And this is only one
of several forms of afterthought which may arise as the play develops.
The playwright may all of a sudden see that a certain character is
superfluous, or that a new character is needed, or that a new
relationship between two characters would simplify matters, or that a
scene that he has placed in the first act ought to be in the second, or
that he can dispense with it altogether, or that it reveals too much to
the audience and must be wholly recast.[5]
These are only a few of the re-adjustments which have constantly to be
made if a play is shaping itself by a process of vital growth; and that
is why the playwright may be advised to keep his material fluid as long
as he can. Ibsen had written large portions of the play now known to us
as _Rosmersholm_ before he decided that Rebecca should not be married to
Rosmer. He also, at a comparatively late stage, did away with two
daughters whom he had at first given to Rosmer, and decided to make her
childlessness the main cause of Beata's tragedy.
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