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    The Wild Duck
    The Wild Duck
    The Wild Duck
    Ebook184 pages2 hours

    The Wild Duck

    By Henrik Ibsen

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    This 1884 masterpiece may have its genesis in the hostile reception Ibsen — widely regarded as the father of modern realist drama — had received from the Norwegian public and critics for Ghosts (1881), which gave theater-goers a larger dose of truth than most were willing to bear. His next three plays — The Wild Duck, An Enemy of the People (1882), and Rosmersholm (1886) — focused on the consequences of telling the truth, or forbearing to do so.
    In The Wild Duck, the idealistic son of a corrupt merchant exposes his father's duplicity, but in the process destroys the very people he wishes to save. Convinced that reality is always superior to illusion, Gregers Werle forces his friends, the Ekdals, to face the truth about their lives. Unfortunately, the truth, involving scandal, illegitimacy, imprisonment, and madness, only serves to wound the Ekdals further. In the play, the wild duck is a symbol of this injured family, and perhaps of the loss of Ibsen's youthful idealism.
    Moving and powerful, this thought-provoking tragedy shows clearly why Ibsen is regarded as one of the giants of modern theater.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDover Publications
    Release dateAug 2, 2012
    ISBN9780486158143
    Author

    Henrik Ibsen

    Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906) is the Norwegian playwright deemed the “father of realism.” Born in Skien, Norway, Ibsen was exiled in 1862 to Italy, where he wrote the tragedy Brand. After moving to Germany in 1868, he wrote A Doll’s House (1879), one of his most famous works; Hedda Gabler (1890), the title character of which is one of theater’s most notorious roles; and many other plays. In 1891, Ibsen returned to Norway, where he remained until his death.

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    • 3/5
      A tragedy of Shakespearean proportions. The fatal flaw of hubris makes Hialmar into a tragic anti-hero with Gregers as his well-meaning but evil nemesis.
    • 4/5
      The tragedy of this play is not that truth is revealed. It is that there is no saving human love. Gregers is like a blast of unfeeling idealism. Not only does he see what is true, but he refuses to accept any truth that doesn't fit his conception of "how" humans should behave. He wants lies exposed not to bring resolution and closeness, but to "punish" bad behavior. The ironic thing about this play is that Hjalmar doesn't really care about the truth until he is forced to - and even then, if Gregers had left things alone, there are clear signs that Hjalmar would have been talked back into his regular life. It is only his daughter that bears the full brunt of the tragedy.
    • 4/5
      Swan Lake+Bizzare Love Triangle = Ibsen's The Wild Duck. At first a dull tale turns into a riveting one about deceit, sorrow, greed, despair and misunderstanding. A life goal would be to direct Ibsen's brilliant play in a post-modern adaptation.
    • 4/5
      Having also read Roshersholm, I see why The Wild Duck is oft cited as one of his best.

    Book preview

    The Wild Duck - Henrik Ibsen

    ACT I

    At WERLE’s house. A richly and comfortably furnished study; bookcases and upholsterer furniture; a writing-table, with papers and documents, in the centre of the room; lighted lamps with green shades, giving a subdued light. At the back, open folding-doors with curtains drawn back. Within is seen a large and handsome room, brilliantly lighted with lamps and branching candlesticks. In front, on the right (in the study), a small baize door leads into WERLE’s office. On the left, in front, a fireplace with a glowing coal fire, and farther back a double door leading into the dining-room.

    WERLE’s servant, PETTERSEN, in livery, and JENSEN, the hired waiter, in black, are putting the study in order. In the large room, two or three other hired waiters are moving about, arranging things and lighting more candles. From the dining-room, the hum of conversation and laughter of many voices are heard; a glass is tapped with a knife; silence follows, and a toast is proposed; shouts of Bravo! and then again a buzz of conversation.

    Pettersen (lights a lamp on the chimney-place and places a shade over it). Hark to them, Jensen! now the old man’s on his legs holding a long palaver about Mrs. Sörby.

    Jensen (pushing forward an armchair). Is it true, what folks say, that they’re—very good friends, eh?

    Pettersen. Lord knows.

    Jensen. I’ve heard tell as he’s been a lively customer in his day.

    Pettersen. May be.

    Jensen. And he’s giving this spread in honour of his son, they say.

    Pettersen. Yes. His son came home yesterday.

    Jensen. This is the first time I ever heard as Mr. Werle had a son.

    Pettersen. Oh, yes, he has a son, right enough. But he’s a fixture, as you might say, up at the Höidal works. He’s never once come to town all the years I’ve been in service here.

    A Waiter (in the doorway of the other room). Pettersen, here’s an old fellow wanting——

    Pettersen (mutters). The devil—who’s this now?

    OLD EKDAL appears from the right, in the inner room. He is dressed in a threadbare overcoat with a high collar; he wears woollen mittens and carries in his hand a stick and a fur cap. Under his arm, a brown paper parcel. Dirty red-brown wig and small grey moustache.

    Pettersen (goes towards him). Good Lord—what do you want here?

    Ekdal (in the doorway). Must get into the office, Pettersen.

    Pettersen. The office was closed an hour ago, and——

    Ekdal. So they told me at the front door. But Gråberg’s in there still. Let me slip in this way, Pettersen; there’s a good fellow. (Points towards the baize door.) It’s not the first time I’ve come this way.

    Pettersen. Well, you may pass. (Opens the door.) But mind you go out again the proper way, for we’ve got company.

    Ekdal. I know, I know—h’m! Thanks, Pettersen, good old friend! Thanks! (Mutters softly.) Ass!

    [He goes into the office; PETTERSEN shuts the door after him.]

    Jensen. Is he one of the office people?

    Pettersen. No he’s only an outside hand that does odd jobs of copying. But he’s been a tip-topper in his day, has old Ekdal.

    Jensen. You can see he’s been through a lot.

    Pettersen. Yes; he was an army officer, you know.

    Jensen. You don’t say so?

    Pettersen. No mistake about it. But then he went into the timber trade or something of the sort. They say he once played Mr. Werle a very nasty trick. They were partners in the Höidal works at the time. Oh, I know old Ekdal well, I do. Many a nip of bitters and bottle of ale we two have drunk at Madam Eriksen’s.

    Jensen. He don’t look as if he’d much to stand treat with.

    Pettersen. Why, bless you, Jensen, it’s me that stands treat. I always think there’s no harm in being a bit civil to folks that have seen better days.

    Jensen. Did he go bankrupt, then?

    Pettersen. Worse than that. He went to prison.

    Jensen. To prison!

    Pettersen. Or perhaps it was the Penitentiary. (Listens.) Sh! They’re leaving the table.

    The dining-room door is thrown open from within by a couple of waiters. MRS. SÖRBY comes out conversing with two gentlemen. Gradually the whole company follows, amongst them WERLE. Last come HIALMAR EKDAL and GREGERS WERLE.

    Mrs. Sörby (in passing, to the servant). Tell them to serve the coffee in the music-room, Pettersen.

    Pettersen. Very well, Madam.

    [She goes with the two Gentlemen into the inner room and thence out to the right. PETTERSEN and JENSEN go out the same way.]

    A Flabby Gentleman (to a THIN-HAIRED GENTLEMAN). Whew! What a dinner!—It was no joke to do it justice!

    The Thin-haired Gentleman. Oh, with a little good-will one can get through a lot in three hours.

    The Flabby Gentleman. Yes, but afterwards, afterwards, my dear Chamberlain!

    A Third Gentleman. I hear the coffee and maraschino are to be served in the music-room.

    The Flabby Gentleman. Bravo! Then perhaps Mrs. Sörby will play us something.

    The Thin-haired Gentleman (in a low voice). I hope Mrs. Sörby mayn’t play us a tune we don’t like, one of these days!

    The Flabby Gentleman. Oh, no, not she! Bertha will never turn against her old friends.

    [They laugh and pass into the inner room.]

    Werle (in a low voice, dejectedly). I don’t think anybody noticed it, Gregers.

    Gregers (looks at him). Noticed what?

    Werle. Did you not notice it either?

    Gregers. What do you mean?

    Werle. We were thirteen at table.

    Gregers. Indeed? Were there thirteen of us?

    Werle (glances towards HIALMAR, EKDAL). Our usual party is twelve. (To the others.) This way, gentlemen!

    [WERLE and the others, all except HIALMAR and GREGERS, go out by the back, to the right.]

    Hialmar (who has overheard the conversation). You ought not to have invited me, Gregers.

    Gregers. What! Not ask my best and only friend to a party supposed to be in my honour——?

    Hialmar. But I don’t think your father likes it. You see I am quite outside his circle.

    Gregers. So I hear. But I wanted to see you and have a talk with you, and I certainly shan’t be staying long.—Ah, we two old schoolfellows have drifted far apart from each other. It must be sixteen or seventeen years since we met.

    Hialmar. Is it so long?

    Gregers. It is indeed. Well, how goes it with you? You look well. You have put on flesh and grown almost stout.

    Hialmar. Well, stout is scarcely the word; but I daresay I look a little more of a man than I used to.

    Gregers. Yes, you do; your outer man is in first-rate condition.

    Hialmar (in a tone of gloom). Ah, but the inner man! That is a very different matter, I can tell you! Of course you know of the terrible catastrophe that has befallen me and mine since last we met.

    Gregers (more softly). How are things going with your father now?

    Hialmar. Don’t let us talk of it, old fellow. Of course my poor unhappy father lives with me. He hasn’t another soul in the world to care for him. But you can understand that this is a miserable subject for me.—Tell me, rather, how you have been getting on up at the works.

    Gregers. I have had a delightfully lonely time of it—plenty of leisure to think and think about things. Come over here; we may as well make ourselves comfortable.

    [He seats himself in an armchair by the fire and draws HIALMAR down into another alongside of it.]

    Hialmar (sentimentally). After all, Gregers, I thank you for inviting me to your father’s table; for I take it as a sign that you have got over your feeling against me.

    Gregers (surprised). How could you imagine I had any feeling against you?

    Hialmar. You had at first, you know.

    Gregers. How at first?

    Hialmar. After the great misfortune. It was natural enough that you should. Your father was within an ace of being drawn into that—well, that terrible business.

    Gregers. Why should that give me any feeling against you? Who can have put that into your head?

    Hialmar. I know it did, Gregers; your father told me so himself.

    Gregers (starts). My father! Oh, indeed. H’m.—Was that why you never let me hear from you?—not a single word.

    Hialmar. Yes.

    Gregers. Not even when you made up your mind to become a photographer?

    Hialmar. Your father said I had better not write to you at all, about anything.

    Gregers (looking straight before him). Well, well, perhaps he was right.—But tell me now, Hialmar: are you pretty well satisfied with your present position?

    Hialmar (with a little sigh). Oh, yes, I am; I have really no cause to complain. At first, as you may guess, I felt it a little strange. It was such a totally new state of things for me. But of course my whole circumstances were totally changed. Father’s utter, irretrievable ruin,—the shame and disgrace of it, Gregers——

    Gregers (affected). Yes, yes; I understand.

    Hialmar. I couldn’t think of remaining at college; there wasn’t a shilling to spare; on the contrary, there were debts—mainly to your father, I believe——

    Gregers. H’m——

    Hialmar. In short, I thought it best to break, once for all, with my old surroundings and associations. It was your father that specially urged me to it; and since he interested himself so much in me——

    Gregers. My father did?

    Hialmar. Yes, you surely knew that, didn’t you? Where do you suppose I found the money to learn photography, and to furnish a studio and make a start? All that cost a pretty penny, I can tell you.

    Gregers. And my father provided the money?

    Hialmar. Yes, my dear fellow, didn’t you know? I understood

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