''The Political Tinker'' (
Danish: Den politiske kandestøber) is a five-set satirical play published by Norwegian-Danish playwright
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 ...
in 1722.
Production history
It premiered at
Lille Grønnegade Theatre 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 ...
on 25 September 1722. It premiere at the
Royal Danish Theatre
The Royal Danish Theatre (RDT, Danish: ') is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first s ...
was on 13 February 1750.
Themes
The play was his first comedy. The play theme is from recent political incidents in
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. Holberg ridicules the political involvement of a group of craftsmen. Some interpreters see a clear
anti-democratic tendency in the play, but there is also ambiguity in the way the story of class conflicts and political rebellion is told.
English translations
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References
External links
"Den Politiske Kandstøber. Comœdie"
Plays by Ludvig Holberg
Satirical plays
Political satire plays
1722 plays
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