1849: Born in Stockholm shortly after father's bankruptcy

1871: The Outlaw produced and honored by king

1873/1878/1880: Master Olof

1874: Assistant librarian at Royal Library in Stockholm

1877: Marries Siri von Essen, who divorces for his sake

1879: The Red Room (novel)

1883: Leaves Sweden for France, Switzerland, and Germany

1884-86: Marriages (short stories)

1887: The Father (Fadren)

1888: Miss Julie

1892: Divorce from first wife

1893: Marries Austrian Frida Uhl and divorces her shortly thereafter

1895-1906: So-called Inferno period (studies occult and Swedenborg)

1897: Returns to Sweden

1901: Marries actress Harriet Bosse

1906: Dies of stomach cancer

Vocabulary:

Discussion Questions

ACTS I - II

1. What does it mean to be a "father" in the opening scene (Njöd, Captain, Pastor)?

2. What characterizes the “Captain” as a captain? In what ways does he act (or fail to act) with authority, as a military leader?

3. What’s the significance of the Captain’s study of rocks, the nurse’s religious practices, and the grandmother’s belief in spirits?

4. What are the Freudian motifs in the play?

5. What is the significance of the SETTING?

Final Scene

a. Does the Captain have a deathbed conversion?

b. Does faith / religion or reason / science prevail?

c. What do the final lines mean?

d. Now that you’re read three examples of Naturalist drama, what would you say is the aim of it?

Closely analyze one of the following passages for literary elements such as symbolism, word choice, tone, and syntax. The explain why these details underscore a significant issue, theme, or debate in the play:

1. Captain: "I beg you, in memory of all that's past, I beg you as a wounded man begs for the coup de grâce, tell me everything. Don't you see I'm as helpless as a child? Can't you hear me imploring your pity like a child its mother? Won't you forget I'm a man, a soldier, whose word both men and beasts obey? I asak only the pity you would show a sick man, I lay down the tokens of my power, and beg for mercy, for my life!" (Strindberg 36).

2. Captain: "I'm Saturn, who ate his children because it was foretold that otherwise they'd eat him. To eat or be eaten! That is the question! If I don't eat you, you'll eat me, you've already shown me your teeth. But don't be afraid, my darling child, I shan't hurt you! Goes up to the collection of weapons and takes a revolver" (Strindberg 48). 

3. "My hand! Which you've tied behind my back . . . Omphale! Omphale! But I feel your soft shawl against my mouth; it's as warm and smooth as your arm, and it smells of vanilla like your hair did when you were young. Laura, when you were young and we walked in the birch woods among the primroses and thrushes--glorious, so glorious!" (Strindberg 51).

Gender Battle

Strindberg presents Laura and the Captain’s conflict as a gender battle (sometimes literally). What are each of their complaints against the other? In order to avoid gender bias in your own conclusion, list the complaints each character has according to the opposite of your gender. So if you’re a guy, argue why Laura is in the right here; if you’re a woman, argue why Captain [Adolf] is in the right. For Laura’s case, consider pages 6, 10, 11, 21, 36, and 39 in particular; for the Captain, consider pages 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 17, 35, and 50. 

Creative activity—Write a scene for our Naturalist drama, The Mother

To start—Choose a “Stock” character from Naturalist Drama and reflect on the major characteristics of your role:

-    Mother / wife

-    Father / husband

-    Daughter

-    Nurse

-    Doctor

-    Pastor

-    Visiting female friend

-    Male rival to husband

Then write a dramatic scene together. As normally 2, or at most 3, characters are on the Naturalist stage at once, you might a) either divide yourselves into two groups and scenes scenes or b) ‘write’ your roles in terms of offstage presence or activity.

You will also need to decide what particular social issue(s) the dramatic scene should be about (e.g., unwanted pregnancy, fraud, adultery, syphilis, etc.)