Leonardo

Thematic Structure of Strindberg's 'A Dream Play'

Author(s): Barbara Lipman-Wulf
Source: Leonardo, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Autumn, 1974), pp. 319-323
Published by: The MIT Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1573061 .
Accessed: 06/02/2015 04:13
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

The MIT Press and Leonardo are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to
Leonardo.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 132.174.255.3 on Fri, 6 Feb 2015 04:13:40 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Leonardo,Vol. 7, pp. 319-323. Pergamon Press 1974. Printed in Great Britain

THEMATIC STRUCTURE
OF
DREAM
'A
STRINDBERG'S

PLAY'

BarbaraLipman-Wulf*
Abstract-The authordiscusseswith the help of diagramsthe thematicstructureof August
Strindberg'sdramaA Dream Play, in whichshe finds two dominantthemes. One, typified
by consecutivechangesof place, is moreeasily noted throughthe wanderingsof the heroine.
Theother theme,given by consecutivechangeat a place is, althoughmoresignificantin the
play, less obvious. The heroine, a deity, descends upon the Earth, pursues an earthly
existence at variousplaces and then ascends to Heaven. The author cites Strindberg's
use of symbolismand finds that he achieves a well-balancedstructureby designing the
consecutivechanges as substantiallyequal entities.
The author concludeswith a discussion,based on the Prologue of the play, of the use
of languageto reveal the heroine'smood in confrontingdifferentsituationson the Earth.
By the appropriatechoice of words her spiritualstrengthis shown to decline in the first
part of the play and mount in the secondpart counterto the rise andfall of her physical
being.

__
I. INTRODUCTION

semblance of an outer shell that contains interacting and changing images to reproduce ' . . . the
disunited-although apparently logical-form of
dreams' [4]. The play is undramatic as a whole,
because none of its components is dominant. For
example, controlled understatements and emphatic
exclamations all seem to balance. Such components, like the cells in the body, seem to contribute
more or less equally to the formation of a stable
major unit. The equilibrium achieved resembles
Plato's notion of the formation of the world and
of its continued functioning based on elements in
constant interplay [5]. (He referred to it as 'disequilibrium'.) While there is overall equilibrium,
scenic subunits, such as the marriage quarrel, are
ratherforceful. The situation is much as in chemical
equilibrium: 'on the macroscopic level, the equilibrium state is, by definition, a static state .... But
on the submicroscopic level ... a dynamic steady
state in which reactants and products disappear as
fast as they are formed' [6].

August Strindberg, like Wolfgang Goethe, was

actively interested in the visual arts, science and
philosophy. In The Red Room [1] Strindberg describes his youthful artistic ambitions and his
Inferno [2] partly shows his identification with
Goethe's Faustian spirit. He tells about his unsuccessful alchemical experiments to make gold in
a Paris hotel room, where he barely escaped the
fate of Faust by injuring his hand so badly that he
had to be hospitalized.
Strindberg wrote A Dream Play toward the end
of his life in 1902 when married to his third wife,
the Norwegian actress Harriet Bosse. She inspired
and first acted the role of Indra's Daughter, a
goddess who experiences mortal existence on the
Earth under the name of Agnes and the play marks
the culmination of the author's artistic inclinations.
It treats a careful and well-balanced sampling of
human types. Although it is typical of the naturalistic drama then in vogue, it especially emphasizes
a concern for structural aspects and a painterly
interweaving of scenery. Strindberg's mystical
bent is obvious. The play, perhaps the most
puzzling of Strindberg's dramatic works, presented
a new style for drama [3].

B. Change of place and change at a place

Just as a rhombus when viewed steadily can
cause a visual illusion as to its depiction of one of
several surfaces in space, so does A Dream Play
give one a sense of a constantly shifting theme.
Indeed this was, I believe, the author's intention
in the play [7, 8].
It has two themes whose patterns, however, are
not equally strongly conveyed. I call the first the
'consecutive change of place' theme and the second
the 'consecutive change at a place theme'. Underlying these is a third abstract theme in which the
wanderings of Agnes symbolize dreaming; this
theme is not amenable to diagrammatic analysis.

II. STRUCTURAL PATTERNS

A. Structural equilibrium
The overall structureof traditional Western plays
is not found in A Dream Play. There is only a
* Teaching Assistant, Department of Germanic and
Slavic Languages, State University of New York, Stony
Brook, Long Island, NY 11790, U.S.A. (Received 2
September 1973.)

319

This content downloaded from 132.174.255.3 on Fri, 6 Feb 2015 04:13:40 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

320

BarbaraLipman-Wulf

C. The theme of consecutive change of place

There are 13 episodes of Agnes' wanderings but
with no breaks of the play into acts or scenes. The
places she visits are indicated on the circular
diagram in Fig. 1. Her descent upon and ascent
from the Earth back to Heaven are indicated at
I and XIII. Her marriageto a mortal, a lawyer (VII),
occurs in the middle of the play and symbolizes
the merging of Heaven and Earth or of 'the highest
and the lowest' (in Strindberg's terms) (Fig. 2). I
believe that Strindberg had in mind his marriage
with Harriet, who was for him both an angel and
a demon, as is evident from his description of their
relationship in his Occult Diary [7, pp. 25, 36, 37,
76, 80, 81].
The circular diagram in Fig. 1, proposed by
various students of the play, shows the order in
which Agnes visited 10 different places. But it is
misleading, because it does not indicate the return
to places she had visited earlier (dotted line in
Fig. 3), so that her paths actually crossed and, thus,
her route could not have been circular.
I

\\

Ascent \
\

Descent

~i\

,de

te Ie

n th

Furthermore, since there are relationships bebetween the places and Agnes' behavior, I prefer
to imagine an organic type of diagram analogous
to one of pertinent cells in a part of a living
organism (Fig. 4). I also find appealing Hanno
Lunin's suggestion that the castle symbolizes a
brain that causes Agnes to undergo her various
experiences [9]. The castle also provides a constant
thematic dream sublayer to the play in that the
castle, according to the play, is always visible to
Agnes, even though it cannot be seen by the other
actors or by the audience.
D. The theme of consecutivechange at a place
This theme is explained in the scene directions
given by Strindberg [8, p. 1118]. As I said, the
castle can be taken as the thematic sublayer of the
play because it is meant to symbolize a human
brain. Strindberg, however, said the castle symbolized the Earth [8, p. 1117], for he regarded the
Earth as a door to life in contrast to the nothingness of death merging into the universe. But he
also conceived of the Earth as an apparition and,
thus, I conclude that his play may be about all
and nothing, simultaneously, as I pointed out
above in connection with my discussion of the
structural equilibrium of the play.
E. The hairpin diagram
The hairpin diagram shown in Fig. 5 can be
helpful in analyzing the play. The hairpin for
Strindberghad occult qualities [7, p. 44]. Its shape
can be looked upon as a trap or 'a lock that shuts
while it is open' [8, p. 1112]. This is a variation of
Ascent

Fig. 1. Agnes' wanderings. Circular diagram.

Outside castle
I

Outside castle
xwX

Marriage, the highest and lowest meet ( Deity and man )

Fig. 2. Descent and ascent of Agnes.

Fig. 3. Agnes' wanderings. Figure I modified to show the

return to Fingal's cave and the theater more effectively.

This content downloaded from 132.174.255.3 on Fri, 6 Feb 2015 04:13:40 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

321

Thematic Structureof Strindberg'sA Dream Play

the idea that man is Earth-bound and therefore a
prisoner. The course of life, like that of A Dream
Play, can be imagined to involve the temporary
confinement of a soul within matter (the body) that
undergoes consecutive changes of place and changes
at a place. I prefer the hairpin diagram to the
circular ones discussed above, for it accommodates
more easily the types of changes that occur in
the play.
III. THE IDEAL-MODEL CONCEPT
The organic diagram (Fig. 4), in particular,
would permit one to draw connections between
idea and reality in the Platonic sense of their being
an ideal prototype for real things. Plato's 'knowledge is recollection' [5, p. 27] in contrast to
Aristotle's 'knowledge is perception' [5, pp. 106,
107] may have influenced Strindberg. In his play,
worldly things are 'copies' of ideal models or pure
prototypes. Like Plato, Strindberg was concerned
with the discrepancies between a visible object and
an ideal model of it, a model that is conceivable
but impossible to realize consciously. The Billposter's conflict [8, p. 1117] can be considered an
excellent example of this attitude in the play.
Something like an inner eye assures the Billposter
that there exists an ideal form of a green fishnet.
Although his lifelong yearning for a particular
fishnet is finally realized, he is overcome by an
unexplainable dissatisfaction with it. This exemplifies man's limitations in achieving imagined
ideals.
Another application of the ideal-model concept
occurs in the church scene where Agnes discovers
in the mirror of the pipe organ the world as it
should be [8, p. 1119]. The Lawyer too has a
I
I
Descent

I
I
Ascent

notion of an ideal model that he cannot describe.

He indicates only that actual existence falls short
of his compulsively recurring idea of the perfect.
In addition to symbolic objects of the intangible
in the play, there are some connected to the tangible
(such as worldliness) and others to both aspects.
While the clover-leaf door opens to nothingness
and the sea-shell and Fingal's cave refer to God
(via Indra's ear), the green fishnet and the organ
mirror seem to be archtypes of the incomprehensible. The Doorkeeper's shawl and the Lawyer's
court papers can be taken to be receptacles for
human suffering. The hairpin and the diamond of
the Glazier, on the other hand, seem to stand both
for the worldly and the otherworldly. Like the
two vertical lines representing the descent and
ascent of Agnes (Fig. 5), the above mentioned
symbols imply counteractions to maintain balance.
The following list of symbols, numbered in
order of their appearancein the play and indicating
a downward or an upward direction, are related if
the terms are (e.g. 6, Diamond and 10, Marriage)
appear twice:
0. Castle (not yet in sight)
1. Sinking cloud, conducting Agnes' descent
2. Officer'ssword
3. Doorkeeper's shawl

16. Castle on burningdown

15. Winds

14. Blind Man's inner sight

13. QuarantineMaster's
mask
4. Billposter
12. Hairpin
5. Victoria
11. Doorknob
6. Diamond
10. Marriage
7. Lawyer'sappearance
9. Crown of thorns
8. Court documents
8. Organ mirror
9. Graduationlaurels
7. White-washedshawl
10. Marriage
6. Diamond
11. Kristin'spastingmaterial 5. Clover-leafdoor
12. Hairpin
4. Green fishnet
13. QuarantineMaster'smask 3. Star-patternedcoverlet
14. Schoolmaster'seyes
2. Agnes' beauty
15. Waves
1. Growing castle (perceived by the descending
Daughter of Indra
I Descent

Ascent

Fig. 4. Agnes' wanderings. Organic diagram.

Fig. 5. Agnes' wanderings. Hairpin diagram.

This content downloaded from 132.174.255.3 on Fri, 6 Feb 2015 04:13:40 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

322

BarbaraLipman-Wulf

The descent of Indra's Daughter upon the Earth

(0), occurring in the Prologue, has been included
to balance with her departure at the Castle (16).
The opposing items in the two lists usually
complement one another, thus giving a kind of
balance to the structure of the play. The even flow
of events gives an impression of smooth gliding
phantoms rather than of uneven, dramatically discreet scenes (Fig. 6). The lines with upward directed
arrows indicate upward pulling otherworldly
symbols and with downward directed arrows,
symbols with worldly connotations.
IV. ANALYSIS OF THE LANGUAGE OF THE
PLAY
I shall discuss the language of the play from two
points of view: (1) Agnes vis-d-vis the world and
(2) her changing attitude from positive before her
marriage to negative afterwards and the change
from negative to positive in her spiritual strength.
Illusion and disillusion, belief and disbelief, hope
and helplessness, happiness and misery, like the
symbols and images chosen, are balanced in the
text of the play.
The Prologue gives an insight into the meaning
of Agnes' sojourn on the Earth: (1) She descends
to the Earth (the unknown) with optimism, in spite
of her father's warning that it is a miserable
place and (2) when on the Earth, she questions
whatever she meets in the hope of overcoming the
pessimistic philosophy of worldly life that she
encounters.
Like the symbolic objects discussed above, the
dialogue indicates directions upward (heavenly
influences) and downward (earthly influences), and
it also brings out the gradual transformation of her
soul. The following selection of quotations from
the Prologue (my translations from Swedish)
demonstrates the implications of upward and
downward directions:
Downwards
Upwards
Indra's Daughter:
Indra (from above):
' ... you sink ....'
I am hearing
'Now
sounds from down below
'Go down and see ....
Indra's Daughter:
'Now I hearjoyful shouts
'...
from the high ether
. . . but the cloud was
singing praise and
sinking, and now the
'
thanks to Heaven ....
path leads downward .... '
c Glazier:
'So be it, I descend ....
'
i... a wing has sprung lip
'Now the cloud sinks ....
on the sunny side.'
'So heavy, that it pulls me
'
'Don't you see the flower
down, down . . . .
up there ?'
... they . . . rush . . .
shooting up into the light
'
'The castle grows ....
'Why grow flowers out of
the dirt?'
'I shall set him free.'

Whereas the quotations in the Downwardslist are

straightforward in meaning, those in the Upwards
list are philosophical or religious metaphors. When
Agnes (Indra's Daughter) descends on the cloud to
Earth, she is preoccupied with the sensations of
moving downward and at the same time she begins
to perceive man's lamentations and struggles for
freedom. The growing castle refers both to biological growth in an evolutionary sense (dirt,
manure, flower, Sun), to man (Officer in the castle)
whom she attempts to free and to the spiritual
growth of the soul (imprisoned in the castle) by
way of earthly incarnation and purification. The
soul symbolically represented by a flower bed, is
set free when the castle burns. The Prologue, thus,
reveals that the point of the play is man waiting
to be freed from earthly bondage.
Strindberg's coupling of the descent of Agnes
with the growing of the castle reminds me of the
sensation one experiences in a cable car when it
slowly approaches a station at the foot of a mountain. Furthermore, the orientation of Agnes' spirit
toward the Earth clearly dominates the first half of
the play and her striving for spiritual freedom
dominates the second part.
Upon completing her earthly life, Agnes prepares
to ascend to Heaven from the castle site, where she
descended [8, pp. 1136, 1137]. Fire and lightning
accompanied her descent upon the Earth and she
ascends, with the help of fire to rid herselt of
earthly matter. She symbolically throws her shoes
into the flames saying: 'Now I shake the dust off
'
my feet ....
Agnes' union with a man, the 'divine primeval
force' uniting with matter, symbolizes the dichotomy of man's craving for happiness and yearning
for suffering and repentance. 'Struggle between
opposites produces energy-just as fire and water
generate steam' is Agnes' description of the sinproducing union between God and man.
Burdened by the material world, Agnes' spirit
seems to rise less rapidly at the end of the play
than it descended at the beginning (Fig. 6). Strindberg prepares for her departure in the following
way. The characters appearing at the end of the
play 'burn' their most characteristic fixations (the
Officer's roses, the Billposter's posters, the Doorkeeper's shawl etc.) more for the sake of Agnes
than for their own. These characters, with their
earthly follies, imprinted like a dream in her mind,
seem to die with her.
Heaven

0
Descent
(Birth)

A!A/A

10A 11 12 13 14 15
Ascent r?t
V
(Death)

Earth

Fig. 6.

Diagram emphasizing the equilibrium character of

the play.

This content downloaded from 132.174.255.3 on Fri, 6 Feb 2015 04:13:40 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Thematic Structureof Strindberg'sA Dream Play

'Bound up in a labyrinth' of the brain with its
'crooked, crawling, worming tracks and passages',
she seems to free herself during the last moments
of her life. Agnes was entrapped in a labyrinth,
not unlike that illustrated by the proposed organic
diagram of the play, which implies that she found
her earthly life a kind of imprisonment.
Like Agnes, who is identified to such an extent
with the characters of the play that they must die
with her, the various aspects of Strindberg'sattitude
to life can be identified with the main characters
[10].

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

REFERENCES

9.

1. A. Strindberg,Roda Rummet(Stockholm: Aldus &

Bonniers, 1961).

10.

323

A. Strindberg,Inferno, Alone (New York: Doubleday, 1968). Ch. I, pp. 120-121.

M. Gravier, Strindberget le thedtre moderne(Paris:
Sorbonne, 1947), p. 97.
A. Strindberg,Ett Dromspel(Stockholm: Bonniers,
1971), p. 60.
J. B. Wilburand H. J. Allen, The Worldsof Plato and
Aristotle (New York: American Book Co., 1962),
p. 81.
R. H. Johnson and E. Grunwald, Atoms, Molecules
and ChemicalChange(Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey:
Prentice-Hall, 1965), p. 268.
A. Strindberg, Ur Ockulta Dagboken (Stockholm:
Bonniers, 1963), pp. 59-60.
A. Strindberg,'A Dream Play', Eight Expressionist
Plays (Toronto: Bantam Books, 1965), p. 1111.
H. Lunin, Strindberg Dramen (Westfalen: Lechte
Emstetten, 1962), p. 203.
M. Valency, The Flower and the Castle (New York:
Macmillan, 1967), pp. 329, 330.

This content downloaded from 132.174.255.3 on Fri, 6 Feb 2015 04:13:40 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions