Morten Kiil Character Analysis in An Enemy of the People

Katherine’s father, an enigmatic tannery owner. At first, Morten seems to be a harmless old trickster with a liking for chaos and social upset; while he doesn’t understand the concept of bacteria and so doesn’t take seriously Dr. Stockmann’s findings of water contamination in the baths, he thinks the report is a good prank and encourages his son-in-law to frighten those in power. But when Dr. Stockmann implicates his own tannery in the contamination Morten turns on him, using the money he planned to leave Katherine to buy shares in the baths and hoping that his son-in-law will retract his findings in order to make the shares valuable again. Through these actions, Morten demonstrates that he has no true sense of obligation to his family or society and no concerns except for his own social status. Morten is an amoral character, but his obsession with his reputation above all paradoxically contributes to Dr. Stockmann’s obsession with his individual rights. While the two men live according to different moral paradigms, their more destructive qualities are ironically similar.

Morten Kiil Character Timeline in An Enemy of the People

The timeline below shows where the character Morten Kiil appears in An Enemy of the People. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Morten Kiil , Katherine’s father, arrives at the house. He’s heard rumors about contamination in the water... (full context)

Morten Kiil , who has been watching silently the entire time, approaches Dr. Stockmann and asks if... (full context)

Peter says that Dr. Stockmann is only able to be so stubborn because Morten Kiil will leave money to Katherine and the children, taking up Dr. Stockmann’s duty as provider.... (full context)

As Dr. Stockmann shouts curses after his brother, Petra quietly announces that Morten Kiil himself has arrived to speak with him. Morten sits down in the drafty study and... (full context)

Dr. Stockmann is astonished that Morten Kiil has invested in an institution with such an uncertain future, but his father-in-law says that... (full context)

Dr. Stockmann is furious with Morten Kiil but also uneasy about losing all this money just as he has lost his job.... (full context)

...plan. Seeing the doctor completely baffled, the two men explain their belief that he and Morten Kiil have concocted the water contamination as a means to buy up cheap stock in the... (full context)

Calming down, Dr. Stockmann gives Petra a note for Morten Kiil , relaying his refusal of the offer. He turns to his wife and tells her... (full context)