St. John's Eve (play)
Encyclopedia
St. John's Eve, is a play written by Henrik Ibsen
in 1853. The play is considered apocryphal, because it never entered Ibsen's collected works. The reason for this was a rather poor criticism when it was shown the first time, at den nationale scene
in Bergen
in 1853.
feast on a valley farm in Telemark
. Here, we find two very different attitudes symbolized in the old farm house and a new house. The farm house is inhabited by the old farmer, Berg, and his granddaughter Anne, and the new house is inhabited by Anne's stepmother, Mrs. Berg and her daughter Juliane, from an earlier marriage. At the time of the play, Anne's father is dead and there is a big question as to what will come of his inheritance. The second Mrs. Berg wishes for her daughter to inherit the farm and has found her a suitor from town, Johannes Birk. He arrives with Juliane's brother Jørgen, and a fellow student, Julian Paulsen. The young ones assemble for a trip to the hill of St. John
(Sankthanshaugen), to take part in the revels of rural festivity. Jørgen prepares the punch
, but the people are not aware of the nisse
, who lives in the attic of the old house. He mixes the liquor with a mystical flower, with the virtue of remembrance
for those who have forgotten their past.
The young ones wander away after tasting the liquor. Anne walks with Birk, Julian with Juliane. As the night wears on, the elves dance in the forest, and Anne finds a flower, in Norwegian called Keys of St. Mary. With this, she orders the mountain to open, and the couples witness a play-in-the-play, staging an old ballad
of a girl who were abducted into the mountain by the mountain king, and drinking a cup of forgetfulness. Anne is brought up on old folklore
and songs, and knows the verses, and, surprisingly enough, so does Birk. Paulsen, on the other hand, interprets The mountain king as a "Fine gentleman of the upper classes", from his own town.
After this play, Anne recognizes Birk as her childhood friend, and Paulsen recognizes Juliane from a dancing school in the city. The day after, the "right" couples decide to engage, but Mrs. Berg had plans of ruling the farm through Birk. The flower Anne found has turned into a real key, and with this, her grandfather opens a box containing her father's will, long lost. This states her rightful inheritance when marrying, and Mrs. Berg is beaten in the end. Anne marries Birk, Julian marries Juliane and all are happy about the change in plans. The real winner is the nisse
, who staged it all from behind.
. Paulsen is a romantic nationalist, pining for the hulder in the Norwegian forests. He is heartbroken because the fairy tales edited by Asbjørnsen and Moe have made public that the Hulder is attributed with a cow's tail. The editors, Paulsen states, are "inhuman" because of this.
Ibsen, through some of the protagonists, seems to think Paulsen is far from the truth of both folklore and rural life, and as the play goes on, we learn that he is unable to tolerate the farmers at all. The satire was clear, and the public reacted with scorn. They felt offended, and the play was not well received. Ibsen himself stated that the whole gang of critics thought like Paulsen and decided not to offend them again. Therefore, St. John's Eve was never printed in his "collected works", and never played again until 1978, under the supervision of Ingeborg Refling Hagen
. Since then, it has been played by youth-theater groups and children alike, and only twice by a regular official theatre. The two productions do not, however, render the play full justice.
in Norway. On the one side (Paulsen), we have the naive and unrealistic idea of "nature" and "originality", or even "primitive life", seen from a safe urban setting. On the other hand, we get the more realistic wiew of the country and the Norwegian farm culture
. The first wiew is presented as arrogant, the other as humble. Some of the themes is inspired by similar plays written by Henrik Wergeland
, and are used again fully in Peer Gynt
.
The play relies on many sources, most notably, A Midsummer Night's Dream
by William Shakespeare
. Ibsen takes a lot of plot devices from this play: Puck
(the nisse), the flower, the confusion of couples, the elves, and even the summer night itself. Like Puck, the nisse in the play has the epilogue
.
Further, Ibsen alludes to Norwegian folk tales, and ballads of abduction.
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
in 1853. The play is considered apocryphal, because it never entered Ibsen's collected works. The reason for this was a rather poor criticism when it was shown the first time, 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
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 , ....
in 1853.
Plot summary
The play takes place during a midsummerMidsummer
Midsummer may simply refer to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, but more often refers to specific European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice, or that take place on a day between June 21 and June 24, and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different...
feast on a valley farm in Telemark
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
. Here, we find two very different attitudes symbolized in the old farm house and a new house. The farm house is inhabited by the old farmer, Berg, and his granddaughter Anne, and the new house is inhabited by Anne's stepmother, Mrs. Berg and her daughter Juliane, from an earlier marriage. At the time of the play, Anne's father is dead and there is a big question as to what will come of his inheritance. The second Mrs. Berg wishes for her daughter to inherit the farm and has found her a suitor from town, Johannes Birk. He arrives with Juliane's brother Jørgen, and a fellow student, Julian Paulsen. The young ones assemble for a trip to the hill of St. John
John the Evangelist
Saint John the Evangelist is the conventional name for the author of the Gospel of John...
(Sankthanshaugen), to take part in the revels of rural festivity. Jørgen prepares the punch
Punch (drink)
Punch is the term for a wide assortment of drinks, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice. The drink was introduced from India to England in the early seventeenth century; from there its use spread to other countries...
, but the people are not aware of the nisse
Tomte
A tomte , nisse or tonttu is a mythical creature of Scandinavian folklore. The tomte or nisse was believed to take care of a farmer's home and children and protect them from misfortune, in particular at night, when the housefolk were asleep...
, who lives in the attic of the old house. He mixes the liquor with a mystical flower, with the virtue of remembrance
Remembrance
Remembrance is the act of remembering, the ability to remember or a memorial. It may refer to:-Events:*:Category:Remembrance days**Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice, a commemorative day observed by Argentina...
for those who have forgotten their past.
The young ones wander away after tasting the liquor. Anne walks with Birk, Julian with Juliane. As the night wears on, the elves dance in the forest, and Anne finds a flower, in Norwegian called Keys of St. Mary. With this, she orders the mountain to open, and the couples witness a play-in-the-play, staging an old ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
of a girl who were abducted into the mountain by the mountain king, and drinking a cup of forgetfulness. Anne is brought up on old folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and songs, and knows the verses, and, surprisingly enough, so does Birk. Paulsen, on the other hand, interprets The mountain king as a "Fine gentleman of the upper classes", from his own town.
After this play, Anne recognizes Birk as her childhood friend, and Paulsen recognizes Juliane from a dancing school in the city. The day after, the "right" couples decide to engage, but Mrs. Berg had plans of ruling the farm through Birk. The flower Anne found has turned into a real key, and with this, her grandfather opens a box containing her father's will, long lost. This states her rightful inheritance when marrying, and Mrs. Berg is beaten in the end. Anne marries Birk, Julian marries Juliane and all are happy about the change in plans. The real winner is the nisse
Tomte
A tomte , nisse or tonttu is a mythical creature of Scandinavian folklore. The tomte or nisse was believed to take care of a farmer's home and children and protect them from misfortune, in particular at night, when the housefolk were asleep...
, who staged it all from behind.
Reception and criticism
The comical figure of Julian Paulsen was at the time a satirical comment on the regular urban romantic, most notably Johan Sebastian WelhavenJohan Sebastian Welhaven
Johan Sebastian Cammermeyer Welhaven was a Norwegian author, poet, critic and art theorist.-Background:...
. Paulsen is a romantic nationalist, pining for the hulder in the Norwegian forests. He is heartbroken because the fairy tales edited by Asbjørnsen and Moe have made public that the Hulder is attributed with a cow's tail. The editors, Paulsen states, are "inhuman" because of this.
Ibsen, through some of the protagonists, seems to think Paulsen is far from the truth of both folklore and rural life, and as the play goes on, we learn that he is unable to tolerate the farmers at all. The satire was clear, and the public reacted with scorn. They felt offended, and the play was not well received. Ibsen himself stated that the whole gang of critics thought like Paulsen and decided not to offend them again. Therefore, St. John's Eve was never printed in his "collected works", and never played again until 1978, under the supervision of Ingeborg Refling Hagen
Ingeborg Refling Hagen
Ingeborg Refling Hagen was a Norwegian author and teacher.- Early life :Ingeborg Refling Hagen was born in Hedmark, Norway, in the parish Tangen besides Mjøsa, as the fourth child of the local miller...
. Since then, it has been played by youth-theater groups and children alike, and only twice by a regular official theatre. The two productions do not, however, render the play full justice.
Themes
The play takes into account to variants of romantic nationalismRomantic nationalism
Romantic nationalism is the form of nationalism in which the state derives its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs...
in Norway. On the one side (Paulsen), we have the naive and unrealistic idea of "nature" and "originality", or even "primitive life", seen from a safe urban setting. On the other hand, we get the more realistic wiew of the country and the Norwegian farm culture
Norwegian farm culture
The Norwegian farm culture was a rural movement unique in values and practices which assumed a form in Viking Age Norway, and continued with little change into the age of firearms - and in many respects even to the early 20th century...
. The first wiew is presented as arrogant, the other as humble. Some of the themes is inspired by similar plays written by Henrik Wergeland
Henrik Wergeland
Henrik Arnold Thaulow Wergeland was a Norwegian writer, most celebrated for his poetry but also a prolific playwright, polemicist, historian, and linguist...
, and are used again fully in Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt is a five-act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen, loosely based on the fairy tale Per Gynt. It is the most widely performed Norwegian play. According to Klaus Van Den Berg, the "cinematic script blends poetry with social satire and realistic scenes with surreal ones"...
.
The play relies on many sources, most notably, A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
by William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
. Ibsen takes a lot of plot devices from this play: Puck
Puck (Shakespeare)
Puck, also known as Robin Goodfellow, is a character in William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream that was based on the ancient figure in English mythology, also called Puck. Puck is a clever and mischievous elf and personifies the trickster or the wise knave...
(the nisse), the flower, the confusion of couples, the elves, and even the summer night itself. Like Puck, the nisse in the play has the epilogue
Epilogue
An epilogue, epilog or afterword is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature or drama, usually used to bring closure to the work...
.
Further, Ibsen alludes to Norwegian folk tales, and ballads of abduction.