Brand

Brand Summary | Act 1, Scene 1 Summary

Brand is a complex, multi-textured dramatic poem that chronicles the inner struggle of Brand, a man passionate to the point of obsession about bringing the message of the true God to his people. The action of the piece is defined by its central irony, that Brand's idea of God is limited and negative and refuses to admit any other possibilities until the very end of his life and of the play. It's these limitations, rather than his faith, that define the play's core theme - the exploration of faith is the means, rather than the end.

Brand crosses a mountain range. A Peasant traveling with him calls for him to slow down, while the Peasant's Son worries that they're crossing an area of thin ice that might collapse and send them all falling into a deep crevasse. Brand insists they keep going, saying that because he's a priest he must do as God tells him to do and adding that because someone once walked on water, he has faith he can walk on ice. This can be interpreted as a reference to Christ, who in the Bible was described as walking on water in the middle of a storm. The Peasant describes Brand as mad, and the Son begs to go back. Still, Brand says the Peasant doesn't know God, and God doesn't know him. The Peasant calls him a hard man and turns to go back home. An avalanche begins, and the Peasant grabs Brand in order to get him out of its way. Brand frees himself and moves off. The Peasant and his Son return the way they came.

Brand speaks in soliloquy about his contempt for the Peasant, saying he'd gladly help the man if he were only willing to help himself. Brand comments on the foolishness of valuing life so much at the expense of living spiritually and smilingly recalls his childhood imaginings of a fish afraid of water and an owl afraid of the dark. He compares humanity to both animals, saying that human beings are meant to live in the world for which they were made but are afraid of it. He says men are particularly afraid of the end of that life. That end can be interpreted as death, heaven and ultimate reunion with God. As the mist clears, Brand sees a group of villagers bidding farewell to a young man and woman and describes the air and earth around them in joyfully poetic terms as they approach

Agnes and Einar laugh and sing playfully as they chase each other on. Brand shouts to them that they're about to fall over the edge of a precipice, and they stop. Agnes and Einar tell him not to worry, saying that if they die their joy will reunite them in Heaven. As they invite Brand to join them in joy, they speak in detail about Einar's joy in his work as a painter and their mutual joy in their marriage. They reveal that they're looking forward to a long and happy life together in a far away land to which they're sailing in a couple of days. Brand turns to go, but Einar suddenly stops him when he remembers the two of them were in school together. Conversation reveals that Brand will be on the same ship. He says pointedly that he's going to bury the joyful God that Einar just described, speaking at length about how he's disgusted by the easy faith practiced by people like Einar, Agnes and the general population. He says the true spirit of God will soon rise again and recreate Man in his image. He then leaves, he and Einar each urging the other to open his mind to a new experience of God.

Agnes walks for a moment with Einar, but then she feels uncomfortable because of what she describes as a cloud passing over her. Einar tells her she wasn't frightened until Brand spoke so harshly, and he urges her to forget him, referring to a glimpse of sky just visible in the scudding clouds. Agnes, though, isn't paying attention. She asks Einar whether he noticed that as Brand was talking, he seemed to get taller.