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The wild duck: A drama in five acts
Hardcover
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Publisher: Indoeuropeanpublishing.com
Pages: 216
Weight: 0.95
Height: 0.69 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
The Wild Duck: A Drama in Five Acts by Henrik Ibsen is a complex and introspective play that explores the tension between truth and illusion within a family. Set in a modest Norwegian home, the story centers on the Ekdal family-Hjalmar, his wife Gina, and their daughter Hedvig-whose seemingly peaceful life is built on carefully maintained secrets. When Gregers Werle, an idealistic truth-seeker, enters their lives, he becomes determined to reveal what he believes is the liberating power of honesty. However, his interference begins to unravel the fragile emotional balance that holds the family together.
A central symbol in the play is the wild duck itself, which lives injured in the Ekdals' attic after being rescued from a hunting accident. The duck represents the characters' wounded inner lives and their reliance on comforting illusions to survive. Hedvig, in particular, forms a deep bond with the duck, seeing it as a reflection of her own vulnerability and love for her family. Ibsen uses this symbol to suggest that some illusions may be necessary for happiness, challenging the idea that truth is always beneficial.
The play builds toward a tragic conclusion, as Gregers' actions lead to devastating consequences, especially for Hedvig. Her ultimate sacrifice underscores the destructive potential of rigid idealism when it ignores human complexity and compassion. Through The Wild Duck, Ibsen critiques moral absolutism and highlights the delicate balance between truth and illusion in everyday life. The drama remains a powerful exploration of psychological depth, showing how good intentions can lead to harm when they fail to account for the emotional needs of others.
About the Author
Henrik Johan Ibsen (20 March 1828 - 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright. He is considered one of the world's pre-eminent writers of the 19th century and is often referred to as the father of modern drama. He pioneered theatrical realism but also wrote lyrical epic works. His major works include Brand, Peer Gynt, Emperor and Galilean, A Doll's House, Ghosts, An Enemy of the People, The Wild Duck, Rosmersholm, Hedda Gabler, The Master Builder, and When We Dead Awaken. In 2014 Ibsen was considered the most frequently performed dramatist in the world after Shakespeare. Store norske leksikon describes him as the center of the Norwegian literary canon.
Ibsen was born into the merchant elite of the port town of Skien and had strong family ties to the Paus family and other families who had held power and wealth in Telemark since the mid-1500s. He established himself as a theater director in Norway during the 1850s and gained international recognition as a playwright with the plays Brand and Peer Gynt in the 1860s. From 1864, he lived for 27 years in Italy and Germany, primarily in Rome, Dresden, and Munich, making only brief visits to Norway, before moving to Christiania (Oslo) in 1891. Most of Ibsen's plays are set in Norway, often in bourgeois environments and places reminiscent of Skien, and he frequently drew inspiration from family members. Ibsen's early verse play Peer Gynt has strong surreal elements. After Peer Gynt Ibsen abandoned verse and wrote in realistic prose. Several of his later dramas were considered scandalous to many of his era, when European theatre was expected to model strict morals of family life and propriety. Ibsen's later work examined the realities that lay behind the façades, revealing much that was disquieting to a number of his contemporaries. He had a critical eye and conducted a free inquiry into the conditions of life and issues of morality. Critics frequently rate The Wild Duck and Rosmersholm as Ibsen's best works; the playwright himself regarded Emperor and Galilean as his masterpiece.
... (wikipedia.org)
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