The Good Hope (In "The Drama: A Quarterly Review of Dramatic Literature")

by Herman Heijermans

"The Good Hope" by Herman Heijermans is a Dutch play written in 1900/1901. Set in a fishing village, the drama centers on a dangerous voyage aboard an unsound boat sent to sea by a profit-driven employer. As a storm rages and families wait anxiously ashore, the conflict between fishermen and their capitalist boss builds toward inevitable tragedy. A socialist work and cornerstone of social realist theatre, the play remains Heijermans's most enduring and frequently staged production.