Part 2 Act 4 Scene 1 Summary

This part of the play tells the story of Peer Gynt's middle age. On a beach in Morocco, Peer (now in his mid-fifties and very prosperous) entertains a group of wealthy friends, Mr. Cotton, Monsieur Ballon, Herr von Eberkopf and Herr Trumpeterstraale. They drink brandy and smoke cigars as Peer tells the story of his success. First he explains that one reason he's so wealthy is that he's escaped married life, and tells a story of how he once came close to marrying a princess whom he'd gotten pregnant but escaped after an argument with her parents, which was bad, and a physical battle with her younger relatives, which was worse. The guests comment on the wisdom of Peer's philosophy, on the fact that he's never been formally educated, and on his generosity. Peer goes on to explain that...