347:. Early reactions to the play by Ibsen's critics were mixed, possibly due its heightened ambiguities. Hilda, for example, seems to alternate roles between an inspiring force, urging Solness to temper his rampant ambition and so find real happiness, and a temptress, pushing Solness to commitments he cannot possibly fulfill. English critic William Archer (the play's original translator) suggests that the play is not as completely symbolic as some have maintained, interpreting it instead as "a history of a sickly conscience, worked out in terms of pure psychology". He notes that, in this regard, the play is similar to earlier works that deal mainly with a retrospective look at a character's psyche.
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Herdal, Solness is visited by Hilda Wangel, a young woman of 23, whom Doctor Herdal recognizes from a recent trip that he had taken. The doctor leaves; Solness is alone with Hilda, and she reminds him that they are not strangers — they have previously met in her home town 10 years ago when she was 13 years old. When
Solness does not respond immediately, she reminds him that at one point during their encounter he had made advances to her, had offered her a romantic interlude, and promised her "a kingdom", all of which she believed. He denies this. She gradually convinces him, however, that she can assist him with his household duties, and so he takes her into his home.
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pass, but never actually did anything about them. By the time his wife's ancestral home was destroyed by a fire in a clothes cupboard, he had imagined how he could cause such an accident and then profit from it by dividing the land on which the house stood into plots and covering it with homes for sale. Between this fortuitous occurrence and some chance misfortunes of his competitors, Solness comes to believe that he only has to wish for something to happen in order for it to come about. He rationalises this as a particular gift from God, bestowed so that, through his unnatural success, he can carry out God's ordained work of church building.
196:, a morbid fear of extreme heights, but nonetheless she encourages him to climb the steeple to the top at the public opening of the newly completed building. Solness, inspired by her words, achieves the top of the tower, when he suddenly loses his footing and crashes to his death on the ground before the spectators who have arrived for the opening of the new building. Among the spectators standing aghast at the sight, only Hilda comes forward as if in silent triumph. She waves her shawl and cries out with wild intensity “My—my Master Builder!”
269:, who had cast himself from the tower as soon as it was finished. Ibsen took this tale, a common legend at many German churches, as evidence of a pervasive human belief that a man could not achieve success without paying a price. From Ibsen's inscription in the copy of the play he sent to Raff (he sent no copy to Bardach), she too can be regarded as an inspiration for the unequal affair between Hilda and Solness. An equally obvious influence is Ibsen's relationship with
273:, whom he met as the 10-year-old child of friends and who, when she had reached the age of 27, became his constant companion. He wrote of Hildur as "his bird of the woods", the phrase he initially uses to describe his character Hilda, but the character refuses this, accepting only that she is a "bird of prey", as was Bardach. The character of Hilda is a blend of all three women, but Hildur Andersen was the most significant.
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notes that many interpreters of Ibsen's text have associated his frequent references in the play to Hilda as a "bird of prey" with
Bardach's predatory behaviour. After leaving Gossensass, Ibsen carried on a correspondence with Bardach, but he continued to see Helene Raff, an acquaintance of Bardach
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The search for a meaning or interpretation has engaged and often bewildered audiences and critics all over the world. It is seen as an exploration of the author’s autobiographical history, or of issues dealing with youth versus maturity, or of issues of psychology, and other possible interpretations.
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and spending much time with Emilie
Bardach, an 18-year-old Viennese student with whom he found a temporary, "high, painful happiness" in a brief affair. The real-life prototype of Hilda made no secret of her delight at stealing husbands. "She did not get a hold of me", Ibsen was later to claim, "but
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Halvard
Solness, the master builder, has become the most successful builder in his home town by a fortunate series of coincidences for him which were the chance misfortunes of his competitors. He had previously conceived these fortunate coincidences in his mind, powerfully wished for them to come to
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The autobiographical elements Ibsen includes go further than his relationships with
Bardach, Raff and Andersen: In the character of Solness, Ibsen is drawing parallels with his own situation as the "master playwright" and the consequences in his own life. That Ibsen was offering a parable was noted
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Halvard
Solness is a middle-aged master builder of a small town in Norway who has become a successful architect of some distinction — a lack of formal training prevents him from calling himself an "architect" — and a local reputation. One day while at home talking with his friend Doctor
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Solness is also the manager of an architectural office in which he employs Knut Brovik, his son Ragnar Brovik, and Kaia Fosli. Kaia and Ragnar are romantically linked, and Ragnar has ambitions to become promoted in his architectural vocation, which
Solness is reluctant to grant or support. Solness
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describes this concept of the work: the tragedy of an "elderly architect who falls off his scaffold while trying to show off before a young lady". If, however, one takes
Solness's belief in his powers at their face value, the play also can be a lyrical and poetic fairy tale, in the manner of
29:
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295:, the play's reception in London was not favourable. The more charitable reviews took Solness at his own assessment, as a madman, and decided the other two protagonists were mad as well. Some transferred the conclusion to Ibsen, his translators and his director. Even
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also has a complicated relationship with his wife Aline, and the two are revealed to have lost twin sons some years ago. During this time, Solness builds a closer tie with Hilda while she is in his home, and she supports his architectural vocation and new projects.
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was the first work Ibsen wrote upon his return to Norway in July 1891 after many years spent elsewhere in Europe. It is usually grouped with Ibsen's other works written during this late period of Ibsen's life such as
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from Oxford
University Press. Many other translations of individual plays by Ibsen have appeared since 1928 though none have purported to be a new version of the complete works of Ibsen.
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in a review of the first London staging, when the joint translator, Edmund Gosse, was asked to explain the meaning of the work. "An allegory of Dr Ibsen's literary career", he replied.
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During the construction of his most recent project--a new home for himself and Aline — which includes a towering steeple, Hilda learns that
Solness suffers from
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waits for his return. On stage, both interpretations are possible, but it is difficult to give equal weight to both meanings in the same production.
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can be taken as one of realism: the destructive outcome of a middle-aged, professional man's infatuation with a younger, teasing woman or, as critic
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This play contains realistic and symbolic elements fused together. It represents a movement from his earlier realistic plays, such as
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131:. Productions in Oslo and Copenhagen were coordinated to open on 8 March 1893. In the following year, the work was staged by
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Act 3: "He...gave me leave to lord it just as pleased...so that I might build all the more glorious churches for him".
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It was first published in December 1892 and is regarded as one of Ibsen's more significant and revealing works.
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from a literal translation by Torkil Heggstad directed by Gary Brown was broadcast on 15 and 22 August 2021 on
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The authoritative translation in the English language for Ibsen remains the 1928 10-volume version of the
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Bygmester Solness - Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) - Œuvre - Ressources de la Bibliothèque nationale de France
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whom he had also met that summer. It was Raff who told Ibsen the story of the architect of
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as Halvard Solness, the master builder, on the American television anthology series
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In 1988, BBC produced another adaptation with Leo McKern as the master builder.
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Ibsen's theatre of ritualistic visions: an interdisciplinary study of ten plays
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In 1958, BBC produced an adaptation with Donald Wolfit as the master builder.
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in London the following month, with Herbert H. Waring in the name part and
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written by B Suresh. It was performed by Vijayanagara Bimba in 2018(
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travelling the Earth in his magical adventures while the faithful
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787:. Masters of World Literature. London: Macmillan. p. 176.
700:. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. p. 198.
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Knut Brovik, formerly an architect, now in Solness's employment
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as Hilda. The English translation was by the theatre critic
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Thomas, W. Moy (25 February 1893). "The Master Builder".
839:. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. p. 248.
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Ibsen Plays: 1: Ghosts; The Wild Duck; The Master Builder
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Hilda Wangel, a character introduced earlier, in Ibsen's
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in New York on 16 January 1900, with William Pascoe and
755:. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. p.
859:. Bloomington, IA: Indiana University Press. p.
723:. Witney, England: Peter Lang Academic. p. 259.
440:. This stage adaptation was the basis for the film.
255:, he was taking a holiday in the mountain resort of
260:I got hold of her — for my play". Theatre director
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941:"'The Master Builder' at the Trafalgar Square".
698:A Study of six plays by Ibsen, by Brian W. Downs
597:Ibsen, Henrik. Meyer, Michael Leverson. editor.
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534:. New York University Press. p. 267.
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558:. 1 January 1892 – via data.bnf.fr.
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502:The Master Builder, a play in three acts
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643:. Associated University Press (1986)
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88:) is a play by Norwegian playwright
920:. New York: Routledge. p. 20.
918:Henrik Ibsen: the critical heritage
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815:. London: Hart-Davis. p. 699.
456:A two-part adaptation for radio by
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976:"BBC Radio 4 - the Master Builder"
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964:(2842). London: 9. 11 March 1893.
947:(8712). London. 21 February 1893.
849:Knapp, Bettina Liebowitz (1986).
751:Ibsen's drama: author to audience
747:(1979). "Who was Henrik Ibsen?".
532:A history of Norwegian literature
447:adapted this story for his movie
401:The 2008 Malayalam-language film
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852:"Ibsen, 'The Master Builder'"
504:. London: William Heinemann.
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213:Realism fused with symbolism
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999:Internet Broadway Database
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155:Aline Solness, his wife
1196:An Enemy of the People
1181:The Pillars of Society
366:translation is titled
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667:(19 November 2010).
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1355:1892 plays
1349:Categories
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