The Master Builder

Book excerpt: One of the great Norwegian playwright's most mysterious, symbolic, and lyrical dramas, The Master Builder concerns one Halvard Solness, an architect who in his youth had been ruthlessly ambitious, but now, in his later years, not only feels threatened by younger architects, but also fears the decay of his own creativity. In the course of the play, Solness becomes involved with a woman named Hilda Wangel, who is his muse and inspiration. Ironically, it is Hilda's fanatical belief in his greatness that precipitates the play's tragic end. Among the most original of Ibsen's works and one of the most frequently performed, The Master Builder is widely read by students of drama and literature as well as by general readers.