Rosmersholm

Johannes Rosmer, the owner of Rosmersholm, is the last of a long and influencial line of clergy, officers and senior civil servants. Formerly a vicar, he has resigned from office. Before the opening of the play, his wife Beate had drowned herself in the mill-race. She was thought to have become mentally ill through sorrow at being childless and unable to ensure the continuance of the Rosmer line.



When young, Rosmer was greatly influenced by his tutor Ulrik Brendel, an atheist and an idealist. A young woman, Rebekka West, has gained admittance to Rosmersholm through Beate's brother, Kroll. She sees Rosmer's potential, and believes she can help him to realize his dream of creating a world of "happy, noble people". Without admitting it to himself, Rosmer has fallen in love with Rebekka. His conversations with her strongly influence his view of life, and for a while he believes himself ready to go out into the world and actively take part in left-wing politics. An open conflict breaks out between him and the conservative headmaster Kroll, who puts every effort into redeeming him from the "lapsed souls".



In the course of the play Rosmer discovers that Rebekka has manipulated Beate and tricked her into believing that she, Rebekka, was pregnant by Rosmer. He realizes now that it was this that caused Beate to take her own life, and he is filled with doubt and self-accusation.



Rebekka, in turn, discovers in a confrontation with Kroll that Doctor West; who she thought was her foster father, was actually her father. After this she confesses that she was indirectly the cause of Beate's suicide, because she wanted to become mistress of Rosmersholm herself. Yet when Rosmer asks her to marry him she refuses, and the two of them throw themselves into the mill-race at the same place as Beate.