ACT ONE
It is evening. DR STOCKMANNās living room, simply but comfortably furnished. Two doors at right, the farther leading to the entrance hall, the nearer to the doctorās study. At left, directly opposite the hall door, is a door leading to the familyās living quarters. In the middle of the same wall stands the stove, downstage of which is a settee with a mirror hanging above it, and an oval table, covered with a cloth, in front of it. There is a lamp on the table, shaded and lit. Upstage, in the back wall, is an open door leading to the dining room, where a table set for dinner, with a lit lamp on it, can be seen. BILLING, his napkin tucked under his chin, is sitting at the dinner table, while MRS STOCKMANN, standing nearby, is passing him a large plate of roast beef. The other places at the table are empty, and the settings in some disorder, showing that a meal has recently been eaten.
MRS STOCKMANN. Well, if you will come an hour late, Mr Billing, you must expect cold food.
BILLING (eating). This is excellent ā absolutely perfect.
MRS STOCKMANN. You know how particular my husband is about regular mealtimes.
BILLING. I donāt mind in the least. Actually, I think food tastes better like this, when I can eat alone, in peace and quiet.
MRS STOCKMANN. Yes, well ā as long as youāre enjoying it. (Turns towards the hall door, listening.) That must be Hovstadā¦
BILLING. Very likely.
The MAYOR, Peter Stockmann, enters, wearing an overcoat and his official cap, and carrying a walking stick.
MAYOR. A very good evening to you, Katrine.
MRS STOCKMANN (coming into the living room). Why, itās you ā good evening! How nice of you to stop by and see us.
MAYOR. Well, I happened to be passing, soā¦ (Glances towards the dining room.) Ah, I see you have company.
MRS STOCKMANN (a little embarrassed). No, no ā heās just dropped in, we werenāt expecting anybody. (Hurriedly.) Why donāt you join him, and have a bite to eat?
MAYOR. Who, me? No, thank you. Good heavens, a cooked meal at night? Not with my digestion.
MRS STOCKMANN. Oh, just this once, surelyā¦
MAYOR. No, honestly, itās very kind of you, but Iāll stick to my tea and toast ā itās healthier in the long run, and a bit more economical too.
MRS STOCKMANN (smiles). Now, you mustnāt run away with the idea that Tomas and I are terrible spendthrifts.
MAYOR. Not you, dear Katrine ā nothing could be further from my mind. (Points to the DOCTORās study.) So he isnāt at home?
MRS STOCKMANN. No, heās just gone out for an after-dinner stroll ā and the boys are with him.
MAYOR. Hm, does that really do any good, I wonder? (Listens.) Thatāll be him now.
MRS STOCKMANN. No, I donāt think so.
A knock at the door.
Come in!
HOVSTAD enters from the hallway.
Oh, itās you, Mr Hovstadā¦
HOVSTAD. Yes, Iām sorry, youāll have to excuse me, but I got held up at the printing shop. Good evening, Mr Mayor.
MAYOR (bowing a little stiffly). Mr Hovstad. A business call, no doubt?
HOVSTAD. In part, yes. Itās about something thatās to go into the paper.
MAYOR. I thought as much. I hear my brotherās become an extremely prolific contributor to The Peopleās Courier.
HOVSTAD. Yes, whenever he has a few home truths to tell, he does a piece for the Courier.
MRS STOCKMANN (to HOVSTAD). Are you sure you wouldnāt like toā¦ (Gesturing towards the dining room.)
MAYOR. Well, good heavens, Iām not blaming him. After all, heās simply addressing himself to the sort of reader most likely to be sympathetic to his views. Anyway, speaking personally, Iāve no reason to harbour any ill feeling towards your paper, Mr Hovstad.
HOVSTAD. No, I should hope not.
MAYOR. Taken by and large, thereās an admirable spirit of tolerance in this town of ours ā genuine public-spiritedness. And that derives from the fact that we have a great civic enterprise to unite us ā an enterprise which concerns every right-minded citizen in equal measureā¦
HOVSTAD. The Baths, yes.
MAYOR. Precisely. We have our splendid new municipal Baths. Mark my words, Mr Hovstad, those Baths are set to become the townās very lifeblood. Without a doubt, sir.
MRS STOCKMANN. Yes, Tomas says that tooā¦
MAYOR. You know, itās quite extraordinary how things have improved this past year or two. People have money to spend, thereās more life, more of a buzz about the town. Land and property values are going up day by day.
HOVSTAD. And unemploymentās going down.
MAYOR. Yes, thatās true. The burden of public assistance has been lessened too, much to the relief of property-owners, and thatās likely to be reduced still further, if we have a decent summer this year ā plenty of visitors, lots of invalids, to spread the word about our famous Baths.
HOVSTAD. And things are looking very promising in that regard, so Iām told.
MAYOR. All the signs are favourable. Weāre getting more and more enquiries about accommodation and suchlike every day.
HOVSTAD. Well, then, the doctorās article will be very much to the point.
MAYOR. Heās written another piece?
HOVSTAD. Well, itās something he wrote in winter, recommending the Baths, and giving an account of the superb health-giving qualities of the life here. But I held the article over at the time.
MAYOR. Ah, thereād be one or two flaws in it, I suppose?
HOVSTAD. No, not at all. I just thought it was better to wait until the spring. This is when people start thinking about their summer holidays.
MAYOR. Thatās right. That makes good sense, Mr Hovstad.
MRS STOCKMANN. Yes, Tomas will stick at nothing when it has to do with the Baths.
MAYOR. Well, he is one of the office-bearers.
HOVSTAD. Yes, indeed ā in fact, it was the doctor who first came up with the idea.
MAYOR. Really? You think so? Yes, Iāve heard quite a few folk express that opinion. But I rather fancied I played a modest part in that undertaking myself.
MRS STOCKMANN. Yes, thatās what Tomas always says.
HOVSTAD. Well, of course, Mr Mayor ā no one would deny it. You set the whole business going as a practical concern, everybody knows that. All I meant was that the initial idea for the Baths came from the doctor.
MAYOR. Yes, my brotherās never been short of ideas in his time ā moreās the pity. But when thereās real work to be done, you need a different sort of man, Mr Hovstad. And to be quite frank, I wouldāve thought that in this house, at the very leastā¦
MRS STOCKMANN. Peter, dear ā pleaseā¦
HOVSTAD. Mr Mayor, how could you imagineā¦
MRS STOCKMANN. Go and get yourself something to eat, Mr Hovstad, while youāre waiting ā Iām sure my husband wonāt be long.
HOVSTAD. Well, thanks ā perhaps just a bite. (Goes into the dining room.)
MAYOR (in an undertone). Itās funny, but these people from peasant stock never seem to have any tact.
MRS STOCKMANN. Youāre not letting that bother you, surely? Canāt you and Tomas simply share the credit, like brothers?
MAYOR. Well, I daresay we should. But not everybody, it seems, is content to share.
MRS STOCKMANN. Oh, thatās nonsense. You and Tomas are in complete agreement on these things. (Listens.) I think thatās him coming now. (Goes to open the door leading into the hall.)
DR STOCKMANN (laughing and talking outside). Here you are, Katrine, another visitor for you! Isnāt this a treat? Come in, Captain Horster, please do ā just hang your coat up there, on that peg. Oh, youāre not wearing an overcoat, I see. Would you believe it, Katrine, I ran into him in the street, and had the devil of a job persuading him to come.
CAPTAIN HORSTER enters, and greets MRS STOCKMANN.
(In the doorway.) In you go, my lads. Theyāre absolutely starving. Now, come along, Captain Horster ā you must have a nice bit of roast beefā¦
He propels HORSTER towards the dining room, and the boys, EILIF and MORTEN, follow him in.
MRS STOCKMANN. But, Tomas ā donāt you seeā¦?
DR STOCKMANN (turning in the doorway). Oh, itās you, Peter! (Goes over to shake his hand.) Well, now, this is a real treat.
MAYOR. Unfortunately, I have to be going in a minuteā¦
DR STOCKMANN. Oh, nonsense! Thereās some hot toddy coming up soon. Katrine, you havenāt forgotten the toddy, have you?
MRS STOCKMANN. Indeed, no. The waterās already boiling. (Goes into the kitchen.)
MAYOR. Toddy as well?
DR STOCKMANN. Yes, sit down, do, and weāll enjoy it in comfort.
MAYOR. Thanks, but I donāt ...