'Master Builder (Gosse & Archer Translation)' Summary

Halvard Solness, a renowned architect, has built his career on ambition and ruthlessness, leaving a trail of broken hearts and shattered dreams. He is haunted by the knowledge of his past actions and the feeling that he has made a pact with the devil to achieve his success. His tormented conscience manifests in a fear of madness and a sense of impending doom. His troubled existence is further complicated by his strained relationship with his wife Aline, who is both loyal and deeply resentful, and his affair with the young and alluring Kaja. The arrival of Hilda Wangel, a woman who claims a connection to Solness's past, further disrupts his life and throws him into a spiral of psychological turmoil. As Solness's inner demons escalate, his life unravels, culminating in a tragic confrontation with Hilda and a profound reflection on the costs of ambition.