The wild duck : $b A drama in five acts

"The Wild Duck" by Henrik Ibsen is a drama in five acts written in the late 19th century. The play explores intricate dynamics within families and social connections, particularly focusing on the lives of Hjalmar Ekdal, his wife Gina, and their daughter Hedvig, as well as the impact of their relationships with Gregers Werle and his father, Mr. Werle. Themes of deception, truth, and the struggle for personal fulfillment are central to the narrative. The opening of the play establishes a rich social environment at Mr. Werle's house during a dinner party. Various characters, including servants and guests, engage in light banter, setting the stage for the interaction of Hjalmar Ekdal and Gregers Werle, who reconnect after many years. Hjalmar is revealed to be living in a modest manner as a photographer, burdened by family responsibilities and the shadow of his father's past misdeeds. The introduction of the wild duck becomes a symbol of the struggle between reality and illusion, hinting at deeper conflicts and the characters' complexities. The dialogue introduces the themes of perception versus truth and the weight of past actions on present relationships, foreshadowing the emotional unraveling that will ensue. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Henrik Johan Ibsen was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and the most influential playwright of the 19th century, as well of one of the most influential playwrights in Western literature more generally. 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. Ibsen is the most frequently performed dramatist in the world after Shakespeare, and A Doll's House was the world's most performed play in 2006.