An Enemy of the People (Ibsen)

For works with similar titles, see An Enemy of the People.

An Enemy of the People  (1882)  by Henrik Ibsen, translated by Robert Farquharson Sharp

Act I→

information about this edition.  ''An Enemy of the People addresses the irrational tendencies of the masses, and the hypocritical and corrupt nature of the political system that they support. It is the story of one man's brave struggle to do the right thing and speak the truth in the face of extreme social intolerance. The play's protagonist, Dr Stockmann, represents the playwright's own voice. Upon completion of the play, Ibsen wrote to his publisher in Copenhagen : "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." — Excerpted from An Enemy of the People on Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia.

A play in five acts

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

• Dr. Thomas Stockmann, Medical Officer of the Municipal Baths.
• Mrs. Stockmann, his wife.
• Petra (their daughter) a teacher.
• Ejlif & Morten (their sons, aged 13 and 10 respectively).
• Peter Stockmann (the Doctor's elder brother), Mayor of the Town and Chief Constable, Chairman of the Baths' Committee, etc.
• Morten Kiil, a tanner (Mrs. Stockmann's adoptive father).
• Hovstad, editor of the "People's Messenger."
• Billing, sub-editor.
• Captain Horster.
• Aslaksen, a printer.
• Men of various conditions and occupations, a few women, and a troop of schoolboys--the audience at a public meeting.

The action takes place in a coastal town in southern Norway.

This is a translation and has a separate copyright status from the original text. The license for the translation applies to this edition only.
Original:	This work published before January 1, 1923 is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
Translation:	This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1923. It may be copyrighted outside the U.S. (see Help:Public domain).