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An Enemy of the People

by Henrik Ibsen, Christopher Hampton (Translator)

3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 · rating details · 2,855 ratings · 139 reviews

An Enemy of the People concerns the actions of Doctor Thomas Stockmann, a medical officer charged with inspecting the public baths on which the prosperity of his native town depends. He finds the water to be contaminated. When he refuses to be silenced, he is declared an enemy of the people. Stockmann served as a spokesman for Ibsen, who felt that his plays gave a true, if

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paper, 144 pages

Published February 26th 1998 by Faber & Faber (first published 1882)

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May 01, 2007 علی rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: plays, modern-classic-drama

"دشمن مردم" مانیفست ایبسن بر ریاکاری کاسبکارانه و عوام فریبی سیاستمداران ست. "توماس استوکمان"، پزشکی ایده آلیست در نظر دارد از طریق شورای شهر، به وضع آلودگی آب آشامیدنی به فاضل آب، جلوگیری کند. فکر او با مخالفت شورای شهر و برادرش "پیتر استوکمان" که شهردار شهر است، روبرو می شود. آنها قصد دارند از طریق حمام های شهر و جلب توریست، به درآمدی بالا برسند که وضع اقتصادی شهر را از هر نظر روبراه می کند. دکتر به بهداشت و سلامت شهروندان می اندیشد و شهردار و شورای شهر می دانند که با تعطیل شدن موقت چشمه های آ...more "دشمن مردم" مانیفست ایبسن بر ریاکاری کاسبکارانه و عوام فریبی سیاستمداران ست. "توماس استوکمان"، پزشکی ایده آلیست در نظر دارد از طریق شورای شهر، به وضع آلودگی آب آشامیدنی به فاضل آب، جلوگیری کند. فکر او با مخالفت شورای شهر و برادرش "پیتر استوکمان" که شهردار شهر است، روبرو می شود. آنها قصد دارند از طریق حمام های شهر و جلب توریست، به درآمدی بالا برسند که وضع اقتصادی شهر را از هر نظر روبراه می کند. دکتر به بهداشت و سلامت شهروندان می اندیشد و شهردار و شورای شهر می دانند که با تعطیل شدن موقت چشمه های آب گرم، وضع اقتصادی شهر از این هم که هست بدتر می شود. دکتر خیال می کند با تضمین سلامت مردم شهر، کار بهتری صورت می دهد در حالی که دیگران به درآمد حاصله از چشمه های آب معدنی شهر می اندیشند. اگر آلودگی آب بر ملا شود، درآمد شهر هم مانند چشمه ها می خشکد. کار مشاجره بالا می گیرد و دکتر خوش باور مقاله ای می نویسد تا مردم را از واقعه خبردار کند اما از انتشار مقاله اش جلوگیری می شود. دکتر استوکمان وقتی بیشتر تعجب می کند که مردم شهر در نهایت بی خبری، یکی بعد از دیگری از او روی می گردانند و با رای شهردار و شورای شهر موافق می شوند، و به سادگی می پذیرند که دکتر استوکمان قصد نابودی شهر را دارد. کم کم خانواده ی دکتر هم از سرسختی او درباره ی آلودگی آب، تعجب می کنند و یکی یکی از او روی می گردانند. حمام ها آلوده اند و آثار تیفوئید و اسهال در چند نفر دیده می شود اما کمتر کسی به استدلال دکتر استوکمان توجه می کند. استوکمان تا آنجا بر سر حرف می ایستد که مانند ایده آلیستی مستبد، جامعه را آلوده می خواند که دارد خفه می شود، و می گوید جامعه را باید بکلی پاک کرد. او تصور می کند دلسوزی او بالاخره بر مردم آشکار می شود اما شهر او را "دشمن مردم" می خواند، به خانه اش هجوم می برند و دیگر در هیچ کجا آرامش نمی گذارند. هرچه دکتر استوکمان بر دلسوزی خود برای مردم شهر، بیشتر پافشاری می کند، تنهاتر می شود، حتی از او می خواهند به اشتباه خود اعتراف کند و از نظرش بازگردد تا توجه مردم را دوباره به سوی خود جلب کند. دشمن مردم توسط امیر حسین آریانپور به فارسی برگردانده شده (1338). یک ترجمه هم با نام "دشمن ملت" از محمدعلی جمال زاده در 1340 منتشر شده است.

آثار نمایشی هنریک ایبسن مانند زندگی اش پر از فراز و نشیب اند. برخی منتقدان او را به راستی ستوده اند و برخی هرگز آثارش را نپسندیدند. ایبسن به معنایی که دکتر امیر حسین آریانپور در کتاب "ایبسن آشوب گرای" نوشته، چه در زندگی و چه در آثارش یک آنارشیست جلوه می کند. با وجودی که گفته اند از شکسپیر به این سو دوران تراژدی بسر آمده، برخی از منتقدان بر این اعتقاداند که ایبسن تنها نمایش نامه نویسی ست که برخی از آثارش مانند اشباح و هداگابلر به تراژدی به معنای ارسطویی و شکسپیری آن نزدیک است. (less)

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Sep 01, 2011 Mike Jensen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This great work by Henrik Ibsen has become timely again. Just think of all the corporate lies about safe sources of energy and that the GOP wants to do away with the EPA, and you have a strong analog with the mineral bath business in this story (the water is contaminated and needs an EPA to shut it down). Ibsen’s is no simplistic tirade against greed or business. He remembers the cost to communities and individuals on all sides, and gives them due weight, but he comes down on the side of justice...more

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Aug 25, 2007 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The truth that this book pointed out to me and by the way this truth has yet to be proven wrong to me is that "the people" are fucking idiots. Individual persons can be so brilliant you can't believe it. The larger the mass of "people" the fucking dumber they get. "The people" will believe anything they are told regardless of how absurd. It's sad but very true. Take the state of New Jersey. We are continualy fucked by our elected officials. We cry and complain that we're being fucked every day....more

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Nov 08, 2012 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: decent-4-star

Anyone sick of party politics would probably like this book, as there are some fantastic quotes inside against them.

Personally I don't think it was one of the best of Ibsen's work, although looking at it form the viewpoint of the play being a rebuttal to the outrage over his play "Ghosts" makes it pretty funny. It is definitely one of his simpler plays, with one main story and nothing really winding off of it.

I'm not so fond of the characters, like Petra and Mrs. Stockmann, who seemed to bend to...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Emma Durham added it · review of another edition

I believe Henrik Ibsen's purpose for writing this book was to teach the reader to always stand up for what you believe is right. Though your opinion may not be the popular opinion, it is more important to live out what is inside you rather than the lies other people say. Just because a majority of people think one way that does not mean it is the only way. Never be afraid to say what is in your heart, even if that means you while experience ridicule. As Ibsen said, "The strongest man in the worl...more I believe Henrik Ibsen's purpose for writing this book was to teach the reader to always stand up for what you believe is right. Though your opinion may not be the popular opinion, it is more important to live out what is inside you rather than the lies other people say. Just because a majority of people think one way that does not mean it is the only way. Never be afraid to say what is in your heart, even if that means you while experience ridicule. As Ibsen said, "The strongest man in the world is he who stands the most alone." Expressing one's idea and being alone doing it only makes you a stronger in the end.

Quite a few themes could be associated with this play, But betrayal and self pride are the ones I most widely observed. Throughout the story Dr. Thomas Stockman became an enemy of the city because of his belief he has of the government. Many had his back at first, but then they decided they would rather follow what society says is right than follow what they think is correct. This is where pride comes in. People, such as Hovstad and Aslaksen, wanted to take pride in themselves and did not want to lose it over a silly mistake. So instead of supporting Dr. Stockman, who happened to be their good friend, they decided to instead follow the other citizens and government in the town. That way they would not be ridiculed for their decisions and could still have pride in themselves, as well as, others having pride in them.

I believe this story was a description, though it could also fall under the narration category. But, I think it is more so description because it tells of a specific time in Dr. Stockman's life. I could feel the tension among the towns people grow while reading the play and I felt as if all the betraying and arguments were happening around me.

I enjoyed this book greatly. Ibsen made the story seem very realistic and I felt that I was in the middle of the story with it occurring around me. The plot of the book was so simple I thought it would be boring before I began to read it. But, Ibsen made me feel for the characters and I could tell from scene one what each character was like. I liked how when he wrote he got straight to the point he was trying to accomplish and didn't draw things out. With a story so short, Ibsen incorporated symbols, hope, and made the reader think what his or her beliefs are in just a short amount of pages.
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Sep 09, 2012 Khrystyna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: plays, 2012-reads

I felt that is that this play is relevant in every European municipality, and is not at all outdated. Here the central character is faced with the dilemma of acting in the interest of health rather than the town's mayor's interests when , as the health inspector of the town's Baths, he discovers that the water pipes are causing users of the Baths to fall ill. Although the Mayor, who happens to be his brother, declares that there is too little evidence for the Baths to be officially declared to b...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Matt Luedke rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read a translation by Arthur Miller, and though it goes by pretty quickly it sticks with you for a long time. It has a touch of humor, but is a mostly serious look at how the truth, especially when it comes to environmental issues, can sometimes be in no one's political favor. "Inconvenient," if you will.

This was written in 1882, 70 years before choloroflourocarbons started messing with the ozone layer, 100 years before climate change was starting to be taken seriously-- then dropped because o...more

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Dec 06, 2009 Steve rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: plays

I'm going to need some time to digest this one. But here are some preliminary thoughts.

I guess this is an example of something I realized this year: that it is better to be completely ignorant of the details of an author's life in order to fully appreciate his or her work. Knowing that Dr. Stockmann is essentially the mouthpiece of Ibsen ruined it for me because it took away the complexity and tension I felt about his reliability. To illustrate: Dr. S yells a lot, is completely alone in his opin...more I'm going to need some time to digest this one. But here are some preliminary thoughts.

I guess this is an example of something I realized this year: that it is better to be completely ignorant of the details of an author's life in order to fully appreciate his or her work. Knowing that Dr. Stockmann is essentially the mouthpiece of Ibsen ruined it for me because it took away the complexity and tension I felt about his reliability. To illustrate: Dr. S yells a lot, is completely alone in his opinion and is not willing to entertain the idea that he is mistaken. His antagonist and brother, Peter S is calm, lucid, yet if Dr. S is right then Peter S is completely deluded. This is some nice complication if you don't know that Ibsen is just dissing his haters through Dr. S. [Side note: people who worry about "haters" are usually untalented or just petty people. I really can't sympathize with someone like that--it's hard for me to get into a work like this.]

My point here is that our hero doesn't exactly seem like the kind of guy who is telling the truth, rather, he says crazy things (moral relativist things like "Truths live maybe twenty years." and the downright insane "The strongest man is the one who is most alone"). I kept imagining what the great Chesterton would have said upon reading this crap.

Here's what he said in Heretics (a much better book than En Folkefiende): "The thing which is resented, and, as I think, rightly resented, in that great modern literature of which Ibsen is typical, is that while the eye that can perceive what are the wrong things increases in an uncanny and devouring clarity, the eye which sees what things are right is growing mistier and mistier every moment, till it goes almost blind with doubt. If we compare, let us say, the morality of the DIVINE COMEDY with the morality of Ibsen's GHOSTS, we shall see all that modern ethics have really done. No one, I imagine, will accuse the author of the INFERNO of an Early Victorian prudishness or a Podsnapian optimism. But Dante describes three moral instruments--Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell, the vision of perfection, the vision of improvement, and the vision of failure. Ibsen has only one--Hell. It is often said, and with perfect truth, that no one could read a play like GHOSTS and remain indifferent to the necessity of an ethical self-command. That is quite true, and the same is to be said of the most monstrous and material descriptions of the eternal fire. It is quite certain the realists like Zola do in one sense promote morality--they promote it in the sense in which the hangman promotes it, in the sense in which the devil promotes it. But they only affect that small minority which will accept any virtue of courage. Most healthy people dismiss these moral dangers as they dismiss the possibility of bombs or microbes. Modern realists are indeed Terrorists, like the dynamiters; and they fail just as much in their effort to create a thrill. Both realists and dynamiters are well-meaning people engaged in the task, so obviously ultimately hopeless, of using science to promote morality."

The complexity of the play comes from the absurdity of Ibsen's ideals. Ibsen is a didactic poet, it seems. I have only read 2 of his plays so far, but both are heavy-handed and preachy, which makes for good preaching but bad literature. Ibsen's plays are interesting if you don't know anything about him or the (mocking weepy voice) cruel, terrible Victorians, however, because the plays could easily be read in such a way as to seem satirical of the ideas they present: A Doll's House is a woman's brave self-exile/suicide in the name of selfishness and En Folkefiende, the story of one man being right (but of course, that's only TODAY's truth, it will be wrong in 20 years) and everyone else being wrong (again, only for now). Is this play more incoherent than snobbish? This is something I must digest.

I was initially intrigued with the parallels between Dr. Stockmann's predicament and the global warming deniers of today. The play doesn't tend to focus on cognitive dissonance so much after Act II, when it is unfortunately dominated by Stockmann's insane preaching. I wish Ibsen had stuck to the psychological motivations of people risking their own safety, or explored the possibility that Dr. S really was wrong in his assessment of the baths.

I also didn't quite understand why his father in law spent his inheritance on stock. Maybe someone can explain that to me; it seemed to just happen "conveniently"--as soon as the inheritance was mentioned (in the last act, no less), it is given away. If someone would explain that to me that would be great.

More than the play, though, I am enjoying the reviews of it on this website. "People are fucking stupid," one says. Really? Of what species is the author of this review? It's fantastic how we all make ourselves feel better by assuming we are above average and how to a liberal the world is dangerously conservative, while that same world to a conservative is wildly liberal and libertine. Yes, people are stupid, generally, but I have to include myself and Ibsen in that category. It is not smart people who rant about stupid people; it is stupid people. Smart people just move on with their lives because they have better things to worry about. Oh, look, I'm starting to rant about stupid people!

Oh, and if anybody tells you that everyone in the world is wrong except them, they are insane.
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Aug 27, 2009 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009-reading-journal

I'm at once reminded of my college studies in epidemiology, where John Snow discovered the source of cholera being contaminated waters. I wanted to scream at the people to listen to the doctor. He knows what he's talking about.

And how true it is that just because the masses agree on something, doesn't make it right.............there are definitely more idiots in this world than intelligent people. Or maybe there are a few more intelligent people, but they choose to act like idiots for reasons o...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Corey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'll admit that I don't typically read plays, but this one was required reading for school and I must say, I really enjoyed it. Took me all of two days to read the thing.

Miller's adaptation of Ibsen's play tells the story of a Dutch scientist who discovers that town's water supply (said to have magical healing powers and is thus a tourist attraction) is poisoned. The town wants the scientist, Dr. Stockmann to shut up about it. Stockmann won't, even when everyone else is against him, and conclud...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Smcleish rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned

Originally published on my blog here in December 2003.

In most of his plays, Ibsen's major concern seems to be the depiction of hypocrisy. It is possible to expand this obvious idea into something which is an important part of even more of his works - he was interested in the relationship between the public and private aspects of people's personalities. Thus in Peer Gynt, the central character is unable to repress his inner childlikeness and rebels against developing an outer shell of an acceptab...more Originally published on my blog here in December 2003.

In most of his plays, Ibsen's major concern seems to be the depiction of hypocrisy. It is possible to expand this obvious idea into something which is an important part of even more of his works - he was interested in the relationship between the public and private aspects of people's personalities. Thus in Peer Gynt, the central character is unable to repress his inner childlikeness and rebels against developing an outer shell of an acceptable adult; Hedda Gabler, in the play bearing her name, is similarly unwilling to accept the changes society requires of her as a newly married woman; and in Brand an iron hard Puritan begins with his inner and outer selves in harmony but has his certainty chipped away by the events that unfold in the play. In An Enemy of the People, however, the central character is one whose inner and outer selves are the same and remain so throughout, while the hypocrites around him seek to make him compromise and then, when he refuses, try to destroy him and his reputation.

Dr Stockmann lives in a provincial Norwegian town (they continued to provide the setting for many of Ibsen's plays even after he moved to Italy), and was one of the main instigators of a plan to build a therapeutic baths, turning the town into a (hopefully soon to be fashionable) spa. The baths have recently been completed, but Stockmann has learnt that cost-cutting in the building has meant that the water supply is contaminated. For the long term good of the town, he wants to see the baths closed down and the water supply improved before a patient becomes seriously ill, causing a scandal. However, the leading men of the town refuse to listen, thinking only of the short term financial damage this would cause. (They are not so much to blame for this as a modern audience might think, as the idea of disease carrying bacteria invisible to the naked eye was far less well established in 1882, and was probably something of a novelty to a provincial capitalist.)

Of all the characters in Ibsen's plays, Stockmann is the one most frequently cited as a self-portrait. There are certainly many aspects of the character which match up with Ibsen's perception of himself. An example is the best known line from the play ("The minority is always right"), in which Stockmann declares that he will always be in the minority not to say that he is contrary in nature but that he is the kind of progressive who is always ahead of the majority, so that he will have moved on by the time they have caught up with his views. In fact, Ibsen apparently deliberately made the character of this man who was to put forward his own ideas as unlike himself as possible to increase the impact of what he says; he is, for example, exuberant where Ibsen himself was rather melancholic.

The play itself was wrtten in part as a response to the criticism heaped upon Ghosts, his previous drama, which had provoked a scandal that created the dramatist's international reputation. In An Enemy of the People, Ibsen turns what he considered the rotten centre of bouregois Norway into the metaphor or symbol or the corruption polluting the baths which are heralded as the heart of the town's future. Much of the central act, a town meeting addressed by Stockmann, was inspired by a particular remark made by fellow dramatist Bjornsen in a criticism of Ghosts, that the "majority always has right on its side".

This particular translation is one of the series made under the auspices of Ibsen fanatic William Archer, who oversaw the first English publications of many if not all of Ibsen's plays. (Indeed, several of the original Norwegian language versions were first published by Archer, so that Ibsen could take advantage of the British participation in international copyright treaties that Norway was not yet party to.) Many of these translations now appear stilted and wordy, but this one is still remarkably easy to read. I'm not sure it would work so well on the stage, since readability and performability are two quite different things. (less)

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May 09, 2012 Dora Okeyo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is a course text for high school students in Kenya now- and I often heard my Mom make references to it and the main character Dr. Stockmann, plenty of times.
When I started reading it- the pace and also the concern of the characters got me thinking and asking the same questions that he does- 'if something is wrong, should I keep murm about it, all because a bunch of people benefit from it-in the name of society or community well being?'
This is the first book I have read written by Henri...more

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Aug 17, 2009 Mirjam Haenen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A very 'up-to-date' book. So interesting to read that norms and values from the past still apply to our day to day lives. I got a litte bit depressed to read how one man that really want to do the right thing, stands so alone is his battle. At the end it is money, security and power that determines the way the majority of people act. I can only hope that there will be more and more enemies of the people, because it is actually these free-thinking, honoust and non-selfish people that want the bes...more

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Aug 04, 2009 Stine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wow! The book is so dynamic!Both in action, but also because your reading a dialog. So angry, so enthusiastic and so up to date! I want to read more Ibsen!

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Apr 30, 2012 Blanche rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: plays

As my theatre company was trying to decide what our next shows would be, one of the group suggested An Enemy of the People by Ibsen. Ibsen is, of course, best known for A Doll House and Ghosts, as well as for his fierce discussions of human rights, morality, and interpersonal relationships. Enemy takes place in a small town that is just discovering prosperity through the creation of a holistic spa. When the spa's doctor, a blunt and short-tempered man, discovers infection in the waters that is a...more As my theatre company was trying to decide what our next shows would be, one of the group suggested An Enemy of the People by Ibsen. Ibsen is, of course, best known for A Doll House and Ghosts, as well as for his fierce discussions of human rights, morality, and interpersonal relationships. Enemy takes place in a small town that is just discovering prosperity through the creation of a holistic spa. When the spa's doctor, a blunt and short-tempered man, discovers infection in the waters that is actually causing sickness among patrons of the spa, he must go up against his brother, the mayor, and an entire town that would rather label him a liar and "enemy of the people" than lose their cash cow. It's a story of corporate greed and coverups from the 1800s. Extremely topical for this age. I found myself frequently outraged while reading, which, I guess, means that the play did its job!

I actually read 2 different translations of this: one in my large Ibsen anthology, and this one (better termed an "adaptation", I think) by Arthur Miller. And I have to say that despite the more formal language used by the translator for the first edition, I really think I preferred it to Miller's version. Miller has a very distinctive voice as a playwright, a voice that I found interfered with my enjoyment of Ibsen's voice. He also made a number of odd changes to the text itself (in the frequent manner of American artists taking on foreign-language works from across the pond). Names were changed; the play was shortened to 3 acts from 5; stage directions were added in, clearly to indicate what Miller specifically felt was the tone of each scene. And, strangest of all, the entire tone of the final scene was changed, both through added stage directions and tweaked lines, to make it a far less triumphant ending.

I think I am too much of a literary purist when it comes to plays to enjoy this particular edition, although I do think I would have enjoyed seeing a production of it. I certainly never have a problem with Shakespeare productions that make edits or cuts or discover new tonal possibilities in the text. But this was like someone putting up a production of Hamlet that was chopped and changed, and then printing and selling the script as Shakespeare's Hamlet. You're no longer really reading Shakespeare's play. And that's what I felt here. I wasn't reading Ibsen; I was reading Miller. And that is a very different experience, and not the one I had been looking to have in reading this play.

At the end of the day, I feel like that productions may play, but the published text needs to be eternal (or at the very least edited by the playwright him/herself). And that marred my enjoyment of the Miller translation.(less)

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Sep 22, 2009 Sandhya rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ibsen's An Enemy of the People is more an idea than anything else. The play was the author's response to the public outcry that his previous work, Ghosts was met with. Ibsen was deeply pained and penned down this particular play that stressed on how the majority is more often than not, always wrong. The exchanges are interesting, but it's obvious that the author was writing it to make a point . I didn't enjoy it all that much as a play. It starts off well and then just meanders a lot. In Ibsen's...more

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Aug 01, 2011 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An excellent book for discussion groups. Which brother is "right"? The one who says the community baths (basically the only source of income for the city) is polluted and needs to be shut down to protect people's health or the other who says that there is not even hard evidence that the baths are a health risk and wants to keep them open? People in the city sway with whoever has the power at the moment. Does this play echo the tyranny of government over the people? Are compromises expected of th...more

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May 15, 2013 Ahmad Abugosh rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you like stories that force you to question how much you are willing to sacrifice for your beliefs, this play is for you. The story is about a doctor in a town in Norway who discovers that the town water supply is polluted. However, his brother the mayor doesn't want him to let the public know, because he's scared of the potential political and economical backlash. The doctor takes a heroic stance, and puts his convictions, his career and his family on the line for what he believes in. It is...more

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Jun 21, 2012 Virginia Ullrich-serna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Just re read this play for the first time since High School. I still see it as a man ahead of his time trying to fix a problem while everyone else just sees him as an alarmist and/or a quack. Dr Stockman fights against everyone in the town to prove that the mineral spring that the town relies on for income is being contaminated with bacteria. Since this is in the 1800s, no matter how he tries to explain bacteria the general populace and even some of the more educated people do not want to believ...more

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Apr 28, 2013 Phil rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

This play, an adaptation of a play by Henrik Ibsen, was written well enough to be compelling, but it suffered, in my opinion, from its brevity and simplicity. The characters and events, while believable in a broad sense, did not have a chance to unfold into a convincing narrative. As with any short play, the dialogue and events do not beat around the bush, and as a result, you have to suspend a certain amount of disbelief at people's unlikely actions. The play's main focus from the beginning is...more

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Dec 14, 2011 Vixen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

SPOILERS SPOILERS AND MORE SPOILERS:
i hated this until i got towards the end. the plot is literally "someone poisoned the water hole" just like woody says in toy story. it made me laugh a ton.
but near the end, i was GLUED. i like my justice and i was just blown away by how no one cared about how they were being poisoned as well as anyone else who came there. ive written a few papers on it so i wont go too deep into it. but basically the reason i didnt really like it was because the ending sucked...more

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May 11, 2012 Nazila Khalkhali rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

داستان کتاب درباره ی شهری است با دریاچه ای که مردم برای شفا از آن استفاده میکنند. دکتری که در این شهر زندگی میکند به یک باره متوجه میشود که آب آلوده است و استفاده از آن برای مردم خطر دارد. طبیعتاٌ اول خیلی از اهالی مثل شهردار و خبرنگار شهر از این خبر هیجان زده میشوند و سعی میکنند تا جایی که میشود خبر رسانی کنند ولی وقتی کار به آن جا میکشد که منافع تمام شهر به خطر میفتد و اگر بیش تر از آن خبر رسانی کنند تمام مردم شهر از نان خوردن میفتند (چون اقتصاد تمام شهر وابسته به رفت و آمد گردشگرانی است که بر...more

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Aug 28, 2008 Sonya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An Enemy of the People is a thought-provoking drama centered around the idea of truth. I was a little confused at first because the play throws you right into the middle of the characters lives, but the story soon gripped me, and I couldn't put it down. It is a vivid account of a man striving to uphold the truth at any cost without the power and influence on his side. He stands against those who hold the power in the town. Various other townspeople who originally back him each come to a crossroa...more

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May 04, 2012 Hank Lin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Oh Thomas!" "Father!" Somewhat awful ending aside, the precursor to Jaws can't be all bad (some would argue that, with the right translation, it's even good). It runs a difficult course, though, that while Ibsen presents dynamic ideas and scenarios, he sometimes leaves behind character. Nonetheless, dynamic ideas and scenarios chock fill the play, including a personal favorite, "The majority is always wrong! The minority is always right!" You don't know the half of it, brother.

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Jan 10, 2013 Erin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What I like most about this play is how clearly Ibsen (and Miller, in the version I read) shows us that no man is completely right or wrong. Of course the townspeople want lower taxes and a good reputation for their town. Of course the doctor wants healthy patients and a big discovery to his name. No one in this play is free from ego, everyone wants to keep what they feel is theirs. What surprised me most about it is how "timely" it seems, even though it was first performed in 1882. Amazing.

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Jan 22, 2012 Sowmya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Again, its the beauty of this simple, yet realistic narration that captivated me.
Although its written 130 years ago, its a Timeless classic!

Twp gems from Dr Stockmann:
"These “majority truths” are like last year’s cured meat—like rancid, tainted ham; and they are the origin of the moral scurvy that is rampant in our communities." (Act 4)

"Let me tell you—that the strongest man in the world is he who stands most alone."
(Act 5)

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Aug 28, 2008 Rakitha rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anybody who loves AMAZING plays

Recommended to Rakitha by: charlottesville high school

I REALLY liked this play. Everything was great. I especially liked how the author made the doctor and the mayor brothers which built even more tention between them over the baths, becuase it was a brother to brother feud, like Mufasa and Scar in the Lion King (another example of a brother to brother feud). Making the doctor and the mayor brothers made the book more interesting because you would think that there would be brotherly love between them (and there was some) but they still didn't stop...more

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Mar 01, 2013 Cheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: play

I loved this play. The majority isn't always right, but money trumps all sensibilities. There are so many times in history when people are complicit in allowing some wrong to continue for the sake of tradition, money, status: Jim Crow Laws, Nazi's and on and on. Even now, what about global warming and Al Gore? Only time will tell how right he may have been.

I would recommend everyone read it (it's an easy read.)

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Aug 25, 2008 Ben rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ibsen's An Enemy Of The People is an incredible play. Not only does it benefit from controversial and questions that aren't easy to answer, the play draws upon sheer passion and emotion that Ibsen felt after scathing reviews for an earlier work of his. The raw anger lashes out through the pages and can be felt, even over a century later. The social decline of main character Dr. Thomas Stockmann is disheartening and yet so gripping to read. The courageous and uncompromising end stands up to demo...more

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Dec 19, 2012 Varsha Seshan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The portrayal of characters in this drama is impressive. The plot flows so smoothly that every section is believable, raising questions about the value of democracy, and the ease with which the 'compact majority' can be swayed. I loved the rapidness with which tables are turned more than once, making each character stronger and that much more believable.

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About Henrik Ibsen

Henrik Johan Ibsen was a major Norwegian playwright largely responsible for the rise of modern realistic drama. He is often referred to as the "father of modern drama." Ibsen is held to be the greatest of Norwegian authors and one of the most important playwrights of all time, celebrated as a national symbol by Norwegians.

His plays were considered scandalous to many of his era, when Victorian valu...more

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Books by Henrik Ibsen

Four Major Plays: A Doll's House / Ghosts / Hedda Gabler / The Master Builder

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Quotes from An Enemy of the People

“You see, the point is that the strongest man in the world is he who stands most alone.” — 74 people liked it

“The majority is never right. Never, I tell you! That's one of these lies in society that no free and intelligent man can help rebelling against. Who are the people that make up the biggest proportion of the population -- the intelligent ones or the fools?” — 56 people liked it

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