Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
The Father
play by Strindberg
Also known as: âFadrenâ
The Father, tragic drama in three acts by August Strindberg, published in 1887 as Fadren and performed the same year. Strindberg had come to believe that life is a series of struggles between weaker and stronger wills, and the influences of Strindbergâs misogyny and naturalistic fiction are evident in this play, one of his most important works.
The Captain, a scientist and freethinker whose marriage has gone sour, is engaged in a power struggle with his wife, Laura, over their daughter. He wants to send the girl away to school; Laura is determined to keep her daughter at home under her own influence. Laura resolves to drive her husband mad, and she begins by insinuating that he is not the girlâs father.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.
Discover how ordinary objects work, and expand your understanding of the familiar.
" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">
By clicking "Sign Up", you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.