INTERPRETATION OF
"THE SUNKEN BELL"
Senior Play to Be Given Saturday at
the Oliver Theatre-CIimax
in Third Act
The third act of 'The Sunken Bell,"
which is to be given at the Oliver
Theatre, Friday evening. June 4. brings
the climax of the play. Some time
has elapsed and Heinrich is living
with Rautendelien in the mountains,
happy and free, without regret of the
past and filled with the highest ideals
and ambitions to make the perfect
hell. The Nickelman and the Wood
sprite are very Jealous of Heinrich
and take Rautendelien to task for her
devotion, and this scene forms a long
dialogue between Raut and the
sprites. At this point the vicar in
the strongest language urges Hein
rich to a tense of duty, begs him to
return to his wife and children. This
speech of Heinrich to the vicar is the
strongest of any in the play and he
rises in his enthusiasm until he be
comes ecstatic, the vicar listening
with growing pain. After a brief
pause he (the vicar) answers that he
has come to help him in his hour of
need. This advice is galling to-Hein-Ticb.
The vicar says, "Awake, man.
you are in a dream." and follows with,
'Master Heinrich, I am too humble to
keep pace with you; a simple man
am ia child of the earth; the super
man lies beyond my grasp. But one
tling I do know; that you forget.
That wrong is never right nor evil
good." The messengers return to the
valley and Heinrich remains in the
mountains, where be is rearing a tem
ple. The fourth act shows the forge with
the dwarfs at work under the super
vision of Heinrich, moulding and mak
ing the castings for the wondrous bell.
Somehow things begin to go wrong,
the evil sprites of the glen trouble
Lirn and he lies down in a dream, al
though he is awake. The Nickelman
taunts him by sajing. "Thou canst not
fight with God; 'twas God that raised
RESERVED SEATS FOR
r r
Will be placed on sale for the general public at the Oliver Theatre box
office at 9:00 A. M., Monday, June 1st.
An early purchase is essential to securing a choice seat. Every seat will
be sold at $1.00 including box-seat, gallery 50 cents.
Seniors Must Present Their Assessment Tickets at the Scheduled
Time, Monday, from 1:00 to 6:00 P. M.
thee up to prove thy strength; and j by earning an urn between them
now since thou art weak. He casis
thee down. Vain is thy sacrifice; for
sin is sin; thou hast not won from
Gcd the right to change Evil to Good
or wages give to guilt." This dis
course of the Nickelman is said over
Heinrich as he lies apparently sleep
ing. Heinrich awakens and cries for
which is very heavy. He recognizes
them and they tell him that their
mother sends greetings. He asks
what is in the vase and learns that
it is filled with their mother's tears.
He asks, "Where is your mother? Is
it well with thee?" They tell him
that h is with the water lilies. Just
v-i" 01; -nrrf t-Pforrinz to then the faint tolling of a bell is heard.
the belL He then awakens and tells Heinrich is filled with remorse as the
of bis horrible dream.
Even Rauten- sunken bell among the lilies is rung
It
ui ms i iuiv i
delien cannot change the gloom that by the dead hands of the mother;
also sounds ice Kiieu oi
ls overhanging. They walk into the
woods and call all tbe fairies to dance
and make' them happy. Then he sees
in a vision his two little children pass
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ELLA WILLIAMS, M5, Buffalo, Wyo
Who Takes the Pa rV of "R.utende.ein- n the -Sunken Be..."
his hopes.
Heinrich spurns Rautendelein; the
bell sounds louder and he goes away
to pray for forgiveness and that he
may go back again into human life.
In the last act Rautendelein. is
i-i aimed for a bride by the water
sprite, the Nickelman, and she enters
his home in the well. As old Wittiken
from- her hut Heinrich ap
proaches on his way to the mountain
vezk. He is in tatters and carries a
stone which he threatens to hurl at
tbe next spirit that comes near him.
Wittiken meets bim and tells fcim that
his w ay is barred. He sees a light
and asks, "Woam, what burns up
vr,nArV "Xav. I know not," she re-
iiies. "Some man there was, I have
heard, who built a thing, half church,
half castle. Now he's gone, and since
he left it goes up in flames; did I not
tell thee, man, the road was barred?
He who would pass that way bath
need of wings, and thy wings have
bf-en hrfiken,"
Heinrich says, "I tell thee, woman.
must reach the peak; what flames
up yonder is my work, all mine, dost
understand me? I am be who built
all I was and all I ever grew to
be. was spent on it I can I can no
more."
He is athirst and goes at Wllliken's
bidding to the well to get a drink.
Below be hears a sweet voice singing
mournfully, "Heinrich, my sweetheart.
loved thee so true; now tbou art
come to my well to woo; wilt thou
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not go? Love is all woe; auieu.
adieu." He asks Wittiken wboU
tin trine, and then, as if awakening
from a dream, be says, "And woman,
who art thou?" She replies, "Aye,
and who art thou?" He tells her that
it is Heinrich.
Then as in a vision he reviews hi
life with Rautendelein and begs to see
her. thinking that she can again
..-..ien tfco vonth in his veins. Old
Wittiken tells him that be can have
one wish his last; she gives bim
three goblets. If the first he drains,
r&nfshd rawer shall return. If
the second, once more the spirit bright
shall return to him. Then she adds.
"But as thou drinks them both, thou
must also drink the last, thou must."
He takes the first andlhen the second.
saying it was for the second that he
took the first. Rautendelein appears
and he begs her to again renew the
youth in him. but she says that she
must return to her water mate. Then
he cries for the third goblet,wbich she
gives, and he dies crying ecstaically,
" 'Tis the music of the sunken bell s
song."
Should we Interpret the play from
the standpoint of a reformer it would
be the tale of a dreamer who, hamp
ered by inevitable conditions, strives
to remodel society. Taken, however,
in its broader sense and in a way
which reveals tbe theme of the great
est writers of today, it is a symbol of
humanity.
A Well-Tried Recipe fo- Flunks
Take half a dozen "good excuses,
mix well in two quarts of bluff. Flavor
with a few school dances and moon
light serenades. Stir well before bak
ing and serve hot at the end of each
term. Ex.
PROFESSOR CALDWELL
OFFERS TWO PRIZES
Members to Compete With Essays on
Any Historical Subject They
May Choose
Professor Caldwell is offering two
prizes to the members of his classes
in History 3 and 4 for the two best
essays on any subject which they may
choose. The first prize is $25, and the
second a silver medaL About seven
ty-five papers have already been sub
mitted and a committee is busy judg
ing them. The awards will be made
Commencement Day.
Yet Again!
A man standing on a street corner
in New York noticed above him a
Ford tangled up in the telephone
wires. He also noticed a man stand
ing on the comer looking up and
shaking his head at the thing.
The first man, approaching the lat
ter, said: "My friend, pray tell me
how the Ford got up there."
"Well." said the second, "I was
cranking the darn thing and it slipped
out of my hand." Ex.
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LEON 6NYDER, MS, of Alma
Who Plays the Leading Role 'Heinrich" in the
"Sunken Dell."
