Henrik Ibsen

An Enemy of the People Henrik Ibsen

Henrik Ibsen was one of the world's greatest dramatists. He was the leading figure of an artistic renaissance that took place in Norway at the end of the nineteenth century. An Enemy of the People attacks the institution of the liberal newspaper. Like all of the plays in this series, An Enemy of the People deals with the extent to which individual desires and beliefs are compromised by society. In particular, the play focuses on the ways in which an individual can be ostracized by the society he is trying to help. The problems of the play's hero, Dr. Stockmann, are not far removed from the problems Ibsen experienced after the publication of Ghosts. In a letter written around the time of the play's composition, Ibsen noted: "Dr. Stockmann and I got on excellently together; we agree on so many subjects."