An Enemy of the People

Ibsen, considered to be the father of modern drama, was a Norwegian playwright. He is responsible for "realistic drama." During the Victorian era Ibsen's ritings were considered scandalous. John Gabriel Borkman is based on an incident in Ibsen's life. An army officer attempted suicide after being charged with embezzlement. The Borkman family fortunes have been brought low by the imprisonment of John Gabriel who used his position as a bank manager to illegally speculate with his investors' money. The setting for the play is a family in conflict over the future of the young Erhart Borkman.