Margrethe Bohr
The third electron in orbit around the center of Michael Frayn’s COPENHAGEN
Copenhagen is as much a personal story as it is a scientific one. The two physicists sparring over quantum theory are joined by a third character, one who returns the scientists again and again to matters of the heart: Margrethe Bohr, confidante, wife, and essential partner to Niels in his life and work.
Margrethe Nørlund was born in 1890 about 50 miles outside Copenhagen, the city she would come to call home for more than 70 years. In 1909, Margrethe was studying French and training to teach when her brother brought a friend home for dinner: Niels Bohr. As she remembers it, Niels came around several times before they took notice of each other. But by the summer of 1910, Niels was no longer just a family friend; he was Margrethe’s fiancé. They were married in 1912, and remained happily wed until Niels’ death in 1962.
“My mother was the natural and indispensable center. Father knew how much mother meant to him and never missed an opportunity to show his gratitude and love…Her opinions were his guidelines in daily affairs.” — Hans Bohr, Niels and Margrethe’s son
Over their 50-year marriage, the Bohrs had six sons; one of them — Aage — became a celebrated physicist himself. Their oldest and youngest sons, though, would not live to see it. Harald died at about 10 years old from childhood meningitis; his eldest brother, Christian, drowned at age 18 when an unexpected storm blew into the sea where he and Niels were sailing.
Despite this tragedy, Margrethe would remain the rock of her family — and of her husband’s work. She was essential to his progress, acting in turn as a sounding board, an editor, a typist, and a confidant. Niels worked out his theories by discussing them with Margrethe, who in turn delivered those theories to the world by carefully editing, transcribing, re-editing, and retyping the many drafts of her husband’s papers. Niels was acutely aware of Margrethe’s contributions; in 1912, the newlywed wrote “I went to the country with my wife and we wrote a very long paper,” sharing credit with his new spouse.
“It was not luck, rather deep insight, which led [Niels] to find in young years his wife, who, as we all know, had such a decisive role in making his whole scientific and personal activity possible and harmonious.” — Richard Courant, family friend
Margrethe was a welcome fixture in her husband’s work, both socially and due to her practical contributions. She spent a good deal of time with Niels’ various assistants and teammates at the Institute for Theoretical Physics, and later in life recalled not just their scientific successes but the warmth of the home when these young scientists joined them. She noted in particular the music these men often brought into the Bohrs’ lives: “It came, as I said, from Kramers and partly Heisenberg, also. It came very much from Ehrenfest who always played when he came here. Later there was Frisch; he was the last one really. So at that time we had music in the evening when the young people came.”
It is this balance of the personal and professional that Margrethe the character brings to the stage in Copenhagen. As Heisenberg and Bohr recall their science, they remind themselves to always be sure that Margrethe can understand the work discussed in plain language. But in addition to clarifying their science, Margrethe is also key for clarifying their hearts, always pushing the two men to speak to each other about intention, motivation, and memory in the same plain language. The character, like the historical woman, makes Niels’ personal and professional life possible.
When Margrethe died in winter 1984, she was 94 years old and had outlived her husband by 22 years. In the play, Niels claims that he was formed as “a mathematically curious entity: not one but half of two.” Onstage in Copenhagen, their partnership — their equation — lives again.
Copenhagen is onstage at the Lantern January 11 through February 18, 2018. Visit our website for tickets and information.
