- Ibsen is still the most formidable of obstinate individualists. Absolute self-reliance is the note he constantly strikes. He is obsessed with the psychology of moral problems, but for him, there are no universal ethical laws the golden rule is that there is no golden rule " thus while in The Pillars of Society he advocates candid confession and honest revelation of the truth of things; in the " Wild Duck " he attacks the pig-headed meddler, who comes " dunning us with claims of the Ideal." Ultimately, though absorbed in " matters of conscience," it is as an artist rather than as a philosopher that he visualizes the world.
- The Wild Duck (original Norwegian title: Vildanden) is an 1884 play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It is considered the first modern masterpiece in the genre of tragicomedy.
- The Wild Duck and Rosmersholm are "often to be observed in the critics' estimates vying with each other as rivals for the top place among Ibsen's works.
- The first act opens with a dinner party hosted by Håkon Werle, a wealthy merchant, and industrialist. The gathering is attended by his son, Gregers Werle, who has just returned to his father's home following a self-imposed exile. There, he learns the fate of a former classmate, Hjalmar Ekdal. Hjalmar married Gina, a young servant in the Werle household. The older Werle had arranged the match by providing Hjalmar with a home and profession as a photographer. Gregers, whose mother died believing that Gina and Håkon had carried on an affair, becomes enraged at the thought that his old friend is living a life built on a lie.
- \(Wikipedia)
- Author: Henrik Ibsen.
- Translator Eleanor Marx Aveling
- Publication date:1890
The wild duck: a drama in five acts
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