Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-12-09

'Iosr gynt' was written by Ibscn In 1S6
Tho third and last Of a trio Of drluau
POEMS. Loves Comedy" coming first "a
isl2 and Brandt in 1sGJ. IL was not
thought 20 be possible for the stage and
was not acted until nine years after Il was
written. when Il was given public perform
anoe az thusuania Ia 1850 Ii has since
been acted zoo several German cities MIR.
Mansfield is tho first English-s speaking actor
Co essay tho part, and ho prepared himself
the version he uses. "Peer Gynt Is a
trai comedy. tho story Of a mailman who
thought himself terribly sane. II deals with
three phases Of ths life OF Peer Gynt. as a
luaiy youth. AZ a prosp, rous middle aged
man and az broken down, aged and desti-
tuts wanderer. II IS really an allegory,
teaching by symbolism tho need of being
positive rather than a negative force in
N'H In the first scene Peer Gynt is a lusty
4 Ing vagabOnd, dlstracting his mother and
worrying the neghbors by his idle ways
and daredevil pranks. lie Is the butt oi
tho rustic wits for his faculty for lying
not exactly lying. but for telling tall tales
and making himself the hero Of them. He
s. always talking OF doing something great
IIs gets drunk At a wedding and meets
there maiden. SdveiR. who makes an i'm
preston on him. Tainted and jaered by the
jewellers. he steals the bride and carries her
away 20 n hut IN the mountains The next
Am0rnlug he drives her from him. although
he wants TO stay. A man-hunt pursues
Rcm. and he Is driven TO the inner recesses
~ the mountains. where he loses his way
Tho Great Hoyg "a supernatural voice.
warns him and he falls In a faint Here
the DovTe Kings Daughter finds him. and
he goes with her to the court Of her
father At the Dovre Kings court he is
welcomed. and is about TO be made one OF
4 The trolls. when he decides he cannot be
~1tue as one Of them. and they attack him
Tho prayers OF soveig and his mother save
him. and no awakens where he fell in the
sw0On in the forest Here he starts new
life and builds a hut. Here comes Solveg
20 share with him his life. He leads her
20 tho hut and Is about to Join her when
the Dovre Kings Daughter appears with an
inp, the offspring, she says Of Peer az the
result q hs visit TO her fathers court. This
pair turn him from Solveig, and he re-
turns to his mothers home, there to FIND
her dying. He tells her a fantastic tale as
she dies and then he fees. "faring far ovel
tho seas" In the second phase Of the poem
Peer L. rich and powerful and proposes set
ting himself Up as an emperor. Falls,
friends steal his yacht and his money, bu
he stu devotss himself TO folly. Years o.
wandering ensue and he Is finally reduced
% absolute want Then the third phas,
begins. lie Is on board ship bound agar
for home Here he meets a supernatura
visitor. and again his old selhshness get,
the better Of him. The ship IS wrecked ant
he alone Is saved Finally he reaches tn,
scenes Of his boyhood and makes his wal
% The hut where SOlveig has waited al
these years for him On HIS way he meet
the Devil, disguised as Parson. Annihila
ton. disguised az a Button MoIder, ant
his old friend the Troll King. fallen OF
evil days Tie eludes each OF these. say,
the Button Molder, whose questions he car
not answer. He discovers his beloved Sol
veis By the echo u her song. and fails int,
her arms, saved.