Henrik Ibsen

HENRIK IBSEN

300 words each

Introduction

Often considered as the “Father of realism” and one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre, Henrik Ibsen was a 19th century playwright, theatre director and poet (Downs, Wright and Ramsey 381). Though well adapted to a realistic middle-class background, his works were regarded as shocking in his era as his messages raises a lot of moral and controversial questions for audiences and readers (Egan 1). His major works include A Doll’s House, Hedda Gabler and Peer Gynt, among others. After William Shakespeare, he is the most frequently performed dramatist in the world. Ibsen was born in 1828 and raised in a noble family where he was the oldest of five sibblings in Norway. In his early years, he was greatly influenced by famous writers such as William Shakespeare, Soren Kierkegaard, a Danish philosopher who wrote critical texts about existentialism. In addition, his experience at the Norwegian Theater as well as his family background coloured his writings. . He married Suzzanah Thoresen in 1858 and had an only child Sigurd in 1859, late lawyer and Prime Minister in Stockholm.

First Part

Ibsen’s style of writing is mostly realism. Realist writers try to narrate their stories from an objective and unbiased point of view that evidently represent the actual elements of the story. Ibsen describes the everyday life of middle-class people in realistic settings, while revealing their struggles in their living conditions. In A Doll’s House, the characters have conversations that everyone can relate to; however the plot of the story is well designed. Sometimes, Ibsen is not afraid to be a little unrealistic. For instance, the doorbell rings at the right time, bringing trouble for Nora. Moreover, if Ibsen wants to advance to the next scene or bring up new ideas, people just enter and exit. The bottom line is to encourage audiences to analyze ideas and to challenge the current societal issues. Joseph Jacobs further...