# Hofrat Behrens — The Magic Mountain character guide > Hofrat Behrens in The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Behrens, Herr Hofrat Behrens, the Hofrat, Rhadamanthus **First appearance:** 0005-number-34 ## Snapshot The Berghof's sardonic chief physician, who paints his patients' insides, jokes at the bedside, and pronounces on who may leave the mountain and who may not. ## Who they are Behrens runs the Davos sanatorium with a surgeon's bluntness and a painter's eye, treating bodies as specimens and guests as long-term investments in his own cure-rate. His gallows humor and habit of calling himself Rhadamanthus mask a genuine, weary intimacy with death, and his verdicts decide whether Hans Castorp stays three weeks or seven years. He embodies the mountain's central paradox: the doctor who keeps you alive and the institution that keeps you ill. ## Relationships ### [Hans Castorp](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/characters/hans_castorp) _professional_ Hans's chief physician, whose medical authority and eccentric personality dominate the sanatorium. ### [Joachim Ziemssen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/characters/joachim_ziemssen) _professional_ Behrens is Joachim's treating physician, overseeing his strict and ultimately tragic regimen. ### [Ludovico Settembrini](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/characters/ludovico_settembrini) _social_ They are long-term acquaintances at the sanatorium, with Settembrini as a patient and occasional critic of Behrens's methods. ### [Clavdia Chauchat](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/characters/clavdia_chauchat) _professional_ She is a long-term patient under Behrens's care, and he is also infatuated with her, painting her portrait. ### [Hans Castorp](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/characters/hans_castorp) _professional_ Hans's chief physician, whose medical authority and eccentric personality dominate the sanatorium. ### [Hans Castorp](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/characters/hans_castorp) _professional_ Hans's chief physician, whose medical authority and eccentric personality dominate the sanatorium. ### [Joachim Ziemssen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/characters/joachim_ziemssen) _professional_ Behrens is Joachim's treating physician, overseeing his strict and ultimately tragic regimen. ### [Ludovico Settembrini](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/characters/ludovico_settembrini) _social_ They are long-term acquaintances at the sanatorium, with Settembrini as a patient and occasional critic of Behrens's methods. ### [Joachim Ziemssen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/characters/joachim_ziemssen) _professional_ Behrens is Joachim's treating physician, overseeing his strict and ultimately tragic regimen. ### [Clavdia Chauchat](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/characters/clavdia_chauchat) _professional_ She is a long-term patient under Behrens's care, and he is also infatuated with her, painting her portrait. ### [Clavdia Chauchat](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/characters/clavdia_chauchat) _professional_ She is a long-term patient under Behrens's care, and he is also infatuated with her, painting her portrait. ### [Ludovico Settembrini](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/characters/ludovico_settembrini) _social_ They are long-term acquaintances at the sanatorium, with Settembrini as a patient and occasional critic of Behrens's methods. ## In the story ### [Chapter I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/chapter-i) Makes a brief, imposing appearance in the dining hall, establishing his authority as the head of the institution. ### [Arrival](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/arrival) Mentioned in passing by Joachim as the authority who has extended his estimated cure time, establishing his role as the chief medical figure. ### [Number 34](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/number-34) Mentioned indirectly as the source of information about the deceased American woman and as someone whose face is perpetually purple from the mountain air. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/chapter-ii) Makes his morning rounds, examining patients with a brusque, jovial manner. ### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/chapter-iii) Conducts Hans's initial medical examination, which includes measuring his temperature and listening to his chest. ### [Breakfast](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/breakfast) Bursts into the scene with Dr. Krokowski; examines Hans Castorp, diagnosing anemia; jokes about the sanatorium's social life and Joachim's restlessness. ### [Banter. Viaticum. Interrupted Mirth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/banter-viaticum-interrupted-mirth) Discussed indirectly; his blunt, commanding treatment of a dying patient who 'wouldn't die' is recounted by Joachim. ### [Satana](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/satana) Mentioned as 'Rhadamanthus,' a devotee of smoking who suffers melancholia and has his tobacco rationed by the Directress. ### [Chapter IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/chapter-iv) Conducts Hans's medical examination, setting the official tone for his stay. ### [Excursus on the Sense of Time](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/excursus-on-the-sense-of-time) Mentioned in passing as the authority who diagnosed Hans's anaemic condition, which explains his sensitivity to the cold during the balcony rest. ### [He Practises His French](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/he-practises-his-french) Briefly encountered in the corridor; calls Hans a 'disinterested spectator' and jokes about the winter clientele before attending to a dying patient. ### [Politically Suspect](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/politically-suspect) Mingles in his white smock, making pleasantries and performing a bootlace-tying 'stunt' to entertain the guests. ### [Doubts and Considerations](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/doubts-and-considerations) His tragic past is revealed: he stayed at the Berghof after his wife's death, both from grief and his own poor health, becoming a 'companion in suffering' to his patients. ### [The Thermometer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/the-thermometer) Agrees to examine Hans Castorp, displaying his characteristic jovial and macabre humor, referencing a recent rib resection surgery. ### [Soup-Everlasting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/soup-everlasting) Grants Hans Castorp leave to get up after being reminded the three weeks of bed rest are over, commenting on how fast time passes. ### [Sudden Enlightenment](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/sudden-enlightenment) Mentioned as painting Clavdia Chauchat's portrait in his private dwelling, his voice heard giving directions in the X-ray laboratory. ### [Freedom](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/freedom) Mentioned in relation to the X-ray examination and a recent, impressive operation, which Hans admires. ### [Humaniora](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/humaniora) Shows his amateur paintings with proud embarrassment; discusses the difficulty of painting Clavdia Chauchat, analyzing her 'epicanthus' and 'atavistic vestige'; admits to having painted portraits. ### [Choler. And Worse](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/choler-and-worse) Conducts the monthly examination in a melancholic, resigned mood, discussing a patient sex scandal and cynically linking tuberculosis with concupiscence. ### [An Attack, and a Repulse](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/an-attack-and-a-repulse) Referenced as the authority who has prescribed another six months for Hans, described by Hans as an interesting, brusque, yet melancholy character. ### [A Soldier, and Brave](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/a-soldier-and-brave) Mentioned in relation to the monthly examinations and the decree that Joachim must remain for his 'after-cure,' his laryngeal mirror is suggested for further throat examination. ### [Mynheer Peeperkorn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/mynheer-peeperkorn) Reveals he was unaware of the joint travel plans; diagnoses Peeperkorn with quartan fever and an inflamed spleen. ### [Vingt-Et-Un](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/vingt-et-un) Makes a brief, sprightly appearance, parodying the 'Pilgrims' Chorus' on the piano to general amusement before withdrawing. ### [Mynheer Peeperkorn (Conclusion)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/mynheer-peeperkorn-conclusion) Present at Peeperkorn's death, discussing the chronic debility that preceded it. Shows Hans Castorp the ingenious, cobra-like suicide instrument taken from Peeperkorn's hand. ### [The Great God Dumps](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/the-great-god-dumps) Proposes a new diagnosis (streptococci in the blood) and treatment for Castorp, promising a 'complete cure.' His lively, corps-student cadences are noted, possibly for the last time. ### [The Thunderbolt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/chapters/the-thunderbolt) His morning inquiries to Hans are now purely rhetorical and summary; he no longer addresses him with any particularity, leaving him to his established existence. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/characters/hofrat_behrens - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magic_mountain_se/characters