Plays: The Father; Countess Julie; The Outlaw; The Stronger | Page 7

were saying good bye forever, which proved
to be true, as they were divorced a year later. In 1896 he returned to
Sweden so broken in health through his tremendous wrestling with the
riddle of life that he went into the sanitorium of his friend, Dr. Aliasson
at Wstad. After two months he was sufficiently restored to go to
Austria, at the invitation of his divorced wife's family, to see his child.
Then back to Sweden, to Lund, a university town, where he lived solely
to absorb Swedenborg. By May of that year he was able to go to work
on "The Inferno," that record of a soul's nightmare, which in all
probability will remain unique in the history of literature. Then came
the writing of the great historical dramas, then the realistically
symbolic plays of Swedenborgian spirit, of which "Easter" is
representative, and the most popular.
When "Easter" was produced in Stockholm a young Norwegian,
Harriet Bosse, played Eleanora, the psychic, and in 1901 this young
actress became Strindberg's wife. This third marriage ended in divorce
three years later. In 1906, the actor manager, August Folk, produced
"Countess Julie" in Stockholm, seventeen years after it had been
written. To Strindberg's amazement, it won such tremendous attention
that the other theatres became deserted. In consequence of this success
an intimate theatre was founded for the production of none but
Strindberg's plays.
How he is estimated today in his own country may be judged by the
following extract from an article which appeared in a recent issue of the
leading periodical of Stockholm:
"For over thirty years he has dissected us from every point of view;

during that time his name has always been conspicuous in every
book-shop window and his books gradually push out the others from
our shelves; every night his plays are produced at the theatres; every
conversation turns on him, and his is the name the pigmies quarrel over
daily; the cry is heard that he has become hysterical, sentimental, out of
his mind, but the next one knows, he is robustness itself, and enduring
beyond belief, despite great need, enmity, sorrow. One hour one is
angry over some extravagance which he has allowed himself, the next
captivated by one of his plays, stirred, melted, strengthened and
uplifted by his sublime genius."

THE FATHER
CHARACTERS
A CAPTAIN OF CAVALRY LAURA, his wife BERTHA, their
daughter DOCTOR OSTERMARK THE PASTOR THE NURSE
NÖJD AN ORDERLY
THE FATHER
ACT I.
[The sitting room at the Captain's. There is a door a little to the right at
the back. In the middle of the room, a large, round table strewn with
newspapers and magazines. To right a leather-covered sofa and table.
In the right-hand corner a private door. At left there is a door leading to
the inner room and a desk with a clock on it. Gamebags, guns and other
arms hang on the walls. Army coats hang near door at back. On the
large table stands a lighted lamp.]
CAPTAIN [rings, an orderly comes in.]
ORDERLY. Yes, Captain.
CAPTAIN. Is Nöjd out there?

ORDERLY. He is waiting for orders in the kitchen.
CAPTAIN. In the kitchen again, is he? Send him in at once.
ORDERLY. Yes, Captain. [Goes.]
PASTOR. What's the matter now?
CAPTAIN. Oh the rascal has been cutting up with the servant-girl
again; he's certainly a bad lot.
PASTOR. Why, Nöjd got into the same trouble year before last, didn't
he?
CAPTAIN. Yes, you remember? Won't you be good enough to give
him a friendly talking to and perhaps you can make some impression
on him. I've sworn at him and flogged him, too, but it hasn't had the
least effect.
PASTOR. And so you want me to preach to him? What effect do you
suppose the word of God will have on a rough trooper?
CAPTAIN. Well, it certainly has no effect on me.
PASTOR. I know that well enough.
CAPTAIN. Try it on him, anyway.
[Nöjd comes in.]
CAPTAIN. What have you been up to now, Nöjd?
NÖJD. God save you, Captain, but I couldn't talk about it with the
Pastor here.
PASTOR. Don't be afraid of me, my boy.
CAPTAIN. You had better confess or you know what will happen.

NÖJD. Well, you see it was like this; we were at a dance at Gabriel's,
and then--then Ludwig said--
CAPTAIN. What has Ludwig got to do with it? Stick to the truth.
NÖJD. Yes, and Emma said "Let's go into the barn--"
CAPTAIN. --Oh, so it was Emma who led you astray, was it?
NÖJD. Well, not far from it. You know that unless the girl is willing
nothing ever happens.
CAPTAIN. Never mind all that: Are you the father of the child or not?
NÖJD. Who knows?
CAPTAIN. What's that? Don't you know?
NÖJD.