37. Note. Ibsen as a tragedian

In the February issue of the journal "Bühne und Welt", an essay by Johann Hertzberg (Stockholm, freely translated by E. Brausewetter) was published on "Ibsen as a tragedian". It appears to be an important chapter in modern dramaturgy. The author explains that in traditional aesthetics a distinction is made between three types of tragedy: tragedies of fate, in which the fate is controlled by supernatural or mystical powers; tragedies of character, in which the hero's fate depends on his own character; tragedies of situation, in which the catastrophe is a necessary consequence of certain general human conditions. None of these three types is strictly defined in Ibsen's work. His tragedies - and Hertzberg sees Ibsen as a poet of tragedy - show a mixture of styles. They can be categorized partly as one type and partly as another. - Although not in a completely clear way, Hertzberg nevertheless points out that this is a consequence of the world view resulting from modern knowledge. Today, we cannot recognize the existence of fate. Where a naïve mind sees such a thing, natural laws exist for us. Thus, for us, the two ideas of fate and the necessary connection resulting from the situations flow into one another. Let us take a look at the "ghosts". The tragic follows from the situation with natural necessity. "Mrs. Alving and Oswald are placed in a generally human, tragic situation, which is based on the insoluble contradiction between man's urge for full freedom and self-confidence and his helpless inferiority under the terrible and inexorable laws of heredity. On the other hand, they are very reminiscent of the ancient tragedy of fate. - They have no guilt upon them that can explain such a terrible fate." - This "can explain" is not complete. The explanation cannot be a moral one, but it is in the fullest sense of the word a natural law one. Because he transforms the artistic styles flowing from the old worldviews in the sense of the modern worldview: that is why Ibsen is so close to us. - We should therefore not speak, as Hertzberg does, of a mixture of the old types and styles; we should rather speak of the creation of a completely new kind of tragedy: the tragedy that results from the necessity of nature. When Hertzberg says: "In our time we have come to the realization that it is not a single factor that determines fate, but many together", we must add: They work together in the sense of nature, in which every fact arises from the interaction of many elements. The older world views were not based on this experience, but on a preconceived opinion that made any one of the factors - fate, character, situation - stand out in particular.