The Master Builder and Other Plays

by Henrik Ibsen

  7. One who will wash everything clean: This is a slightly archaic, biblical-sounding phrase in the original. It may allude to being cleansed in the blood of the Lamb; see Revelations 7:14.

  8. that can be restored: ‘Som kan oprejses’. The translation here renders ‘oprejse’ with the verb ‘restore’, since maintaining the key word ‘restitution’ was not syntactically possible.

  9. gallery: ‘Storsalen’. A large room in manor houses used for displaying portraits and occasionally for social functions such as balls.

  10. wolf: ‘Ulv’. Grey wolf (Canis lupus). As late as at the end of the nineteenth century, the wolf was quite common in Norway. This has also been seen as an allusion to Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen (1848–74): the conflict between Borkman and Hinkel seems similar to that between Wotan (meaning ‘wolf’) and Alberich.

  11. she’s divorced from her husband: There were fewer than 100 divorces per year in Norway at the end of the nineteenth century; separation and divorce were socially stigmatizing.

  12. And you still believe that you profited from that victory: See Luke 9:25: ‘For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?’ Ella alludes to the biblical distinction between material and spiritual gain.

  13. the poorhouse: The Norwegian Poor Law of 1863 stressed the family’s responsibility. The so-called ‘deserving poor’ included orphans, the handicapped, the elderly and the ill, but generally poverty was primarily seen as a moral problem and blamed on the individual. The official task of helping the poor was left to the municipalities in this period.

  14. who has not had time to announce her: Visitors were expected to be announced in bourgeois households, either by a card or by the maid.

  15. cast a spell: Literally ‘throw runes’. Runes can denote magical signs or magical potion. In Norse poetry and in ballads an initiate can use runes in order to win another person’s love or seduce someone. The person in question throws runes at the chosen one or puts them in his or her bed.

  16. Danse macabre: Symphonical poem from 1874 by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns. Franz Liszt arranged a popular piano version. The composition alludes to the late medieval allegory of the dance of death, in which a personified Death leads people in a procession towards the grave.

  Act Two

  1. Empire style: French-influenced style which was popular in Norway between 1814 and 1840, associated with the class of civil servants. A form of neoclassicism.

  2. miner’s son: ‘Bergmand’. The compound literally means ‘mountain man’. Unlike the English, the Norwegian word had Romantic connotations. See also Ibsen’s 1871 poem ‘Bergmanden’ (‘The Mountain Miner’).

  3. his right hand thrust inside his jacket: A similar gesture to Napoleon Bonaparte’s in a number of portraits.

  4. the tram: Kristiania (now Oslo) had its first tram line, the trams pulled by horses, in 1875. It became powered by electricity in 1894.

  5. we, the elect: Both biblical (see Matthew 22:14: ‘For many are called, but few are chosen’) and perhaps related to Friedrich Nietzsche’s aristocratic political ideas.

  6. kiss the rod: ‘Kryber til korset’. A Norwegian idiom literally meaning ‘creeping to the cross’, as a sign of remorse and repentance.

  7. waterfalls: As the use of electricity gradually became more common in the 1880s, many entrepreneurs and speculators saw a potential in Norwegian waterfalls.

  8. great wounded game fowl: ‘Storfugl’, literally ‘large bird’. A designation for both capercaillie and black grouse.

  9. the morality of an übervillain: ‘Overskurkens moral’. Ibsen’s coinage ‘overskurken’ literally means ‘supervillain’. Ibsen’s early translator William Archer suspected this was a deliberate ironic play on the Nietzschean ‘Übermensch’ (‘overmenneske’ in Norwegian) or ‘superman’ and asked Ibsen to confirm it, but the playwright was characteristically elusive.

  10. full restitution: ‘Oprejsning’. Foldal here uses this word in a legal sense – the restitution of civil rights.

  11. my examination: Since Foldal refers to legal precedent below, he is probably referring to the final exams for the professional degree in law.

  12. exceptional people: ‘Undtagelsesmennesker’. A compound and more of a set expression in Dano-Norwegian. People who because of their exceptional gifts stand out and who therefore should not be treated according to ordinary moral and legal standards.

  13. There – on the sofa: Borkman asks Ella to sit on the sofa, indicating that he considers her to be of equal social standing, whereas he offers Foldal a chair.

  14. hot-air balloon: The air balloon was invented in 1782, and a number of ambitious scientific air journeys were undertaken in the latter part of the nineteenth century.

  15. the crime for which there is no forgiveness: Often referred to as the somewhat mysterious ‘sin against the Holy Ghost’ (cf., e.g., Matthew 12:31).

  16. the vital capacity for love: ‘Kærlighedslivet’. The compound literally means ‘love-life’.

  17. slumbering spirits of gold: Perhaps a jocular allusion to alchemy’s notions of the spiritual qualities of gold.

  Act Three

  1. stove: The Scandinavian ‘kakkelovn’ is a stove which has sides and a top of square tiles.

  2. In the name of Jesus: ‘I Jøssu’ navn.’ The meaning is the same, but the expression in the original is marked as belonging to a lower sociolect.

  3. The eye, reborn: Literally ‘the born-again eye’, a religious allusion suggesting a new vision resulting from being born again.

  4. for whom restitution and redemption are impossible: In the original, the phrase is contained by the adjective ‘uoprejselig’. Here, redemption has here been added to the sense of restitution (‘oprejsning’) already established in the text. Borkman’s language now also suggests a spiritual dimension.

  5. monument of infamy: ‘Skamstøtten’ literally means a ‘statue of shame’. A statue with an inscription condemning a crime, most often erected when the criminal had escaped punishment.

  6. your buried life: Ibsen’s compound ‘gravliv’ is more succinct (literally ‘grave-life’), and a number of these compounds were his own coinages. It is in line with the ‘pit-life’ (‘grubeliv’) that follows in Mrs Borkman’s next speech.

  7. has his hat on: A gentleman always took his hat off indoors.

  8. stuffy air inside this drawing room: The more pithy compound ‘stueluften’ is used four times in the third act. It literally means ‘drawing-room air’ and refers to closed-in, unhealthy air, here used in contrast to life abroad, life outdoors and the life of the imagination.

  9. What do you mean, Father: The original uses the most polite form of address (in the third person, with the use of title).

  10. redemption and restitution: In the original this is still the key word ‘oprejsning’. As Borkman here uses the word in the context of a ‘fallen man’, ‘redemption’ has been placed before ‘restitution’.

  11. I’ll raise myself up: Here the verb form of ‘restitution’ (‘oprejsning’) is used, in the phrase ‘oprejse mig selv’.

  12. sleigh-carriage: More specifically a (galla) carriage where the wheels could be replaced with runners for use in winter.

  Act Four

  1. old-fashioned cloak: ‘Gammeldags slængkappe’. Broad, armless cloak thrown over the shoulders.

  2. connecting lives all over the world: The original simply has the compound ‘forbundsliv’, literally ‘fellowship life’ or ‘association life’. Life and work based on a shared understanding of needs and interests, of connections between people.

  3. the outworks: ‘Udenværkerne’ refers to the outer walls of defence in an older fortress or similar buildings.

  4. The treasure sank back into the depths: A common motif in songs and fairy tales about treasure hunting. If the treasure hunter does not pass the test, the treasure sinks into the ground and is for ever lost.

  5. For the kingdom – and the powe
r – and the glory: From the Lord’s Prayer: ‘For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and for ever.’ See Matthew 6:9–13.

  When We Dead Awaken

  Characters

  1. Mrs: See note 2 to the List of Characters in The Master Builder, above.

  2. Squire Ulfheim: ‘Godsejer’ literally means landowner or landed proprietor. There is no exact equivalent in English, but Ulfheim shares characteristics with literary squires of the Victorian age. The spelling has been changed from ‘Ulfhejm’ to ‘Ulfheim’ in order to facilitate pronunciation. Lars, Ulfheim’s servant, does not appear in the list of characters.

  3. A travelling lady: Initially designated in the stage directions as ‘a slender lady’, then as ‘the strange lady’ and then given the speech label ‘the lady’ until Rubek uses her name for the second time. Thereafter she becomes ‘Irene’.

  4. A Sister of Mercy: ‘Diakonisse’. More particularly a woman in charge of the social work of a Lutheran parish. In a Norwegian context, the title was relatively new at this time, with the first institution for the training of ‘diakonisser’ established in Kristiania (later Oslo) in 1868.

  5. sanatorium … in the mountains: ‘Højfjeldssanatorium’. Literally ‘high mountain sanatorium’. A hotel in healthy surroundings built on high ground. Many sanatoriums were built in Europe in the latter half of the nineteenth century, particularly for patients suffering from tuberculosis.

  Act One

  1. to the right: Ibsen always pictures the stage from the perspective of the audience.

  2. Maja: In Ibsen’s text this character is referred to with the more formal ‘Fru Maja’, literally ‘Mrs Maja’.

  3. champagne and seltzers: The champagne was probably used in order to give taste to the seltzer, which was drunk as health-inducing mineral water.

  4. older gentleman: People above the age of fifty were considered elderly at this time.

  5. mein Kind: German for ‘my child’, perhaps signalling Rubek’s long exile in Germany.

  6. silence: Ibsen here in fact uses ‘lydløsheten’(‘the soundlessness’) rather than ‘stillheten’ (‘the silence’).

  7. Frau Professor: ‘Frau’ is German for ‘Mrs’. Maja’s formal title in German as the wife of a professor.

  8. Taunitzer See: A fictional lake.

  9. right up north: Tourism to the far north of Norway had grown considerably in the 1880s: 1,000 tourists visited the North Cape in the summer of 1887.

  10. Resurrection Day: An expression, not found in the Bible, with positive, religious connotations.

  11. all the best-loved farmyard animals, then: This idea of resemblances between men and animals in terms of character and moral habitus is indebted to Physiognomica (from around 100 BC), and more generally to the popular pseudoscience of physiognomy.

  12. Now drink, and be merry: See Ecclesiastes 8:15: ‘A man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry.’

  13. take me with you up on to a high mountain and show me all the glory of the world: This is an allusion to the Devil tempting Christ during his forty days in the wilderness: see Matthew 4:8–9: ‘Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” ’

  14. Frau Professor: There is no English equivalent for the feminine ‘Professorinden’ or ‘fru Professorinden’, ‘Professor’s wife’. Address by way of title was considered the utmost expression of politeness. The level of formality is here captured through the German form, already used by Rubek.

  15. northern: ‘Nordlandsk’ means from Northern Norway, normally considered to consist of today’s three counties of Nordland, Troms and Finnmark.

  16. famous sculptor: ‘Billedmester’. Literally ‘picture master’.

  17. lord and master: Christ’s words to his disciples in John 13:14: ‘If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.’

  18. milk and water: ‘Mælkeblande’. Literally ‘milk mix’. Milk diluted with water, used as soft drink.

  19. The Lady: Even though she has been recognized by Rubek, Ibsen continues to label Irene ‘The Lady’ for a few more lines.

  20. In honour and glory: Associated with Christ ‘crowned with glory and honour’; see Hebrews 2:9.

  21. Crushed it to dust: Possibly an allusion to Moses destroying the golden calf, grinding it into dust; see Exodus 32:20.

  22. transfigured: An allusion to Christ’s appearance when he showed himself to his disciples after his resurrection; see Matthew 17:1–2.

  23. tableaux vivants: ‘Levende billeder’, literally ‘living pictures’. Depictions of paintings, or historical or poetical topics, by living people in the shape of tableaux, a popular form of entertainment in the nineteenth century.

  24. Tied my arms behind my back: A reference to the use of straitjackets in the treatment of psychiatric patients.

  25. I raised three fingers in the air: A sign that one is swearing an oath.

  26. Fell at your feet: Possibly an allusion to Martha anointing the feet of Christ; see Matthew 26:6–13.

  27. came with me: ‘Fulgte med mig’ literally means ‘followed me’. This has connotations of Jesus calling his disciples: see Matthew 4:19.

  28. in your image: Connotations of God making mankind in his own image; see Genesis 1:27.

  Act Two

  1. flytrap: Literally ‘the fly cupboard’. A cupboard for storing food with a mesh door to prevent flies from getting in. Here a reference to the sanatorium. See Ulfheim’s words about the dining room of the spa (‘half-dead flies and people’).

  2. visitors’ list: Newspapers carried notices of ships’ schedules and lists of passenger names.

  3. divorce: There were fewer than 100 divorces per year in Norway at the end of the nineteenth century.

  4. waif and stray: ‘Nødskilling’. The word refers more particularly to money put aside for a rainy day, also money put to charitable use, and may generally refer to an inferior substitute for something.

  5. So what did you add: ‘Digte til’. The word for ‘add’ is here the same as for ‘write’ or ‘compose’ poetry or fiction, which is how Rubek uses it in the preceding speech. The noun, ‘digter’, means a poet, which Irene goes on to call Rubek.

  6. the joy of light: ‘Lysglæden’. A poetic expression of the joy created by light, the compound is literally translated ‘light joy’.

  7. mountain rose: A seemingly generic and poetic name (the literal translation of ‘fjeldrose’ is ‘mountain rose’), but probably a Lapland rosebay (Rhododendron lapponicum), the only wild rhododendron species in the Norwegian flora.

  8. hunters: ‘Fangstmænd’. This word was normally used exclusively with reference to whalers and seal hunters.

  9. water-lilies: Associated in folk culture with water spirits, and with temptation and danger, especially of an erotic kind. Ibsen also uses water-lilies elsewhere, in his poem ‘Med en vandlilje’ (‘With a water-lily’, 1871) and in Little Eyolf.

  10. Lohengrin’s boat: A motif known from medieval German poetry and used by Richard Wagner in the opera Lohengrin (1848). Lohengrin was the son of Parzival, a knight of the Holy Grail who is sent in a boat drawn by swans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his name. See the reference to swans above.

  11. mumbo jumbo: ‘Troldmandsønskerne’ literally means ‘sorcerer’s wishes’. According to folk tradition, one was never to wish luck to someone going hunting or fishing, as it was seen as a jinx.

  12. worst of luck: Literally ‘all the unhappiness in the entire country’. A traditional wish; the meaning is, however, positive.

  Act Three

  1. wolverine: ‘Jærv’. A versatile and powerful predator and scavenger, the largest of the weasel family, of disproportionate viciousness and strength.

  2. sport: The word was first used in Danish from the middle of the nineteenth
century.

  3. satyr: In Greek mythology, satyrs were the male companions of Pan and Dionysos. They had goat-like features including tail, ears and sometimes a goat-like phallus. In Roman mythology, the equivalent is the faun, who was half-man, half-goat and looked after the woods, cattle and fields. Ibsen uses ‘faun’, but ‘satyr’ is preferred here as in English it more clearly communicates Ulfheim’s dangerous eroticism.

  4. horns: A symbol of a deceived husband, a cuckold.

  5. shape of a bear: A common fairy-tale motif. A man is changed into a bear or wolf by a troll woman but is made into a man again through the love of a devoted woman.

  6. so her feet would never get hurt on any stones: Refers to Christ’s temptation in the wilderness; see Matthew 4:5–6: ‘ “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ” ’

  7. the highest mountain: Again a reference to Christ’s temptation: see Act One, note 13, above.

  8. trying his hand at patchwork: ‘Lappeskrædder’ literally means ‘rags tailor’, a tailor who only repairs clothes.

  9. leave: ‘Udgangslov’. Permission (particularly for a servant) to go out.

  10. Pax vobiscum: Christ’s words of farewell to his disciples after the resurrection, meaning ‘Peace [be] with you.’ In the (Catholic) Latin mass the words ‘Dominus vobiscum’ (‘The Lord [be] with you’) normally ended the liturgical act.

  Further Reading

  Book Studies and Articles in English

  Aarseth, Asbjørn, Peer Gynt and Ghosts (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1989).

  Anderman, Gunilla, Europe on Stage: Translation and Theatre (London: Oberon, 2005).