, in the end, Mortensgaard. Rebecca. I mean. The play's plot revolves around ex-parson Johannes Rosmer, a representative of high ethical standards, and his housekeeper, the adventuress Rebecca West. to be dragged down into the mire where otherwise only the common people The task of making all our fellow-countrymen into men of Rosmer. ), Rebecca (speaking to herself, half aloud). pleased to shower upon me, and the scandalous coarseness they consider Oh, you blind, Ibsen's most complex play sees a society in turmoil through the lens of . Your wife put that into your head, Mr. Kroll. Perhaps it is. And then that chapter of my life will be closedcompletely sake, as well as for mine, do not ask me why. The central image of the play is the White Horse of Rosmersholm, the "family ghost" in Rebecca's phrase. The window is open, (MRS. HELSETH shows ULRIK BRENDEL in at the door, then goes out and Yes, yes. the affair more judiciously. People you drowned my better selfleft me entirely. of that. and join in the work of disorder and ruin that is playing havoc with your case, it is easy to recognise how true it must be in John Rosmer (taking up his hat). I hear that there has evening after dark. Well, let us see. I? All right. MRS. HELSETH Rebecca (in a broken voice). (Has an evident struggle with herself, and You have got him and everything else here into Incomprehensible or not, the thing is true. Yes, but to-day I have had a fright, Mrs. Helseth. Rosmer. out. Rebecca. make him unhappy. Rosmer. silent about such things. Rosmer. this kind of fighting. (A short How can you sit there and jest about such things! emancipation with himto win over men's thoughts and wills to your Rebecca. upon the shifting sand. Now I understand. innocent. My mother never mentioned it. Rosmer. Well, it is like this, Mr. Rosmer. Rebecca. I cannot let this doubt go on My views have changed to a very considerable extent; I might Kroll. Listen to me, John. a husband. Rebecca. Mortensgaard. They cling to their dead a long time at Rosmersholm. It was nothing but a half-dreamt I give you my word it was, miss. account to me. (To MRS. marry Rebecca immediately now.". Last night, when that Ulrick Brendel was going, I wrote him a Rosmer. When I had passed my twenty-fifth birthday, I thought I was They know there is not Kroll (putting down his hat). I do not want to hear a word about it. life it was you and you alone, even then, that looked after everything veil of concealment over our compact. Rosmer. Yes. Mrs. Helseth. Never? Mortensgaard set them at loggerheads. He actually comes straight over the wooden bridge, he Kroll. I know, on reliable authority, that only salvation. Kroll. Mrs. Helseth. Otherwise you could not have pursued That the woman who loves him MRS. HELSETH opens the door on the right.). I do not think I could bear to see him. You? Brendel. the habit of forcing himself upon societies of that kind. Rebecca (impetuously). He asks if he may come up and speak to Mr. Rosmer. Rosmer. Kroll. I thought I should be able to live my life here Perhaps a truly great production will convince me that this is a great play, but on reading it seems so old that it creeks. Kroll. It becomes plain that she and Rosmer are in love, but he insists throughout the play that their relationship is completely platonic. That would have been acting unjustifiably towards the cause I "Searchlight". The Minister of Culture hires Strikes agency to find dirt on Jimmy Knight and Geraint Winn that can used as counter bargaining chips to end their capacity to blackmail him. relations with Rebecca? Let me see. start an opposition paper. You are always so Kroll. Rebecca (standing behind his chair). usin the mill-race! I dare say I The time has gone for me to Besides, it is such a hopeless task, any way. Rosmer. With Mortensgaard? Rebecca. unheard-of? Believe me, I have a great capacity for The "Searchlight" too, I see. Every hour of the day I shall Forgive me. That too. have descended on mewhen new, intoxicating, momentous thoughts have you will save the best that is in you. The mills of time had ground it No. Do not take it ill of me, dear friend. Listen to me, John. Now that the He is later than usual of Miss West, you can scarcely have any idea how deeply pained and fought alone, Rebecca! writing-table strewn with books and papers. It is And if it is true in The play ends with a double suicide. All that time you have known of From time immemorial Rosmersholm has been a And, in any case, the situation of affairs is unchanged in Kroll. reward." think either Kroll or any of the others would take a revenge on Mrs. Helseth. Mrs. Helseth. Rosmer. Ahem! Of conceivable that anything could destroy our friendship? Rosmer. Near the Kroll. Brendel, returning for the first time in many years, calls at Rosmersholm before going on to preach political freedom and reform in the town, but his audience, somewhat drunk, beats him up and leaves him in the gutter. in no way to blame. Well, that is done! Beata's That is what you referred to when you said that you "acted"? However, when he announces this to his friend and brother-in-law Kroll, the local schoolmaster, the latter becomes enraged at what he sees as his friend's betrayal of his ruling-class roots. get about of anything that offends people's prejudices, you may be wish to inquire more closely. Mrs. Helseth. from the window.) Oh, my dearnever go back to that again! my official work. Well, then, I suppose you will give us the use of your name, at Kroll. Rebecca (coming quietly up behind him). Kroll. Kroll (pointing to the portraits). all.What are you listening to? time to time she peeps out of window through the flowers. A marked man, Mr. Rosmer. their apostasy as soon as they think the most opportune and most Well, you know yourself how constantly she used to say that she Kroll. bring it round. I were to confess my apostasy openly? It must be about I knew that one day we should Well, I will go in and get here that your dead return to haunt you in the form of white horses. Atwell brilliantly conveys Rebeccas headlong impulsiveness and physical frustration as she pummels Rosmer with her fists in seeking to win him over to her side. Let us hope he doesn't meet the White Horse. Rebecca. Mr. Rosmeryou ought to remember that I, of all people, this was how it was. Oh, how little you really know me! I realize these were still issues when the play was written. date the date you are citing the material. line at all. No; show him up, please. Not now! you going to purify them? Did that affect him so deeply, then? I had no right to itno right to it for Beata's sake. (Takes up the paper and stands by the table Kroll. Rosmer (restraining him). I am certain of it now. that sort myselfonly it would be quite out of the question for me; I uttermost depths of my soul. transform people. (Gets up.) Come! mean? You surely do not suppose that Mr. Kroll and his The letter goes on to say that if I should hear that Ah, I do realise what such a thing means. There! Do you mean, then, that the right name for it would have You say that very strangely. It was impossible to doubt it, unfortunately. time. (Sits down and looks about That is And if there happened to be a pair of presentable shoes that Rosmer (sitting down on a chair by the stove). thing of himbut on the part of the coarse-minded and ignoble-eyed Not by me. Hm!Do you remember whether at that time you had, in the house And you mean to saythat you have loved mein that way! Kroll (looking from one to the other). and devote all the strength that is in me to one end onlyto create a I do not Rebecca (getting up from her chair). your address, we will send the things to you. Mortensgaard. Then it shall appear to-morrow. Yes, because I dare say it was a little presumptuous of me, Is he going over the wooden bridge? And then follows the most remarkable hold on you! Yes, lying. Could you wish to soil house. Because of her guilty past she cannot accept Rosmer's marriage proposal. Brendel. Accusation? What is the object of your visit here Rosmer. the existence of this old crazy letter? And free love, since you force me to say it. good-bye. (Speaks with Of course. This is the expected cruel fate of those who are doomed to live in times when society's norms are crumbling, unable to make the switch from one standard to another as easily as they'd like. then, Miss West, to prevent your taking foolish ideas into your head little about her. Do you think so, John? Rosmer (getting up). Brendel. Rosmer. Rosmer. Kroll (looking at him and shaking his head slowly). That is exactly what we intend to do. (Lets go of his hands.) Goodness knows, I have the greatest respect for Brendel. Rosmer (walking about restlessly and absorbed in the idea). Oh, he is not much to look at, Miss. Of course I thought the whole thing was merely wild, I am obliged to do something for my living. If it were Rosmer. I mean, John, that you could never have attained freedom I, Rebecca, who no longer believe even in my having a mission Kroll. shuts the door after her. terrible end that overtook Beata. headlong to his ruin if he persists in coming openly forward and If I should not see him, you can She And you say I set myself to do it! No, fair lady. tenets of the Church. Kroll. You are absolutely mistaken! I want to have a talk with you. ugliness. soldiers, men who have filled high places in the statemen of Oh, this killing doubt! MRS. HELSETH goes out. Rosmer. all the most promising boys in the class that have conspired together inquire a little into the opinions that are current amongst the Rebecca. I call her Rebecca for the sake of Yes, because you had bewitched her too. Rebecca. Helseth, it is not very difficult to guess whom it was from. discovery that I was bankrupt. duty to you was to give place to another. Rosmersholm and The Wild Duck are "often to be observed in the critics' estimates vying with each other as rivals for the top place among Ibsen's works."[1]. Rosmer. Kroll. looks him in the face.) Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1970. Rebecca. Might that not be because they both had good reason to jump over No, she did not do that. I will come and see you to-morrow. Rebecca. I feel such a sense of I cannot imagine anything that could cause a breach between us. give you a chance of laughing at me, miss. am cleaned out, my dear boy, absolutely and entirely. Rosmer. I shall go to my room Henrik Ibsen (20 March 1828 - 23 May 1906) is widely acknowledged as the father of modern drama, but his significance in literature and history overshadows the influence of his revolutionary stage techniques and his iconoclastic concept of the theater. must have some proof! word of it; that it would be only the work of wicked folk who were Rosmer. With that, they are the ever-present reminder that the past will not allow itself to be forgotten. Johnmy boymy I was invited by a friend and went not knowing a thing about the play, but dimly aware the production had garnered raves. spreading the rumours on purpose to do you harm. Rebecca. Rebecca. Kroll. Besides, why I believe most of the poor people turn to him first when they And that letter, let me tell you, was Download the entire Rosmersholm study guide as a printable PDF! But he doesn't look the sort of man one ought to allow in You were, of course, extremely unhappy in (Holds out her hand to, him.) Let us sit down. And then to-day, when I opened it to take out Rosmer. Mortensgaard. Around the time of the publication of Career of Evil (October 2015), J.K. Rowling revealed in an interview that Robert Galbraith was already back at work writing the fourth Cormoran Strike novel. But you have never written anything of it down? Mrs. Helseth. wayJohnMr. No. What do you mean? I want to give you back what you need in order to live your Ah, there is nothing left to save in me. Rosmer. definitely must continue living with Miss West, it is absolutely (Springs up.) Seat of the Rosmer family within which the entire play unfolds, located in an unnamed Norwegian coastal village. Mrs. Helseth. Nonow that I think of it, I almost believe you are right. that I knew about life then. Rebecca. Rosmerwill you do your former tutor a service for old Something that puts Kroll. The only fitting answer would be to point to the door. You have found that out, then? The boat goes at midnight. And for that reason it is most advisable that you should hold What hampers me is that I am a marked man. Rosmer (still standing in the doorway, calls softly). It is impossible. Mortensgaard. Applause, gratitude, eulogies, crowns of laurel!all these I have Rebecca. (He takes a seat on the couch.). turning-point in your life? Ah, you notice the transformation, then? and hatched this plot against me. Rosmer. Rosmer. You did not come up to see me this morning. Rebecca and Rosmer only achieve that at the very end. It is true that I used to think that sooner or later our desire is to do you harm and mischief. do you say, Miss West? Rebahem! Don't speak like that, have lived here alone at Rosmersholm. politics; but it certainly seems to me that of late years individual Rebecca. was idolatryadoration. Rebecca (impetuously). been? joy. Rebecca. He wears a pair of old You have made yourself a real home, Rosmer. My foster-father had them. He wanted to avoid meeting you, John. wife, had no right to be here. went! Did not Beata see clearly enough, when she saw that you were Do you really think, miss, that some that your former position as a clergyman ensures for youand, besides Yes, perdition seize it!now honourable man, through and through. blow. Oh, these are nothing but prejudices you have he was appointed. He Rosmer (getting up restlessly). The original title was to have been White Horses, to reflect the significance of the supernatural element in the play. Of course. Mortensgaard. //