History Theatre / TheMasterBuilder

* VengeanceFeelsEmpty: Solness takes his misery out on his gifted assistant Ragnar. He admits he does it for the sake of {{envy}}, and is not happy about it.

* NotSoDifferent: Solness and Hilde, as it turns out.

* TheTower: The central structure that is the downfall of Solness. Climbing the tower is a feat when you fear heights, and some snotty girl brat is waving at you from below. The tower structure is laden with [[RuleofSymbolism heavy symbolism]], [[CaptainObvious Obviously]].

* MeaningfulName: Hilde is originally a name given to one of the valkyries. Might be a covert reference to Creator/RichardWagner and his romanticing of the norse. Ibsen ''did'' write this play while in Germany, all things considered.

* DeadLittleSister: In this case, the two young sons of Solness and Aline, who died after being hauled out of bed midwinter because their house burnt down.

* AndThatLittleGirlWasMe: Hilde and Solness relates the time when he built the church in her hometown. He complains about a thirteen-year old bratty girl who acted out on the ground and nearly made him fall down. Hilde confirms it was her.

* {{Cloudcuckooland}}: The promised kingdom of "Appelsinia" (Orangeland) that Solness promised the ten year old Hilde. Ten years later, she still clings to this, and gets Solness to dream of a kingdom where she will live as a princess. Cloudcuckooland indeed.

* IWillWaitForYou: Hilde implies that Solness would come back for her. He didn't, so she sought him out herself, determined that he shall keep his promise. Coincidentally ten years after their first meeting, to the day.

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Hilde Wangel is based on the eighteen year old [[http://www.writerstheatre.org/blog/hedda-gabler-influence-ibsen/ Emilie Bardach]], whom Ibsen encountered in Austria. He became infatuated with her, although nothing ever came of it. She was clearly in love with him, but he, being 61 at the time, and married, had to decline. He used her as a model for Hilde, and also for ''Theatre/HeddaGabler''. Some of the essential traits to be found in Solness is, of course, a flanderized version of himself.

* AndThatLittleGirlWasMe: Hilde and Solness relates the time when he built the church in her hometown. He complains about a ten year old bratty girl who acted out on the ground and nearly made him fall down. Hilde confirms it was her.

** He is dead before the end of the play.

* GirlFriday: Kaja Fosli, the secretary of Solness, and spouse of Ragnar Brovik. She is selflessly giving her life for her boss, even setting her own marriage on hold for him. UnresolvedSexualTension is an obvious part of her suffering. And then comes Hilde.

* ItAmusedMe: Hilde's reasons for doing things are very much about what she finds exciting. It was fun to see Solness climb a tower when she was ten years old, so she danced under the tower, making him almost lose balance. At the end of the play, she does so again, and this time, Solness drops to the ground and is killed. Her reaction? It was exciting to watch.

* KickTheDog: Solness against both Knut and Ragnar Brovik. He seems to be close to causing the heart attack that kills Knut, and makes a point on torturing him on his deathbed by not acknowledging Ragnar's work, until it is almost too late.

* ArtistDisillusionment: Both in-play and outside it, depending on whether Solness is an AuthorAvatar.

* ItsAllAboutMe: Solness is the trope incarnate. All the characters around him is solely there to do his bidding. Except Hilde Wangel, who makes him do what ''she'' wants.

'''The Master Builder''' is a play written by Creator/HenrikIbsen and published in 1892. The play marks the start of Ibsen`s last creative phase. It tells the story of architect Hallvard Solness, a middle-aged, grumpy man who seems to have been giving up on life completely, but hangs on to his position, even if it costs the people around him dearly. Then along comes a young girl, Hilde Wangel, who urges him on to a last push - which eventually kills him.

* ActionGirl: Hilde Wangel, coming straight from a mountain trip, makes a good show for it.
* AMatchMadeInStockholm: Discussed. When Hilde recalls the heroic viking ages, she dreams of being a woman the vikings can abduct and rape. Boy, does that girl have issues.
* AndThatLittleGirlWasMe: Hilde and Solness relates the time when he built the church in her hometown. He complains about a ten year old bratty girl who acted out on the ground and nearly made him fall down. Hilde confirms it was her.
---> '''Hilde''': The brat, it was ''me''.
* AntiHero: Solness. For the record, there are no heroes at all in this play, but several pawns and {{butt monkey}}s. Even Ragnar, the closest you come to a sympathetic male character, is broken at the end.
* ArcWords: For Hilde, the arc word is "Exciting!" she uses it time and again.
* ArtistDisillusionment: Both in-play and outside it, depending on whether Solness is an AuthorAvatar.
* AscendedExtra: Hilde Wangel enters front stage, now grown from her adolescent state in ''Theatre/TheLadyFromTheSea''.

* BeleagueredAssistant: Knut Brovik, also his son Ragnar. It seems Solness is keeping them ForTheEvulz. He obviously hinders Ragnar in getting his own assignments as an architect.
* BreakTheCutie: Aline. Period. Also Kaja, but Aline`s predicament is far worse.
* BrokenAce: Solness surpassed everyone, at the cost of his children, the health of his wife, possibly his own sanity. And he gives it back by breaking others around him.
* CallBack: If you are familiar with the works of Ibsen, the play calls back to at least ''Theatre/TheWarriorsAtHelgeland'', {{Theatre/Brand}}, and Theatre/TheLadyFromTheSea. It seems like Ibsen is taking some time in evaluating his earlier production here. The ''Brand'' reference is jarring:
** Solness - Brand
** Aline - Agnes

** Even the dead children and the "new church" (at least the tower part) gets a reference.
* ChekhovsGun: Solness has a fear of heights. This became a problem for him ten years before the play (and Hilde made the matters worse), and it finally kills him at the end of the play (with Hilde making matters even worse).
* ChekhovsGunman: Hilde Wangel, being responsible for Solness climbing the tower, and also for him falling down from it.
* ClimbingClimax: When Solness enters the tower, everyone is dumbfounded, especially Aline, who knows his fear of heights. She hushes on everyone, because they might disturb him. It almost works, but Hilde doesn`t care. DisneyVillainDeath follows suit.
* CloudCuckoolander: Hilde at the end of the play. Solness likewise. When the two of them decides the best things to do is to build "air castles" for her to play in, they seem to be pretty far out. Hilde`s reaction when Solness is dead, is also quite far out in left field.
* CloudCuckooland: The promised kingdom of "Appelsinia" (Orangeland) that Solness promised the ten year old Hilde. Ten years later, she still clings to this, and gets Solness to dream of a kingdom where she will live as a princess. CloudCuckooland indeed.
* DarkerAndEdgier: Compared to Theatre/TheLadyFromTheSea.
* DeadLittleSister: In this case, the two young sons of Solness and Aline, who died after being hauled out of bed midwinter because their house burnt down.
* DisneyVillainDeath: Solness falls from a high tower, losing his life when he smashes his head against a rock underneath. And he was not exactly a hero, was he? [[OlderThanTheyThink Predates Disney with several years]], as Walt Disney himself was born nine years after the play was published.
* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: Falling down, smashing your skull to pieces against a rock. Dead on the spot. Happens off stage. Probably just as well...

* FreakOut: Knut Brovik at the start of the play. Invoked in the very first spoken line:
---> '''Brovik''': Soon I can`t take it any longer!
** He is dead before the end of the play.

* GenreSavvy: Aline. She knows the quirks of Solness pretty well. When Hilde arrives, and Solness presents her to Aline by the first name and explains he has known her from she was a child, Aline just smirks. And takes Hilde in.
* GildedCage: Hilde recalls her childhood this way. She left as soon as she was able to.
* GirlFriday: Kaja Fosli, the secretary of Solness, and spouse of Ragnar Brovik. She is selflessly giving her life for her boss, even setting her own marriage on hold for him. UnresolvedSexualTension is an obvious part of her suffering. And then comes Hilde.
* GoldDigger: Hilde has some of it, leading and older and successful man on. She is even described as a "bird of prey", out hunting.
* GuiltComplex: Solness knows that his success possibly is based on arson. The fact that his former home burnt to the ground, paved the way for his ability to build new homes on the property. Both Aline and their two infant sons got sick afterwards, and the sons died. This is a ''heavy'' GuiltComplex for Solness.

* HypercompetentSidekick: It is implied that Ragnar Brovik, a gifted architect to be, actually did the better part of the master builder`s work. So did his father.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Solness defends his actions this way. The fact that he is tormented by guilt is hidden from everyone, except Hilde.
* IRegretNothing: Discussed. Solness is tormented by guilt. Hilde would prefer a "robust conscience" - and that would make her move on without regrets. In the end, she doesn`t seem to fathom the concept of guilt at all.
* ItAmusedMe: Hilde`s reasons is very much about what she finds exciting. It was fun to see Solness climb a tower when she was ten years old, so she danced under the tower, making him almost lose balance. At the end of the play, she does so again, and this time, Solness drops to the ground and gets killed. Her reaction? It was exciting to watch.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Solness is wery much the trope incarnated. All the characters around him is solely there to do his bidding. Except Hilde Wangel, who makes him do what ''she'' wants.
* IWillWaitForYou: Hilde implies that Solness would come back for her. He didn`t, so she sought him out herself, determined that he shall keep his promise. Coincidentally ten years after their first meeting, to the day.
** Of the Ibsen women on hold (Solveig, Ellida Wangel), Hilde is the first to make a point in seeking out her interest

* KavorkaMan: Implied with Solness. He doesn`t seem that charming, and he gets around anyway.
* KickTheDog: Solness against both Knut and Ragnar Brovik. He seems to be close to causing the heart attack that kills Knut, and makes a point on torturing him on his deathbed by not acknowledging Ragnar`s work, until it is almost too late.
* LonelyDollGirl: Aline had a collection of dolls from her childhood. The collection burnt with her old house.
* MaleGaze: dr Herdal, complimenting Hilde. Obviously DistractedByTheSexy.
* ManChild: Solness acts it out more and more prominently towards the end of the play. The last conversations between him and Hilde sounds disturbingly like two kids in the schoolyard, or on the playground, playing a dare-game.
* MayDecemberRomance: Solness and Hilde.
* MsFanservice: As far as 1892 standards go, Hilde`s outfit is described in detail. She is dressed as a tourist with a backpack. Her skirt is "hitched up", and her collar is "let down". So, after a proper standard, we have access to her neck and her legs. That is actually fanservice ''in spades'' for the 1890s.

* NotSoDifferent: Solness and Hilde, as it turns out.
* OopsIForgotIWasMarried: Solness gets close, so close...
* PrecisionFStrike: This play contains more swearing than most of the works written by Ibsen.

* ReallyGetsAround: Solness. Called out on it by dr Herdal.
* TheResenter: Solness envies others for their happiness, which he lacks.
* SanitySlippage: Solness debates whether he is loosing his mind completely. At the end of the play, it is debatable whether or not he has lost it.
* SpiritualSequel: To ''The Lady From the sea'' - courtesy of Hilde. Also, it seems, to {{Theatre/Brand}}.
* TemptingFate: Solness, rather out of it, complains that the youth will knock on the door and take over. Serves as a {{Foreshadowing}} when he says: "And that will be the end of Solness". Then Hilde comes knocking... With fatal results for him.