About the work
Arthur Schnitzler's play in five acts was written in 1912 and was at first banned in Austria on account of its political explosiveness. The premiere took place in 1912 at the Kleines Theater Berlin; in Vienna the play was prohibited until 1918. It is regarded as Schnitzler's most explicitly political work and treats antisemitism in Austrian society before the First World War.
Plot
Professor Bernhardi, a Jewish physician and head of a private clinic in Vienna, refuses a Catholic priest access to a dying patient. The young woman believes she is recovering, and Bernhardi wishes to leave her this illusion to the end. The medical-ethical act becomes a political scandal: antisemitic circles use the case to persecute Bernhardi publicly. He is sentenced to prison, but declines political acts of solidarity and remains true to his personal integrity.
Cultural significance
Professor Bernhardi was one of the first German-language dramas to address antisemitism as a systemic problem — and was banned in Austria for precisely that reason. The figure of Bernhardi is regarded as one of the most nuanced studies of integrity under social pressure. The play saw numerous new productions after 1945 and became a document of the theatre's role in social debate. Thomas Bernhard's "Heldenplatz" quotes the work explicitly.