Prince Hagen

Prince Hagen by Upton Sinclair crackles with biting social satire as mythic drama collides with the gilded world of early 20th-century New York. Sinclair stages a provocative play that sends a Nibelung prince into the drawing rooms and boardrooms of Fifth Avenue, setting up a comic and tragic collision between poetic idealism and ruthless industrial power. Through vivid scenes — from a primeval Quebec camp to the conservatory of a palatial city mansion — characters like Gerald Isman, a young poet, and the enigmatic Prince Hagen illuminate themes of identity, class, and the commodification of art. Sinclair’s sharp dialogue and theatrical setting skewers social pretensions and exposes how wealth, influence, and tradition reshape human relationships. Written in the spirit of Progressive Era critique, Prince Hagen blends mythic motifs with contemporary drama to ask whether noble impulses can survive in a world run by magnates and manners. A compelling work of dramatic literature and stage-worthy satire, this play is ideal for listeners who love thought-provoking drama, political and social commentary, and fans of Upton Sinclair’s reformist voice. Listen for a lively theatrical experience that entertains while it indicts.