Copenhagen

“But why?”

Margrethe opens the play by posing the key inciting question, the idea that propels the narrative. In this respect she takes the role of the audience. She seeks to discover why these two famous scientists met—not just the itinerary of their meeting, but the fundamental reason why they risked everything to reunite amid a horrific war. This question is the first line in the play, a query the rest of the text attempts to answer.

“Does it matter, my love, now we’re all three of us dead and gone?”

After Margrethe establishes the central question of the play, her husband questions the necessity of her quest for knowledge. Bohr reveals that all three characters are now “dead and gone” (6) and that their actions while alive are no longer particularly important. This is ironic, given the fame of the two scientists and the fact that the entire play revolves around the conceit of their clandestine meeting. Bohr asks whether his wife’s question matters, but the fact that his spirit spends the remainder of the play trying to find an answer demonstrates that yes, it does matter.