
GERHART HAUPTMANN, AND THE 
MODERN GERMAN DRAMA. 
By CHARLES ELSDEN, B.A. 
December 11th, 1906. 
The lecturer briefly sketched the life of Gerhart Hauptmann, 
who as a youth was of a wandering and roving disposition. 
He followed several pursuits, including that of sculpture, as 
a means of gaining a livelihood, before taking up the drama 
as a serious study. Mr. Elsden epitomised several of Haupt- 
mann’s earlier plays, showing their nature and purpose. The 
drama to which Hauptmann himself attached most importance 
was ‘“‘ The Weavers,” a historical drama then being revived 
in London. 
An account was then given of Hauptmann’s fairy drama, 
“The Sunken Bell.’’ Mr. Elsden took his audience at length 
through the various scenes of the play, and portrayed the 
numerous dramatis persone, bringing forward the underlying 
motives and ideas of the whole piece, which appeared to be 
an attempt of the author to describe allegorically something 
of the conflict of life of an artist between his temptation to 
devote himself wholly to his art, and the call of his human 
duties. There were, however, many scenes and characters 
in the play which were very difficult of interpretation. 
