An interpretation of the relationship between Mrs. Solness and Hilda

At the end of class on Tuesday, we had a discussion about how in The Master Builder, Mrs. Solness and Hilda had a relationship similar to that of Demeter and Persephone and how the two may have been co-conspirators who worked toward the demise of Halvard Solness. At first, this idea does not seem to fit, as Hilda and Mrs. Solness initially appear to have a rather chilly relationship. For example, Hilda becomes upset when Mrs. Solness claims that it’s her “duty” to go buy new clothes for Hilda, and Hilda remarks “She could have said she’d do it because she liked me so much. Something like that, she might have said. Something truly warm and heartfelt, don’t you see?” (page 389). At this point in the play it seems unlikely that Mrs. Solness and Hilda could work together for a common result, as they do not have a good relationship. Their relationship changes, however, after the two have a talk on the veranda about the fire that destroyed Mrs. Solness’s house and that led to the deaths of the twin boys. As they part at the end of this conversation, Mrs. Solness says “And let’s be friends, Miss Wangel, can’t we?” to which Hilda replies “Oh, if only we could,” while the two share a hug (page 408). This illustrates that Hilda and Mrs. Solness have managed to find a way to get along with each other, which is important to the idea that they are working together against Solness, as cooperative action is difficult if there is no common ground between the players. This sense of cooperative action between these two characters finally rises to the forefront near the end of the play when Mrs. Solness encourages Hilda to “hold fast” to Halvard Solness and to convince him not to climb the tower on the new house (page 416). Hilda ends up doing just the opposite and persuades Solness to climb to the top of his tower after all, which at first would seem to oppose the idea that she was working together with Mrs. Solness. After further consideration, however, it does not make sense that Mrs. Solness would trust Hilda to be alone with Halvard Solness and to convince him not to climb the tower, especially after Hilda had previously expressed her fascination with seeing Solness at the top of the church tower in Lysanger. Perhaps Mrs. Solness knew all along that Hilda would encourage Solness to climb the tower, and perhaps Mrs. Solness actually desired the final outcome of her husband falling from the scaffolding. Throughout the entire play, Halvard Solness’s relationship with his wife is basically nonexistent, and it would be understandable if Mrs. Solness was ready for her husband to move on. Additionally, it would make sense for Hilda to be working toward Solness’s demise, as she is a manifestation of his “trolls and devils” (which is itself a topic for another blog). With all of these factors considered, it seems valid to interpret Mrs. Solness and Hilda as co-conspirators in the death of Halvard Solness.