''Axel and Valborg'' () is a tragedy in five acts by

Adam Oehlenschläger Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger (; 14 November 177920 January 1850) was a Danish poet and playwright. He introduced romanticism into Danish literature. He wrote the lyrics to the song ''Der er et yndigt land'', which is one of the national anthe ...

. It was written in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1808 and printed in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

in 1810. There is an English translation by F. S. Kolle.

Origin of story

The story is taken from a Danish romantic ballad, the last verse of which Oehlenschläger used as a motto: The ballad was well known throughout the Scandinavian countries long before Oehlenschläger's time. In

Ludvig Holberg Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg (3 December 1684 – 28 January 1754) was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Denmark–Norway, Dano–Norwegian dual monarchy. He was infl ...

's poem “Peder Paars,” the bailiff's wife was almost drowned in a flood of tears because parts of it had been read to her.

Plot

The whole action of the drama takes place in the famous

Trondhjem Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is t ...

Cathedral, in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

, during the reign of Haakon Herdebred. Axel and Valborg are cousins who love each other. In spite of the Pope's dispensation removing the legal impediment, a scheming monk prevents their marriage.

Reception

In his own generation, Oehlenschläger's ''Axel and Valborg'' was the most favored and admired of all his writings. Through it, the romantic-sentimental style of poetry gained general favor. When Baggesen, beginning his review in a critical and hostile spirit, reached the famous lines spoken by the pure and innocent Valborg, as she crowns her lover's initials with flowers: “I bid thee, my love, good morning,” he was absolutely carried away and praised the work in the highest terms.

Selected productions

Dagmar Theatre, 1907

A production of the play directed by Martinius Nielsen premiered at the Dagmar Theatre in Copenhagen on 22 November 1906. The cast consisted of : *

Adam Poulsen Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam sin ...

as Axel Thordsøn *

Alfred Møller Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

as Biørn Gamle * Anna Larssen as Valborg * Axel Strøm as Erland, Erkebiskop * Egill Rostrup as Hakon Herdebred, Norges konge *

Einar Rosenbaum Einar is a Scandinavian given name deriving from the Old Norse name Einarr, which according to Guðbrandur Vigfússon is directly connected with the concept of the einherjar, warriors who died in battle and ascended to Valhalla in Norse mythology ...

as Gotfred, Vilhelms svend *

Johan Knüttel-Petersen Johan may refer to: * Johan (given name) * ''Johan'' (1921 film), a Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (2005 film), a Dutch romantic comedy film * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Joh ...

as Fjendtlig kæmpe *

Johannes Poulsen Johannes Poulsen (17 November 1881 – 14 October 1938) was a Denmark, Danish actor and director. He debuted with the Dagmar Theatre in 1901. In 1909 he joined the Royal Danish Theatre, Royal Theatre as an actor, and from 1917 was also a st ...

as Vilhelm * Knud Levinsen as Kolbein * Martinius Nielsen as Sortebroder * Viggo Wiehe as Sigurd af Reine *

Aage Hertel Aage Hertel (17 October 1873 – 3 January 1944) was a Danish stage, radio and film actor whose career began in the 1890s working as a stagehand and set painter. Hertel appeared in approximately ninety films during the silent film area. Early li ...

as Endrid hiin Unge

References

External links

# {{Commons category-inline Plays by Adam Oehlenschläger 19th-century Danish plays 1808 plays Plays set in Norway Plays set in the 12th century Fictional Norwegian people