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[english]ACT SUMMARIES WITH NOTES
Act I
Summary
The play opens in the evening in Dr. Stockmann's sitting room. The doctor is seated at the dining table, and his wife is serving him. Peter Stockmann, the Burgomaster (mayor) and Dr. Stockmann's brother, enters wearing an overcoat and an official gold-laced cap. When Mrs. Stockmann invites him to stay for dinner, he politely declines, saying he prefers economical tea, bread, and butter to roast beef. Mrs. Stockmann responds by saying they are not spendthrifts.
Hovstad, the editor of the local newspaper, enters and greets the Burgomaster. He tells him that he has come to collect an article from Dr. Stockmann for the People's Messenger. The Burgomaster, in an expansive mood, talks with Hovstad about the baths, around which the whole life of the town centers; the mayor feels that the baths have brought about an economic transformation for the citizens. Visitors, especially invalids, come to the baths in large numbers. The Burgomaster declares that with the visitors "money has come into circulation and has brought life and momentum with it."
Hovstad points out that Dr. Stockmann is really the creator of the baths. The Burgomaster, who is the Chairman of the Baths Committee, resents this remark. He wants the editor of the paper to know that he has also played an active role in constructing the baths. Mrs. Stockmann, the diplomat, wisely suggests that Peter and Thomas Stockmann can share the honors, like brothers.
Dr. Stockmann, who has gone out for a walk with his sons, returns; he brings with him another visitor, Captain Horster. The doctor invites his brother Peter to have a drink with them. The Burgomaster says haughtily, "I never join in drinking parties." It is apparent that Peter does not particularly like Dr. Stockmann, especially not his jovial nature. He also resents the doctor's "extravagant" life style. The Stockmann brothers had led a hard life and had lived for a long while on starvation wages. Now Dr. Stockmann wants to live in style, surrounded by "bright, cheerful, freedom-loving, hard-working young fellows like Hovstad, Horster and others."
The Burgomaster asks his brother about the article he has written on the baths for the newspaper, but Dr. Stockmann does not give any details. His refusal to discuss the article upsets the Burgomaster, who insists that in "a well-ordered community the individual must subordinate himself to the society, or, more precisely to the authorities whose business it is to watch over the welfare of the society." With these words, the Burgomaster walks out in an angry mood.
After Peter's departure, the others sit round sipping cocktails and chatting. Captain Horster says that he intends to sail to America soon and will miss the election of the Town Council. Horster candidly admits that he does not care or understand anything about politics; he does, however, take an interest in news that has public interest. Hovstad feels that Dr. Stockmann's article will be of interest to the public and is eager to receive it from the doctor; however, Stockmann asks him to defer the publication of the article, for he is awaiting an important report pertaining to the baths.
Petra, Stockmann's daughter, returns from the school where she teaches and hands over the eagerly awaited letter to her father. Dr. Stockmann reads the letter in his study and then rejoins the others in a triumphant mood. He declares that the baths are not healthy places, but a poisonous and "pestiferous hole." He claims that the water in the baths is contaminated by the filth from the mill. The letter he has just received has confirmed his suspicions. During the last year, the doctor had noticed that many of his patients had fallen ill after visiting the baths, suffering both from typhoid and gastric attacks. His tests of the water showed them to be contaminated; as a result, he sent samples to the University for analysis. Their analysis confirmed the presence of "putrefying organic matter in the water - millions of infusoria." The water is dangerous to one's health whether used internally or externally. Hovstad seeks Dr. Stockmann's permission to put a short announcement about the discovery in the Messenger. Billing suggests that there should be a torchlight procession in honor of the doctor for his discovery.
Dr. Stockmann wants to get rid of the contamination by re-laying all the water pipes. It was his brother, the Burgomaster, who had played an active role in laying the incorrect pipes. The doctor seems happy to have caught his brother in a mistake. The act ends on a light note when Dr. Stockmann puts both his arms round his wife's neck and whirls her around with him.
Notes
Act I is largely introductory in nature. The two main characters, Dr. Stockmann and his brother, Peter the Burgomaster, are presented on stage and developed. The Burgomaster, a restless bachelor, obviously resents his brother's success; he comments that he would rather dine economically on bread and butter than on extravagant roast beef. It is further learned that the Burgomaster is a representative of the Old World order and fears a person who asserts his individuality. Additionally, he believes it is the duty of the authorities to watch over the welfare of society. Proud and power-hungry, Peter Stockmann does not want to give up any of his authority as Burgomaster.
Dr. Stockman is a real contrast to his brother. Although he has suffered a hard life like Peter, the doctor refuses to let his past haunt him. He has become a successful and jovial doctor who likes to live in style and be surrounded by young, bright people with liberal views. He particularly enjoys the company of Hovstad, the editor of a daily newspaper, and Horster, captain of a ship. Politically, he is conscientious and believes in protecting the welfare of society, no matter the cost.
The seeds of the conflict are also introduced in this act, as it becomes apparent that there are problems between the two Stockmann brothers. First, Dr. Stockmann does not confide in his brother, a fact that the Burgomaster resents. Secondly, although the idea of the baths was conceived by Dr. Stockmann, his brother wants credit for implementing the scheme, for he is Chairman of the Baths Committee. When the Burgomaster learns that his brother has written an article about the baths for the newspaper, he wants to know the contents. When Dr. Stockmann refuses to let him see the article or even be told what it is about, Peter is quite irritated. The Burg-master then becomes furious at his brother's refusal to consult him on a matter of public importance.[/english]
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