Anne Pedersdotter is a play

Play (theatre)

A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...

 written in 1908 by Norwegian playwright

Playwright

A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...

 Hans Wiers-Jenssen

Hans Wiers-Jenssen

Hans Wiers-Jenssen was a Norwegian novelist, playwright, stage producer and theatre historian. Wiers-Jenssen was employed at the theatres Christiania Theatre, Nationaltheatret and Den Nationale Scene.-Personal life:...

. The play is based on an incident from 1590, when Anne Pedersdotter

Anne Pedersdotter

Anne Pedersdotter was an alleged Norwegian witch. Her case was one of the most documented of the many witch trials in Norway in the 16th and 17th centuries...

, the widow of priest Absalon Pederssøn Beyer

Absalon Pederssøn Beyer

Absalon Pederssøn Beyer was a Norwegian author, lecturer and Lutheran clergyman. Beyer contributed greatly to the spiritual Reformation in Norway. He is best known today for his diary or annal of contemporary events...

, was accused of witchcraft and burned alive in the city of Bergen

Bergen

Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....

.

Plot

The play gives a picture of the cultural history of the time, but the plot is not based on historical facts. The title character falls victim of an irresistible desire for her stepson Martin, who is a young theologist. The sinful passion between the young couple shows signs of being bewitched. In the end Anne is convicted as a witch.

Productions

The play premiered at Nationaltheatret

Nationaltheatret

The National Theatre in Oslo is one of Norway's largest and most prominent venues for performance of dramatic arts.The theatre had its first performance on 1 September 1899 but can trace its origins to Christiania Theatre, which was founded in 1829...

 in Kristiania

Oslo

Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

 on 12 February 1908, staged by Halfdan Christensen

Halfdan Christensen

Halfdan Christensen was a Norwegian stage actor and theatre director. He was married twice, first to actress Gyda Christensen, and later to actress Gerda Ring. He had his stage début at Den Nationale Scene in 1896...

. Johanne Dybwad

Johanne Dybwad

Johanne Dybwad was a Norwegian alpine skier who competed in the 1936 Winter Olympics.She was born in Oslo.In 1936 she finished seventh in the alpine skiing combined event.-External links:* * *...

 played the role character "Anne", Stub Wiberg

Stub Wiberg

Stub Wiberg was a Norwegian actor. He made his stage debut at the Bergen theatre Den Nationale Scene in 1898, and played at Nationaltheatret in Kristiania from 1903.He participated in the film Glomdalsbruden from 1926....

 played her husband "Absalon Pederssøn", August Oddvar

August Oddvar

August Oddvar was a Norwegian stage actor. He made his stage debut at the National Theatre in 1899, and played there all his career, which spanned sixty years....

 played their son "Martin", and Sofie Reimers

Sofie Reimers

Sofie Reimers was a Norwegian stage actress. She made her stage debut at Den Nationale Scene in 1879, performed at Christiania Theatre from 1881, and at Nationaltheatret from 1899 until her death in 1932, being this theatre's "Grand Old Lady". She published her memoir Teaterminder fra Kristiania...

 played "Merete Beyer". A 1909 production at Den Nationale Scene

Den Nationale Scene

Den Nationale Scene is the largest theatre in Bergen, Norway. Den Nationale Scene is also one of the oldest permanent theatre in Norway.-History:...

 in Bergen, staged by the Wiers-Jenssen, was well received. The play has later been staged at many Norwegian theatres, as well as in other European countries, and on stages in Asia and America.

Opera adaptations

The play was adapted for the opera La fiamma in 1934, with music by Ottorino Respighi

Ottorino Respighi

Ottorino Respighi was an Italian composer, musicologist and conductor. He is best known for his orchestral "Roman trilogy": Fountains of Rome ; Pines of Rome ; and Roman Festivals...

. The opera Anne Pedersdotter with music by Edvard Fliflet Bræin

Edvard Fliflet Bræin

Edvard Fliflet Bræin was a Norwegian composer and conductor. He is best remembered for the composition Ut mot havet and the opera Anne Pedersdotter.-Personal life:...

 and libretto by Hans Kristiansen (based on Wiers-Jenssen's play) premiered in Olso in 1971.

Film adaptations

The play Anne Pedersdotter was basis for the Danish film Day of Wrath

Day of Wrath

Day of Wrath is a black-and-white film, made in 1943, by Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. The film is an adaptation of Anne Pedersdotter by the Norwegian playwright Hans Wiers-Jenssen, based on an actual Norwegian case in the sixteenth century.-Plot:Day of Wrath is set in a Danish village in...

from 1943, directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer

Carl Theodor Dreyer

Carl Theodor Dreyer, Jr. was a Danish film director. He is regarded by many critics and filmmakers as one of the greatest directors in cinema.-Life:Dreyer was born illegitimate in Copenhagen, Denmark...

.

List of characters

• Anne Pedersdotter
• Absalon Pederssøn
• Martin
• Merete Beyer
• Master Johannes
• Master Laurentius
• The bishop
• Herlofs-Marte (witch)