The Podcast of the Lotus Eaters

00:00:00.000 Hello, and welcome to this episode of Chronicles, where today we're going to be talking all about

00:00:19.020 An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen, an absolute titan of his age in terms of playwrights,

00:00:26.820 and what's more as well, hitherto his coming in the Victorian era, by far and away the most famous

00:00:33.740 playwright to come from Norway, or probably since as well. Henrik Ibsen is an incredibly famous writer,

00:00:42.040 and a writer that had a profound effect on the world around him. He was deeply controversial

00:00:48.880 at his time, and I will openly admit that some of his writing is deeply subversive,

00:00:55.460 deeply, deeply subversive. When you take an example of a play such as A Doll's House that I did

00:01:01.400 consider covering, but I wanted to start with a play where you can actually see more of the base

00:01:09.660 coming through in Ibsen's thinking, so that we didn't simply go into the school curriculum of

00:01:16.860 subversion, which A Doll's House is obviously a part of. So An Enemy of the People. Now, this play was

00:01:23.760 written in 1882. He wrote it in about nine weeks, and a lot of the structure of the play and its

00:01:33.000 critiques and its argumentation is very much Ibsen basically trying to argue back at the critics who

00:01:40.040 disliked his previous work, which was Ghosts. And Ibsen was writing at a time in Norwegian history

00:01:48.060 when, much like everywhere else in Europe at the time, a lot of social change was going on.

00:01:55.240 You had a burgeoning middle class, and with this, with more money, more opportunities,

00:02:00.900 you had a also growing sense of what would just be termed self-realization, right? That actually,

00:02:08.600 with this money, with this agency, you know, in the modern world, in budding modernity,

00:02:15.000 actually individualism, individuality were very, very important. And it was through discovery and

00:02:23.060 action as individuals that we are best able to arrive at truth. And this is something that the

00:02:30.120 play deals with very, very masterfully. And what's more as well, one of the reasons why it is such a good

00:02:36.560 play is the fact that actually Ibsen does a very able job of steel manning both positions in society.

00:02:45.120 Before we get into the actual play itself, though, let's just talk a little bit more about Ibsen.

00:02:50.780 So he was born in 1828 in the seaport town of Skeen in Norway, and he was actually born into a

00:03:00.560 relatively affluent merchant family, right? His father had some merchant ships, and they did very

00:03:07.280 well. But his father's business went bankrupt in 36. And at the age of 15, Henrik Ibsen left home.

00:03:16.640 And from there, much of his life was just dedicated to a passion for trying to make it in the world of

00:03:24.960 theatre. He was incredibly persistent. This is one of the chief qualities that really defines Ibsen

00:03:32.400 throughout his life. And what's more as well, for a man who was quite liberal in his political leanings,

00:03:41.120 he was also a man who was very conservative when it came to his own life as well. You find many

00:03:46.640 photographs of Ibsen impeccably dressed like the quintessential Victorian man. And he was very

00:03:53.920 particular about his appearance all the time. What's more, he and his wife lived actually a very

00:04:00.000 traditional life. But all the time, what Ibsen was able to do was he was able to put to theatre the

00:04:08.080 types of conversations that families were starting to have at the dinner table in late 19th century

00:04:15.360 Norwegian society. So I thought An Enemy of the People would be a strong place to start with Ibsen's

00:04:23.840 works. And so without further ado, let's get into the story.

00:04:33.280 Our story takes place in a coastal town in southern Norway. It is a small community,

00:04:39.280 a folk of hardy and genial characters. This play focuses chiefly on just one of the town's many

00:04:47.120 families, the Stockmans. Their home is the setting of Act One, where Mrs. Stockman entertains guests

00:04:54.320 with her generous warmth. It is a house of reasonable affluence, evoking middle-class comfort. Mr. Billing,

00:05:02.000 the sub-editor of the local paper, the People's Messenger, is having some supper. Soon the mayor,

00:05:09.120 Peter Stockman, comes to visit his brother, who is absent at present.

00:05:13.440 I happen to be passing, and so... But you have company with you, I see.

00:05:18.320 Oh no, it was quite by chance he came in. Won't you come in and have something too?

00:05:23.360 No, thank you. Good gracious. Hot meat at night. Not with my digestion.

00:05:28.160 Oh, but just once in a way. No, no, my dear lady. I stick to my tea and bread and butter. It is much more

00:05:36.400 wholesome in the long run, and a little more economical too. Now you mustn't think that Thomas and I are spendthrifts.

00:05:43.440 Not you, my dear. I would never think that of you.

00:05:47.200 Is he not at home? No, he went out for a little turn after supper, he and the boys.

00:05:53.200 I doubt if that was a wise thing to do. I fancy I hear him coming now.

00:05:57.760 But it is Mr. Hovstad, the lead editor of the paper. Pete comments on how his brother has recently

00:06:05.360 written more articles for The Messenger. Quite so, quite so. I don't blame him in the least,

00:06:11.440 as a writer for addressing himself to the quarters where he finds the readiest sympathy.

00:06:16.800 And besides that, I personally have no reason to bear any ill will to your paper, Mr. Hovstad.

00:06:22.640 Taking one thing with another, there is an excellent spirit of toleration in the town,

00:06:27.200 an admirable municipal spirit. And it all springs from the fact of our having a common interest to unite us,

00:06:34.320 an interest that is in an equally high degree the concern of every right-minded citizen.

00:06:40.320 That common concern is for the new natural baths that have restorative health benefits.

00:06:46.560 They are the pride of the town and a testament to the community's unity.

00:06:50.960 The bathhouse complex that has been built around the natural springs is set to be a great boon to

00:06:56.560 the prosperity of the town. They hope that the summer will bring many visitors. Eventually,

00:07:02.320 the man of the house, Dr. Thomas Stockman, returns home from a walk with his young sons,

00:07:08.240 Edglyph and Morton, in the company of Captain Horster. He warmly addresses his wife, Catherine,

00:07:15.120 before he and his brother speak alone. Thomas shows great gratitude for the prosperity that

00:07:21.200 he and his family currently have. He is the town's chief medical officer and a man of science,

00:07:27.360 reason and respectability. Though it's obvious that he and his brother Peter do care for one another,

00:07:34.080 theirs is a relationship characterised by rivalry, distance and mistrust.

00:07:40.000 Their father-in-law is a local tanner, and the children grew up in a poor household.

00:07:45.600 Utilising his fierce natural intelligence, Thomas managed to study medicine in the city,

00:07:52.000 and then he lived a life of hardship in the isolated tundra of Lapland,

00:07:56.880 treating its villagers. It was his idea to create the Baths, as a way of giving something to his

00:08:03.040 native town, and applying his knowledge of something that could be contributing to the

00:08:07.680 common good. However, Peter has never left the town, and has raised himself up from his lowly birth

00:08:14.160 to become the town's mayor and the chairman of the Baths Corporation. When his brother returned,

00:08:20.240 it was he that gave his brother the job as medical officer, with its comfortable wage.

00:08:26.240 And Peter cares deeply that he receives due credit for it.

00:08:30.320 You may have discovered the springs, but I made them possible. Without my influence,

00:08:35.600 your little idea would have died in a draw. He is weary of Thomas' extravagance and lack of respect,

00:08:42.880 and departs in a foul mood. With his bore of a brother gone, the doctor enjoys the evening in

00:08:48.880 the company of his family and friends. Do you sail soon, Captain Horster?

00:08:53.760 I expect to be ready to sail next week.

00:08:56.000 I suppose you're going to America. Yes, that is the plan.

00:09:00.000 Then you won't be able to take part in the coming election. Is there going to be an election?

00:09:05.840 Didn't you know? No, I don't mix myself up in those things.

00:09:10.720 But do you not take an interest in public affairs?

00:09:14.640 No, I don't know anything about politics. All the same, one ought to vote at any rate.

00:09:21.120 Even if one doesn't know anything about what's going on?

00:09:24.080 Doesn't know? What do you mean by that?

00:09:27.120 A community is like a ship. Everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm.

00:09:32.560 Maybe that's all very well on shore, but on board ship, it wouldn't work.

00:09:38.320 The stockman's daughter returns home for the evening.

00:09:41.520 Her name is Petra, and she is very much her father's child.

00:09:46.160 Opinionated, strong-willed, but kindly spoken and warm.

00:09:50.960 She gives her father a letter that he's been irritably waiting for,

00:09:54.800 and he retreats to his study to read it. When he re-emerges,

00:09:58.640 he declares to the others that this letter confirms his suspicions.

00:10:02.800 The baths are contaminated with bacteria, poisoned by the leather runoffs from the tannery upstream.

00:10:10.000 The doctor is ecstatic to have his suspicions vindicated,

00:10:14.080 so that something can be done before they officially open.

00:10:17.440 Most modestly, he is glad that he could do his duty to the town by serving the common good.

00:10:22.880 Hofstad is only too keen to let the doctor write a piece for the newspaper,

00:10:27.600 so that the town may know the truth about the baths. The pipes must be relocated.

00:10:33.440 Thank you. Thank you, my dear friend. I feel tremendously happy.

00:10:38.480 It is a splendid thing for a man to be able to feel that he has done a service

00:10:43.040 to his native town and to his fellow citizens. Hurrah, Catherine!

00:10:47.280 Act 2 begins, and Thomas is visited by several guests, each being emphatic supporters of his service.

00:10:55.120 Yet, such solidarity is not entirely gifted to the doctor for their care for a truth.

00:11:01.600 For some, such as Hofstad, it is ideological. In my opinion, a journalist incurs a heavy responsibility

00:11:09.680 if he neglects a favourable opportunity of emancipating the masses, the humble and oppressed.

00:11:15.920 I know well enough that in exalted circles I shall be called an agitator, and all that sort of thing, but they

00:11:22.560 may call what they like. For the liberal Hofstad, this is a political opportunity to attack the town's

00:11:29.120 wealthy investors, and Dr Stockman, being a believer in the liberally-minded youth, finds this an agreeable

00:11:37.440 alliance. But soon, he is visited once more by Peter, in his capacity as mayor and chairman.

00:11:44.640 His elder brother is intransigent.

00:11:47.680 Have you taken the trouble to consider what your proposed alterations would cost?

00:11:52.560 According to the information I obtained, the expenses would probably mount up to £15,000 to £20,000.

00:11:59.200 Would it cost so much? Yes. And the worst part of it would be that the work would take at least two years.

00:12:07.920 Two years? Two whole years? At least.

00:12:13.040 And what are we to do with the baths in the meantime? Close them. Indeed, we should be obliged to.

00:12:19.360 And do you suppose anyone would come near the place after it had got out that the water was dangerous?

00:12:24.720 Yes, but Peter, that is what it is. And all this is at this juncture, just as the baths are beginning to be known.

00:12:33.120 There are other towns in the neighbourhood with qualifications to attract visitors for bathing purposes.

00:12:39.200 Don't you suppose they would immediately strain every nerve to divert the entire stream of strangers to themselves?

00:12:46.560 Unquestionably, they would. And then where should we be?

00:12:50.480 We should probably have to abandon the whole thing. Which has cost us so much money, and then you would have ruined your native town.

00:12:57.840 I should have ruined!

00:13:00.080 It is simply and solely through the baths that the town has before it any future worth mentioning.

00:13:06.640 You know that just as well as I. But what do you think ought to be done then?

00:13:11.040 Your report has not convinced me that the condition of the water at the baths is as bad as you represent it to be.

00:13:19.040 Thomas cannot stand the idea of lying to the people about the baths.

00:13:23.200 What's more, with the liberal press behind him, as well as the support of Aslikson, the head of the Housing Association,

00:13:31.120 he feels he can mount enough pressure against Peter and the board. The compact majority is with him.

00:13:38.480 When Thomas accuses Peter of really only caring for his own self-interest and his own position of authority in all of this,

00:13:46.480 and not for the common good of the town, Peter retorts,

00:13:50.480 And even if that were true, if I perhaps guard my reputation somewhat anxiously, it is in the interests of the town.

00:13:58.640 Without moral authority, I am powerless to direct public affairs as seems, to my judgment, to be the best for the common good.

00:14:06.880 And on that account, and for various other reasons, it appears to me to be a matter of importance

00:14:14.160 that your report should not be delivered to the committee.

00:14:17.280 In the interests of the public, you must withhold it.

00:14:21.280 Then, later on, I will raise the question, and we will do our best privately.

00:14:27.280 But nothing of this unfortunate affair, not a single word of it, must come to the ears of the public.

00:14:36.000 I am afraid you will not be able to prevent that now, my dear Peter.

00:14:40.480 Peter is astonished at his brother's lack of consideration for his position, and his general indiscretion.

00:14:47.680 Up to a certain point, yes. It is painful for a man in an official position

00:14:52.640 to have his nearest relative compromising himself time after time.

00:14:57.760 And do you consider that I do that?

00:15:00.560 Yes, unfortunately you do, without even being aware of it.

00:15:04.480 You have a restless, pugnacious, rebellious disposition.

00:15:08.240 And then, there is that disastrous propensity of yours to want to write about every sort of

00:15:14.160 possible and impossible thing. The moment an idea comes into your head, you must needs go and write a

00:15:21.360 newspaper article, or a whole pamphlet about it. Well, but is it not the duty of a citizen to let the

00:15:28.480 public share in any new ideas he may have? Oh, the public doesn't require any new ideas.

00:15:35.200 The public is best served by the good, old-established ideas it already has.

00:15:40.240 Peter practically orders Thomas to publicly refute his own claims.

00:15:44.320 But he will not, and the two are at an impasse. If the doctor will not yield, he will be removed

00:15:50.320 from his position on the Basque committee. It is I who have the real good of the town at heart.

00:15:56.400 I want to lay bare the defects that sooner or later must come to light of day.

00:16:01.280 I will show whether I love my native town. You, who in your blind obstinacy want to cut off the most

00:16:07.760 important source of the town's welfare. The source is poisoned, man. Are you mad?

00:16:14.240 We are making our living by retailing filth and corruption. The whole of our flourishing

00:16:19.360 municipal life derives its substance from a lie. All imagination, or something even worse,

00:16:25.760 the man who throws out such offensive insinuations about his native town must be an enemy to our

00:16:33.440 community. Peter departs, and Dr Stockman is left to reflect on the dilemma with his wife. For her part,

00:16:41.920 Catherine pleads with him to show concern for his family. This feud will set her husband against the

00:16:47.920 powerful men of the town, and she fears for her family's comfort and standing. But Thomas is unwavering

00:16:54.560 in his moral crusade. He will perform this public service. He will present the truth to the town.

00:17:01.120 He will go against his brother's wishes. Act 3 takes place in the editor's room of the People's

00:17:07.120 Messenger. Hofstad and Billing are in awe at the Doctor's polemical prowess, and are sure that his

00:17:13.040 words will rouse the revolution they seek. They are visited by Dr Stockman, who is eager for the article

00:17:19.280 to be published. Well, they will get the worst of it with me. They may assure themselves of that.

00:17:25.200 I shall consider the People's Messenger my sheet anchor now, and every single day I will bombard them 1.00

00:17:31.760 with one article after another, like bombshells. Yes, but hurrah, it is war! I shall smite them to the

00:17:39.840 ground. I shall crush them. I shall break down all of their defences before the eyes of the honest public. 1.00

00:17:47.680 That is what I shall do. Yes, but in moderation, Doctor. Proceed with moderation. Not a bit of it.

00:17:56.960 Not a bit of it. Don't spare the dynamite. Because it is not merely a question of water supply and drains,

00:18:03.200 now you know. No, it is the whole of our social life that we've got to purify and disinfect.

00:18:09.520 Spoken like a deliverer. All the incapables must be turned out, you understand. And that, in every 0.93

00:18:16.000 walk of life, endless vistas have opened themselves to my mind's eye today. I cannot see it all quite

00:18:22.800 clearly yet, but I shall in time. Young and vigorous standard bearers. Those are what we need and must

00:18:29.680 seek, my friends. We must have new men in command at all our outposts. Hear, hear. We only need to

00:18:36.720 stand by one another, and it will all be perfectly easy. The revolution will be launched like a ship

00:18:42.640 that runs smoothly off the stocks. Don't you think so? For my part, I think we have now the prospect of

00:18:48.960 getting a municipal authority into the hands where it should lie. And if only we proceed with moderation,

00:18:55.360 I cannot imagine there will be any risk. Who the devil cares whether there is any risk or not?

00:19:01.040 What I am doing, I am doing in the name of truth, and for sake of my conscience. The doctor departs in

00:19:08.000 the highest of spirits, and soon the editors are visited by Petra, who has come to turn down some

00:19:14.080 translation work, not satisfied with the moral content of the story she was given. You don't

00:19:19.840 understand me. The burden of this story is that there is a supernatural power that looks after the

00:19:25.200 so-called good people in the world, and makes everything happen for the best in their case,

00:19:30.640 while all the so-called bad people are punished. Well, but that is all right. That is what our readers

00:19:37.680 want. And are you going to be the ones to give it to them? For myself, I do not believe a word of it.

00:19:44.000 You know quite well that things do not happen, so in reality. You are perfectly right, but an editor

00:19:50.640 cannot always act as he would prefer. He is often obliged to bow to the wishes of the public in

00:19:56.160 unimportant matters. Politics are the most important thing in life, for a newspaper anyway,

00:20:02.880 and if I want to carry my public with me on paths that lead to liberty and progress,

00:20:08.000 I must not frighten them away. If they find a moral tale of this sort in the serial at the bottom of the

00:20:13.760 page, they will be all the more ready to read what is printed above it. The conversation inevitably turns

00:20:19.680 towards Petra's father, and Hofstad clumsily reveals that his help is partly motivated by

00:20:27.280 wanting to win Petra's affections. Petra is appalled that the purity of her father's course could be

00:20:34.320 sullied by Hofstad's selfish motives. She leaves, and they are then visited by the mayor.

00:20:41.600 Peter Stockman comes to them and meets their idealism with power and reality. He threatens

00:20:49.280 the newspaper with loss of city contracts and subscriptions. He speaks plainly about the

00:20:55.120 economic burden that it would put upon the town if the Baths had to be renovated and reconstructed

00:21:02.320 to the doctor's wishes. He also politely suggests that there will be official favour for them,

00:21:08.400 should they understand his reasoning. He offers them a sharp reality check. If they publish the

00:21:14.480 doctor's article, the committee will be compelled to close the Baths for two years, while the necessary

00:21:20.320 alterations are made, and the costs will be put on the small business owners that Luxem represents.

00:21:27.040 The editors capitulate. But before Peter compresses advantage, his brother returns to ask about the

00:21:33.280 article being published. Peter indignantly flees to the other room, but as Dr Stockman converses with

00:21:40.720 the editors, it becomes clear to him that their zeal and principle are gone. When Peter confronts him,

00:21:47.840 he realises that the struggle for truth will be harder, and possibly even futile.

00:21:53.600 It shall be made public all the same. I will read it out at a mass meeting of the townspeople.

00:21:59.120 All my fellow citizens shall hear the voice of truth. You will not find any public body in the

00:22:04.800 town that will give you the use of their hall for such a purpose. Not a single one, I'm certain.

00:22:10.480 No, I'm damned if you will find one. But this is too shameful. Why should everyone turn against you

00:22:16.960 like that? I will tell you why. It is because all the men of this town are old women, like you. 1.00

00:22:25.520 They all think of nothing but their families, and never of the community. Then I will show them that

00:22:31.360 an old woman can be a man for once. I'm going to stand by you, Thomas. Bravely said. Bravely said, 0.98

00:22:38.320 Catherine. It shall be made public, as I am a living soul. If I can't hire a hall, I shall hire a drum,

00:22:45.840 and parade the town with it and read it at every street corner. You are surely not such an errant fool 1.00

00:22:52.960 as that. Yes, I am. It is with these convictions that Act 3 ends and the townsfolk assemble in the 1.00

00:23:00.560 old-fashioned room at Captain Horster's home at the beginning of Act 4. There are voices from amongst a

00:23:07.280 mob. Before them is Mayor Peter Stockman, his brother the Defiant Doctor, and Aslakson, whose voice

00:23:14.800 commands great respect from the majority. I beg to support the Mayor's motion. I quite agree with

00:23:22.080 him that there is something behind this agitation started by the Doctor. He talks about the Bass,

00:23:27.920 but it is a revolution he is aiming at. He wants to get the administration of the town into new hands.

00:23:34.480 No one doubts the honesty of the Doctor's intentions. No one will suggest that there can be any two opinions

00:23:42.000 as to that. I myself am a believer in self-government for the people, provided it does not fall too

00:23:49.200 heavily on the ratepayers. But that would be the case here, and that is why I will see Dr Stockman

00:23:55.840 damned, I beg your pardon, before I go with him in the matter. You can pay too dearly for a thing sometimes,

00:24:02.720 that is my opinion, against the triumvirate of the Mayor, Hofstad and Aslakson. The Doctor cannot win

00:24:11.840 over the townsfolk. Truth may stand with him, but the compact majority does not. Not even permitted to

00:24:19.360 read the report of his own evidence, the Doctor takes a different stand. I have already told you that

00:24:27.440 what I want to speak about is a great discovery I have made lately. The discovery that all the

00:24:33.200 sources of moral life are poisoned, and that the whole fabric of our civic community is founded on

00:24:39.760 the perfidious soil of falsehood. If you enjoyed this piece of premium content from the Lotus Eaters,

00:24:45.840 head to our website where you can find more.

00:24:57.440 Prusa and Aslakson.

00:25:01.600 Trus That scorpions?

00:25:03.680 Dr.

00:25:17.040 Trus That scorpion Has dirty. 0.99

00:25:18.480 Prem 0.51

00:25:22.140 Prusa 0.96

PREVIEW： Chronicles #23 ｜ an Enemy of the People

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