4 Emily Gertrude Moore 



early zeal, who has been rendered insane by long-continued 

 tortures. 



Kaiser und Galilder is a tremendous piece of work, yet it abounds 

 in faults which the critics have not been slow to point out. It is, 

 to a certain degree, formless and unorganized. There are scenes 

 of great dramatic power. There are also long arid stretches that 

 tax the reader's patience to the utmost. " Characters in which we 

 have begun to be interested, like Sallust, disappear entirely and 

 for no reason, while to other less important ones far too much 

 space is granted" (Reich). The reader is bored by unnecessary 

 repetitions. More than one scene of real dramatic power is 

 spoiled being re-echoed. The illusion of reality is largely lost; 

 one feels always that Ibsen is intent upon working out his thesis, 

 though this thesis or guiding idea is itself obscured by the multi- 

 tude of details. 



Archer, as well as other critics, has pointed out that Ibsen 

 worked over the historical sources of the play very carefully. 

 He even put into Julian's mouth certain passages from his writ- 

 ings. Ibsen himself laid special emphasis on this. He wrote 

 that he was holding himself strictly to the historical aspect, that 

 his drama was " realistische Dichtung " entirely and throughout, 

 that he had seen the characters in the light of their time. 



The historical accuracy of " Casars Abfall " seems generally 

 to be granted ; but as has been said before, Ibsen departs from 

 history in " Kaiser Julian," and makes Julian worse and more 

 contemptible than he really was. Archer claims that there is no 

 historical warrant for representing Ursulos as the victim of 

 Julian's offended vanity. He says also that Julian was not in 

 reality a bigoted and relentless persecutor of his Christian sub- 

 jects. Ibsen also exaggerates Julian's failures and humiliations. 

 Jovian was not in reality an eye witness of the failure to rebuild 

 the Temple at Jerusalem, and so converted to Christianity. The 

 temple of Apollo was destroyed by fire, not by an earthquake 

 brought on by the curses of a Christian bishop. Julian's conduct 

 of the Persian war was not so blinded by folly and superstition 

 as Ibsen represents. 



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