Before sunset

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Before sunset is a play by Gerhart Hauptmann .

It describes the end of the life of the influential 70-year-old privy councilor Matthias Clausen, who wants to concentrate his remaining years on his love affair with the young Inken Peters. The scheming behavior of his relatives thwarts this plan and drives him to suicide . The play was premiered on February 16, 1932 at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin.

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1st act

At the beginning of the drama on his 70th birthday, the privy councilor was granted honorary citizenship of an unspecified city. He largely got over the death of his wife, especially since his daughter Bettina took special care of him. Also medical officer Dr. Steynitz and private secretary Wuttke helped with his recovery. In the first act, the first differences crystallize between him and his son-in-law Erich Klamroth, who is the manager of his operations. Matthias announces to his old friend Geiger that he wants to start a new life with Inken Peters: In any case, I am determined to cut the rope that ties me to my old ship and keeps me tied to its old course. I can only live like this or not at all. (P. 34, Ullstein, 2003)

2nd act

The judicial councilor Hanefeldt tries to bribe Paula Clothilde, the wife of Clausen's son Wolfgang, with extortionate postcards, to get Inken and her family to leave, as they are not tolerated and are viewed as inheritance sneakers. In addition, large parts of the population were amused and gossiped about the couple. Clausen also initially sees the solution to the conflict in a separation. But then he gives his much younger girlfriend a ring from his deceased wife, which he sees as a sign of eternal solidarity.

3rd act

The situation escalates when Matthias Clausen invites his partner to share family breakfast. He announced that he would abdicate and move into a Swiss castle with his girlfriend. Son-in-law Erich and son Wolfgang question the father's sanity and see a lack of trust in the later information about his plans. Clausen then sends the assembled company out furiously - I will not let the light of life be blown out (p. 80). Inken himself escaped the tumult voluntarily.

4th act

Geiger comes to the aid of his friend to find out from Dr. Steynitz to find out that he broke with his children, fired Erich and took Inken into his house. Under pressure from Erich, Paula and Wolfgang, the siblings - with the exception of Clausen's son Egmont - applied for disenfranchisement because they saw a waste of their inheritance with Clausen's intention to marry, sell his company and buy a property. Authorized by the court, Klamroth has again become director of the operations. Clausen denies his children, sees Wolfgang as a murderer and destroys photographic records of them and his deceased wife. Then he has a faint attack.

5th act

In the evening he takes refuge in Frau Peters' house. The guardian of the incapacitation proceedings, Justizrat Hanefeldt, arranges for a forced admission to the psychiatric institution due to the risk of suicide. Clausen does not comply with Inken's vehement demand to flee quickly to Switzerland in the newly acquired castle. A little later, Clausen poisons himself and dies. Geiger sarcastically judges that the heirs have now achieved their goal.

Figure overview

Figure overview with relationships between the figures

Interpretations

The representation of the affects comes very close to the ideal of naturalism , the most true and detailed representation of the environment. The characters are not just typical opponents, but act - as Hanfeldt asserts at the end of the piece - out of their sense of duty. Bettina's motive is mainly jealousy of Inken, as she fears losing her extraordinary importance and role as a substitute wife. Erich Klamroth, on the other hand, is concerned with power interests. The philology professor Wolfgang sees his justification in reason, but like the others he can no longer understand the apparently independent development. He projects his own feelings of guilt onto the supposed workings of fate ( I don't know how it could have happened up to that point , p. 100). The design of the figure of Matthias Clausen is also versatile and unpredictable. On the one hand, he has the courage to ignore all previous conventions and accepts the risk of losing his reputation as a respected honorary citizen. On the other hand, in the end he doesn't use the chance to comply with Geiger's loyalty and Inken's urges to flee, but thinks about himself: I'm looking at you - I'm looking for it - but I can't find it for now. I'm just dragging a dead soul around in a living torso ... the most respected man in the world (...) is just saliva, which you represent with your foot (p. 118, 121).

Theater performances (selection)

Film adaptations

motion pictures

Television games

Radio play adaptations

Text output

  • Before sunset . Berlin: S. Fischer 1932 (first publication)
  • Before sunset . Berlin: Ullstein 2005 (numerous new editions)

literature

  • Marc J. Schweissinger: From the bourgeois to the social tragedy of Gerhart Hauptmann . Oxford, Frankfurt a. M .: Lang 2016. ISBN 978-1-78707020-2