The Master Builder (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Henrik Ibsen
- First Published: 1892
- Type of Work: Play
- Type of Plot: Psychological realism
- Time of Work: Nineteenth century
- Setting: Norway
- Genres: Drama, Psychological drama
- Subjects: Nineteenth century, Symbolism, Ambition, Fire, Houses, mansions, or manors, Architecture or architects, Norway or Norwegians, Buildings
- Locales: Norway
Characters Discussed
Halvard Solness, the master builder. Although he is no longer young, he is evidently attractive to women: His wife, Aline, his bookkeeper, Kaia Fosli, and Hilda Wangel, a young woman from a nearby village who had seen him only once ten years earlier, are all in love with him. Solness became successful after a tragedy, the death of his infant twin sons, caused him to turn from building churches to building houses. He has achieved success through working for Knut Brovik, whom he surpassed, put down, and now employs. He has two fears: fear of the younger...
[The entire page is 957 words long]
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