KEY LITERARY ELEMENTS

SETTING

An Enemy of the People is set in a provincial town of Norway. It depicts the life of Scandinavian people in the remote northeast of Europe. In the play, Ibsen portrays small-town politics in the last quarter of the nineteenth century.

LIST OF CHARACTERS

Major

Dr. Thomas Stockmann - medical officer of the Baths who discovers the contamination of the baths and fights to have it corrected.

Peter Stockmann - the Burgomaster (or the Mayor) and the doctor's elder brother. He is Chairman of the Baths Committee and opposes correcting the contamination problem, claiming it is too costly.

Hovstad - editor of the People's Messenger. He is a hypocrite who easily switches his opinion to side with the popular viewpoint. His main concern is printing stories that will sell the newspaper.

Aslaksen - the financier of the newspaper. He is the representative of the compact majority, serving as the Chairman of the Homeowners' Association and the Temperance Society. His is known for his views on moderation.

Morten Kiil - Dr. Stockmann's father-in-law who owns the tannery that has contaminated the baths.

Mrs. Stockmann - the doctor's wife who loves and supports her husband.

Petra - the doctor's daughter, who is a teacher.

Eilif, Morten - the doctor's sons, thirteen and ten years old respectively.

Horster - a ship's captain who offers his house for the citizens meeting. He is the only citizen, outside the family, who stands by Dr. Stockmann.

Billing - a member on the staff of the People's Messenger.

Participants in a citizens' meeting

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