How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Act.Line). Every time a character talks counts as one line, even if what they say turns into a long monologue. We used R. Farquharson Sharp's translation.
Quote #1
Hovstad: "When I took over the 'People's Messenger' my idea was to break up this ring of self-opinionated old fossils who had got hold of all the influence."
Dr. Stockmann: "But you know you told me yourself what the result had been; you nearly ruined your paper."
Hovstad. "Yes, at the time we were obliged to climb down a peg or two, it is quite true--" (2.93-2.95)
This bit of information hints that Hovstad isn't the principled radical that he tries to sell himself as. When he first took over the paper he tried to really stick it to the wealthy political establishment in town. That, however, ended up jeopardizing his paper so he had to back down. Unlike, Dr. Stockmann, Hovstad just isn't willing to risk everything for his beliefs.
Quote #2
Aslaksen: "I have the reputation of a temperate and law-abiding citizen." (2.131)
Aslaksen is undeniably a principled man. He believes in temperance and moderation in all things. He sticks to these ideas throughout the entire play.
Quote #3
Hovstad: "most of the people here are […] so overcome with caution […] that they never dare to take any decided step." (2.152)
Hovstad is basically saying that no one in the town has any principles. They are so worried about upsetting the status quo that they put their own beliefs aside. All this fiery rhetoric from Hovstad is ironic, since later in the play he joins the cautious majority.
Quote #4
Mayor Peter Stockmann: "As I said, I believe you exaggerate the matter considerably. A capable physician […] ought to be capable […] of preventing injurious influences or of remedying them if they become obviously persistent. […] "
Dr. Stockmann: "it would be a trick--a fraud, a lie, a downright crime towards the public, towards the whole community!" (2.216-2.221)
The Mayor is basically asking his brother to cover up any sicknesses that results from the contaminated water. Isn't that the opposite of what a doctor is supposed to do? Dr. Stockmann's medical ethics won't allow him to be party to such a thing. As a physician, he just can't in good conscience stand by and allow people to be infected.
Quote #5
Dr. Stockmann: "they have tried to rob me of my most elementary rights as a man […] to make a coward of me, to force me to put personal interests before my most sacred convictions." (3.44-3.46)
What do you think Stockmann means by his "most elementary rights as a man"? Freedom? The right to form one's own opinions? The right to fight for one's principals, perhaps?
Quote #6
Dr. Stockmann: "Because a man has a wife and children, is he not to be allowed proclaim the truth." (3.280)
This is a pretty good question. Is a person's first duty to his family, or is it more important to stand up for what he believes in? If one has to be sacrificed, which ought to go on the chopping block? What do you think?
Quote #7
Dr. Stockmann: "Truth and the People will win the fight, you may be certain! I see the whole of the broad-minded middle class marching like a victorious army--!" (3.291)
At this point in the play, the Doctor is totally idealistic about the goodwill and strength of the people. He feels that they share his love of the truth above all things. Be sure to take note of how his opinion of the majority change as the reality of his situation becomes clear to him.
Quote #8
Dr. Stockmann: "The truths of which the masses now approve are the very truths that the fighters at the outposts held to in the days of our grandfathers. […] I do not believe there is any other well-ascertained truth except this, that no community can live a healthy life if it is nourished only on such old marrowless truths." (4.103)
OK, so the good Doctor is basically saying that whatever the masses think is the truth is pretty much never the truth. The real truth can only be seen by educated radicals on the outskirts of society (like the Doctor). Eventually the beliefs of the outsiders become the beliefs of the majority. However, by that point in time those "truths" are usually not the truth anymore, and the same cycle starts all over again. If the Doctor's theory is right, it seems like it might make it pretty hard to stick to any principles at all. No matter what a person believes, eventually it won't be the truth anymore. Here's a question: if there's no ultimate truth, then why strive for progress at all? Perhaps the Doctor is saying that forward motion itself, the struggle to steadily improve our understanding, is the only real principle a person should pursue.
Quote #9
Dr. Stockmann: (with growing fervor) "All who live by lies ought to be exterminated like vermin!" (4.142)
Whoa, that's a pretty hardcore statement. Has the Doctor gone over the edge here, or is he just following his beliefs to their logical conclusion? With statements like this, does he deserve to be called a public enemy, or is he just telling the community what it needs to hear? What do you think?
Quote #10
Morten Kiil: "If you still make out that these animals and other nasty things of that sort come from my tannery, it will be exactly as if you were to flay broad strips of skin from Katherine's body, and Petra's, and the boys' […]
Dr. Stockmann: "Haven't the ignorant, narrow-minded curs [the people of the town] reviled me as an enemy of the people?--and haven't they been ready to tear the clothes off my back too? (5.173-184)
When Kiil tells the Doctor that he's used all of Mrs. Stockmann and the kids' inheritance to buy worthless shares in the Baths, the Doctor is faced with a terrible dilemma. If he goes on pronouncing that the Baths are polluted, his family may not be provided for in the future. This is one of the very few places in the play where we see Dr. Stockmann waver in his principles. For just a second, he considers backing down for the sake of his family. In the end, though, nothing is too great a sacrifice for the truth.