Bjørnstjerne Martinus Bjørnson, Kongen [The King]

Download PDF Add to Bookshelf Report an Error

This play explores the issues of constitutional monarchy from the perspective of a king who is sympathetic to socialist notions, but who is surrounded by courtiers and officials that have vested interests in resisting republicanism. At first the king is something of a Prince Hal: he indulges in a life of pleasure seeking, hoping that he would be able to dull his sense of the sharp contrast between his position and his ideals. His conscience, however, forces him to consider positive action, planning to transform the monarchy into something more consonant with contemporary demands. Although in spirit and ambition he is a Henry V, he is thwarted by prejudice, ignorance and tragedy.

The play is a curious mixture of genres: it contains elements of the masque, of melodrama, of realism, of

1229 words

Citation: Rees, Kathy. "Kongen". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 September 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35812, accessed 19 March 2024.]

35812 Kongen 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

If you need to create a new bookshelf to save this article in, please make sure that you are logged in, then go to your 'Account' here

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.