He rubs his eyes. And when he sees what he sees, he rubs them again. And then he really gets a fright. Elegantly clad servants politely bid him a good morning. Instead of his dirty clothes, he is wearing a fine shirt. He is treated to the finest wine and the most expensive food.
A crude joke
Jeppe has been placed in the baron's bed. The night before, as the baron and his entourage passed by the sleeping Jeppe on the dung heap, they had an idea for a practical joke. After rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and consuming a lot of good wine, Jeppe - much too willingly - accepts what the noble people are telling him: That he is the baron.
Jeppe's trouble-free life as a master lasts only one happy day. The next time he wakes up, he doesn't only have a hangover. He also has a bad-tempered wife, en empty purse and the same old, sorry life as a poor peasant on Sealand.
We must use our senses
Ludvig Holberg was one of the first Danish playwrights to write in Danish. With inspiration from the ancient Roman comedy writer Plautus and French dramatist Molière, Holberg's plays were to inform the growing Danish middle classes about common sense versus foolishness. To enable citizens to distinguish between right and wrong. Like many other authors of the age of enlightenment, Holberg trusted the intellect and the clarity of logical thinking. If the drunkard Jeppe had applied more of this, the baron and his people would not have succeeded in tricking Jeppe's so badly.
It is hilarious to see the stupid peasant believe that he can get away with ordering the bailiff and the baron's secretary about. While we laugh at Jeppe, we are also taught that we should not believe everything we hear and see.
Lone Nyhuus is a former dancer and choreographer. As a freelance journalist she works for the DR P2 radio programme Teatermagasinet (The Theatre Magazine).
Kenneth Milldoff as Jeppe. Photo: Anders Mattsson.