The Story of Gösta Berling · Character

Henrik Dohna

A stiff, well-meaning young count whose plodding decency and limited imagination make him an unwitting instrument in his mother's schemes against his own wife.

supporting

Also known as Count Henrik Dohna, Count Dohna, stupid Count Henrik

First appearance: The Young Countess

As a supporting figure in The Story of Gösta Berling, Henrik Dohna is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Count Henrik Dohna, for whom Gösta briefly worked as a tutor at Borg.

In the storyII: The BeggarOpen this moment free

Henrik Dohna is the heir of a proud house, married to the beautiful Elizabeth, and utterly unprepared for the passions that swirl around him. He is not cruel, only slow: he trusts his mother's version of events and cannot see the trap closing around his marriage until it is nearly too late. His dullness matters because it throws Elizabeth's moral courage into relief, and because his eventual, painful awakening shows how even the foolish can be forced to choose between loyalty and truth.

See Henrik Dohna in II: The Beggar Book page

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Character Web

10 connections

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Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Wealthy and Influential Families
Ekeby Pensioners Core
Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

Marianne’s act of burning her letters and diaries signifies an emotional and psychological peak where she cons…

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In the story

Henrik Dohna appears across 7 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

II: The Beggar
Count Henrik Dohna, for whom Gösta briefly worked as a tutor at Borg.
The Young Countess
Commands his wife to kiss Gösta's hand, threatens a duel, and is portrayed as stupid and cowardly.
XIII: Mamselle Marie
Count Henrik Dohna, mentioned as the son of Countess Märta and husband of the young countess.
III: Penitence
Henrik, easily swayed by his mother, condemns Elizabeth to obedience under Märta and withdraws into his studies, showing indifference to his wife's suffering.
The Iron from Ekeby
Pursues his runaway wife with his mother, but fails to find her due to the pensioners' help.
XI: The Plaster Saints
Orders the destruction of the church's images and whitewashing to atone for his annulled marriage, but is publicly humiliated when the pensioners carry him out of the church.
XVII: The Child’s Mother
Mentioned as Elizabeth's husband who abandoned her, leaving her child fatherless.

Chapter companion notes

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See Henrik Dohna in The Young Countess

See Henrik Dohna in II: The Beggar