That he was labeled an enemy of the people. Upon reflection, he turned that accusation against himself into the title of still another play. In the wild duck, some of the most severe attacks are directed against the socalled idealists. Though ibsens subjects contemporary corruption in clergy and business, sexual inequality, prudishness and other victorian unmentionables were considered dangerous, his method of presentation was conventional. He used melodramatic devices, usually making quite explicit the division between good characters and bad. To make deceptively simplelooking plays, he wrote what was called the wellmade play, that is, a play so carefully constructed that almost every line and object turned out to have some important use in a latter part of the play. It was said that if the heroine of a wellmade play coughs in the first act, she will surely die of tuberculosis by the end. If a gun is handled, it will surely be used. There are no casual deliveries of mail. A letter will bring joy to some, destruction to others. No one will merely observe the beauty of a piece of jewelry. It will surely turn up later as part of someones effort to conceal the past. Ibsens audiences love such revelations in which it is shown that things are not what they seem to be. The baby is the child of someone else. The poor man has unexpectedly inherited a fortune. Surprises abound as, for instance, when a legal document is suddenly flourished, astounding all present. The wild duck contains such a document and revelations. Throughout the play, the secrets of the past impinge on the present. Ibsens audiences were prepared for revelations but not for the penetrating vision of a playwright who insisted on asking embarrassingly profound questions. The wild duck, like most of the plays of henrik ibsen, takes place in the room of a house, an ordinary room, inhabited by an ordinary family, Hjalmar Ekdal, his wife, gina, and the 12yearold daughter, hedvig. The fact that these are the main characters does not seem strange to modern audiences who are accustomed to many plays and Even Television drama based on the family. In a room looking like this, there can be any number of subjects for a play, ranging from the most trivial domestic item to a serious marital conflict with perhaps young hedvig acting as peacemaker. We can expect to hear about money and meals, arrivals and departures, perhaps even an outsider who upsets temporarily the tranquility of the room. As we concentrate on the setting, we think of all the things which would not be appropriate here the confrontation of a great king and the requirements of olympian gods, a brooding soliloquy with impassioned verse, questioning the purpose of life, a duel between captains of rival armies, the witty dialogue of the idle rich, great diplomatic decisions, whimsical fantasy, a musical comedy. It would also be possible to show a detective story or domestic drama light and predictable. But would it be possible to use such a setting and ordinarylooking people to deal with profound issues . Would it be possible, for instance, to investigate marriage as an institution, the corruption of the clergy, devious business practices, prudishness, deceit . Ibsen thought so. And in some of his most important plays, he did so. The issues are presented in a realistic sense. Ibsen provides these believable details even at the most crucial moments of the play. Whereas in older drama, the setting needed merely to be suggested because interest was focused on magnificent language, in realistic drama, people are accounted for in places throughout the house. The use of details around a table can assume large significance, indeed. In one scene, for instance, hjalmar has announced that he is so upset he wont even eat. And some bread and some cold meat. Meat . Never again under this roof. I dont care if i havent had a bite for 24 hours. In his management of these little details, in speech after speech and in the use of household objects, ibsen lets the audience know the main traits of each character. Ibsen limited himself to the things people could actually say to each other in this room. The table takes on vital significance. Much of the dialogue is concerned with eating and drinking. Conventionally, it is the wife, gina, who is most concerned. Gina seems to be constantly putting out food and clearing up. Her responsibilities involve tending to not only her immediate family but also the boarders whose rent supplements their income. The boarders include dr. Relling, molvik, who frequently drinks too much, and the most recent addition, a man named gregers werle, son of the man who had once been ginas employer. As they sit around the table, the men talk of truth, ideals, vision, ambition. Dutifully, the mother and daughter do the daily tasks. Hedvigs eyes are dim. She must wear glasses at all times. Despite the affliction, she, like her mother, helps hjalmar to earn a living by retouching the photographs her father takes in his home studio. Ibsen is able to make his story come to life around this table. He can deal with a significant theme within the confines of this room where his characters can develop the story through conversation. But ibsen is clearly interested in doing more than provide us with character sketches of some interesting members of a victorian household. In the wild duck, he is aiming for the exploration of truth itself. In the wild duck, the idealist is gregers werle, determined to force his old friend hjalmar to face up to the truth about his wife and family. Gregers is the son of a wealthy man. However, in an earlier scene, he rejects his fathers wealth and any association with his fathers business. Gregers father had cheated hjalmars father, old ekdal, years ago in a shady deal for which old ekdal took the blame. And gregers father had apparently had a romantic affair with the very gina who is now such a devoted wife to hjalmar. There is the possibility that hedvigs poor eyesight may have been inherited from her actual father if werle is indeed her father. The wild duck deals with certain questions. Should the truth be told . Can the family endure truth, or must they continue to live according to the life lie which the doctor maintains most people require . Ibsen might have stopped there with an interesting play about people the audience would learn to understand, but he wanted more, a larger theme. And for that, he needed a symbol, the wild duck of the play title. He allows for the realistic use of the creature by making it part of a menagerie living in an attic within the ekdal house. Apparently, hjalmars father was once a man able to indulge his hobby of hunting in the forest. Now his hunting is confined to shooting tame animals in this collection of which the duck is a prize. The way ibsen transforms this creature into a meaningful symbol will be evident as you watch the play. Well, father, now, were alone. Gregers, i dont think theres any man in the world you hate as much as me. Ive seen you at too close quarters. You have seen me with your mothers eyes. But you mustnt forget, those eyes were clouded now and again. But who bears the blame for my mothers unhappy disability . Its you and all these the last of them was this female you palmed off on Hjalmar Ekdal when you no longer word for word, as though i were listening to your mother. Now here he is, so tremendously trusting an innocent in the midst of deceit, living under the same roof as a woman like that not knowing that what he calls his home is built on a lie. When i look back on everything youve done, its as though i have looked out over a battlefield strewn with shattered lives. Since youve now moved in with the ekdals, i can only assume that you have in mind something against me. What i have in mind is to open Hjalmar Ekdals eyes. He shall see the situation as it is, thats all. Is this the lifes work you were talking about yesterday . Yes. You havent left me any other. Is it my fault that your ideas are all mixed up, gregers . Youve messed up my whole life. And im not only thinking of the business with mother, but its thanks to you that i now suffer the torment of a desperately guilty conscience. Your conscience has gone a bit queer, eh . I should have stood up to you at the time the trap was laid for lieutenant ekdal. I should have warned him. I had a pretty fair idea then how things would work out in the end. Yes, you really should have spoken out then. I didnt dare. I was scared, too much of a coward. Cant tell you how frightened i was of you then and for a long time after too. It would seem that fear has passed now. Yes, fortunately, it has. The harm thats been done old ekdal, both by me and by others, could never be put right, but what i can do now is free hjalmar from the lies and deceit that are causing his ruination. In that case, i might save myself a journey. Theres no use asking you if youll come home again . No. And you wont come into the firm either . No. Very well. As i now intend to marry again, the estate will be divided between us. No, i dont want that. You dont want that . No. My conscience wouldnt let me. Are you going back up to the works again . No, i regard myself as having left your service. Oh, what are you going to do now . I shall fulfill my mission. Thats all. But what will you do afterwards . What will you live on . Ive saved a bit out of my pay. But how long will that last . I think it will last my time out. What do you mean by that . Im not answering any more questions. Goodbye then, gregers. Goodbye. Has he gone . Yes. Thats put paid to that lunch. Put your things on, hjalmar. Youre coming for a long walk with me. With pleasure. What did your father want . Anything to do with me . Just come with me. We must have a little talk. Ill go and get my coat. I wouldnt go out with him if i were you, hjalmar. No, dont do it, old man. Stay where you are. What . When a dear friend feels the need to open his heart to me. Damn it, man. Cant you see the fellow is mad . Hes barmy, out of his mind. There you are, you see . Just you take note. His mother used to have bouts just the same as that sometimes. All the more reason for him to need a friends watchful eye. Make sure my dinner is ready on time, will you . Goodbye for now. My dear hjalmar, wasnt it a good thing i came . Yes. So you saw quite clearly how things were. Now wasnt that a good thing . Yes, of course, it was a good thing. In certain cases, its impossible to disregard the claims of the ideal. But theres one thing that offends my sense of justice. And what is that . The fact that i dont think i ought to speak so freely about your father. Oh, no. Dont mind me at all. Well then, you see, what i find so distressing is the fact that its now not me who is to found a true marriage, but him. How can you say that . Oh, but its true. Your father and mrs. Sorby are now entering upon a marriage based on full confidence, based on complete and unqualified frankness on both sides. Theres no keeping anything back. Theres no deception underneath it all. If i might so put it, its an agreement for the mutual forgiveness of sin. Well, what of it . Well, there is only his bit from what you said. One had to go through all this difficult business to found a true marriage. No, thats something quite different, hjalmar. Surely, youre not going to compare either yourself or her with those two . You see what i mean, dont you . But i cant get over the fact that theres something in all this that offends my sense of justice. Its as if for all the world, theres no justice at all in things. Good gracious, hjalmar. You mustnt say things like that. Dont lets get ourselves involved in questions like that. And yet, on the other hand, i think i can claim to see the guiding finger of fate. Your father is going blind. Oh, perhaps thats not so certain. Well, theres no doubt about it. At least there ought not to be any doubt about it, for thats precisely what makes it a just retribution. Your father at sometime has blinded a trusting fellow creature. He has, i regret to say, blinded many. And now comes this mysterious, implacable power and demands the mans own eyes. Oh, how can you say such dreadful things . It makes me feel quite scared. It profits a man occasionally to immerse himself in the darker things of life. Back again already . Yes, i didnt want to go any further. It was just as well. I met someone at the door. That mustve been mrs. Sorby. Yes. Id like to think youve seen her for the last time. Daddy. Well, what is it, hedvig . Mrs. Sorby had something for me. For you . Yes. Its something for tomorrow. Bertha has always had some little thing for your birthday. What is it . You mustnt know what it is yet. Mother has to bring it to me in bed first thing in the morning. Oh, all this secrecy and me being left in the dark. You can see it if you like. Its a big letter. Oh, a letter too . Theres only the letter. I suppose the rest is to come later. But just imagine, a letter. Ive never had a letter before. It says miss on the front, miss hedvig ekdal. Thats me. May i see the letter . There, you see . Oh, thats old mr. Werles writing. Are you sure, hjalmar . Look yourself. Oh, you didnt think id know, do you . Hedvig, may i open the letter and read it . Yes, of course, if you want. No. Not tonight, hjalmar. You know that its meant for tomorrow. Oh, please, let him read it. Its sure to be something nice, then daddy will be pleased and well all be happy again. I may open it then . Yes, daddy, do. Itll be fun to find out what it is. Very well. Whats this . What does it say . Yes, tell us. Be quiet. Its a deed of gift. Fancy that what am i getting . Read it yourself. The eyes, the eyes. And now this letter. Yes, but it looks to me as though its grandfather whos getting it. Gina, can you understand this . I dont know the first thing about it. You tell me what it is. Mr. Werle writes to hedvig to say that her own grandfather neednt bother doing any more copying, but in future, he may collect a hundred crowns a month straight from the office. A hundred crowns, mother. I read that bit. Well, thatll be nice for grandfather. A hundred crowns for as long as he needs it. That means, of course, until hes passed away. Well, thats him provided for, poor old fellow. Thats not all. You didnt read far enough, hedvig. After that, its to come to you. To me . All that . Youre assured a like amount for the rest of your life, he writes. Do you hear that, gina . Yes, i heard. Fancy all the money im going to get. Daddy, arent you glad . Glad . Well, this puts quite a new perspective on things. This opens my eyes to all sorts of possibilities. Its hedvig. Shes the one hes being so generous to. Yes, because she is the one whos having the birthday. You shall have it all the same, daddy. You know, ill give all the money to you and mother. Yes. To mother. Thats just it. Hjalmar, this is a trap thats being set for you. Could it be another trap, do you think . When he was here this morning, he said, Hjalmar Ekdal is not the man you take him to be. Not the man just wait. Youll see, he said. See that id let myself be bought off for a price. Mother, whats all this about . Go and take your wet boots off, hedvig. Yes, hjalmar. Now well see whos right, him or me. Theres my answer. As i expected. Now let there be no more pretension. If this affair was over and done with when you got fond of me, as you put it, why did he go and arrange things so that we could afford to get married . I suppose he thought hed be able to come and go here as he pleased. Was that all . Wasnt he afraid of a certain possibility . I dont know what you mean. I want to know if your child has the right to live under my roof. You ask me that . And i want a straight answer. Is she mine or. Well . I dont know. You dont know. How should i know . This house is no place for me anymore. Think well what you are doing, hjalmar. Theres no need to think here, not for a man like me. Yes, there is. Theres a tremendous lot to think about. The three of you must Stay Together if you, hjalmar, are to win through to that sublime mood of magnanimity and forgiveness. I dont want to. Never. Never my hat. My home has collapsed in ruins bout my ears. Gregers, i. I have no child. What are you saying . Hedvig daddy dont come near me, hedvig. Go away. I cant bear to look at you. Oh, those eyes. Goodbye. No, dont leave me look at the child, hjalmar. Look at her. I will not. I cannot let me go. Oh i must get away from all this. Mother, hes leaving us. Hes leaving us. Hes never coming back again. Shh, dont cry, hedvig. Your father is coming back all right. Hes never coming home again. You must believe i meant it all for the best, mrs. Ekdal. I daresay you did, but may god forgive you, all the same. Oh, i feel as though i want to die. What have i done . Mother, you must make him come home to us again. Yes, yes. Be quiet, hedvig. Ill just go out and see if i can see him. He might be in with relling. You mustnt lie there crying now. Promise me. Ill stop as long as daddy comes back. Wouldnt it perhaps be better to let him fight his bitter fight to the end . He can do that afterwards. The first thing is to get the child quietened down. Do you know what the matter is . Why doesnt daddy want me anymore . You mustnt ask that until youve grown up into a big girl. I cant go on feeling awful and miserable until im grown up. I know what it is. Perhaps im not really daddys at all. How could that be . Well, mother could have found me maybe, and now daddys found out. Ive read about things like that. Well, but even so, it would he could be just as fond of me, even more. After all, the wild duck was sent to us as a present and im very fond of her. Yes, the wild duck. Thats right. Lets talk about the wild duck, hedvig, hmm . Poor little wild duck. He cant stand the sight of her either. Do you know he wanted to wring her neck . Oh, im sure he wouldnt do that. No, but thats what he said. I thought it was horrid of daddy to say that, cause i say a prayer for the wild duck every night. I ask for her to be delivered from death and all evil. Do you always say your prayers . Yes. Who taught you . I taught myself. Once when daddy was very sick, he had to have leeches on his neck, and he said he was at deaths door. Well . So i said a prayer for him after id gone to bed. Ive done it ever since. Now you pray for the wild duck as well . I thought id better include the wild duck. She was so poorly to begin with. Do you say your prayers in the morning too . No, i dont. Why not . Its light in the morning. Theres nothing to be afraid of anymore. And the wild duck youre so terribly fond of, your father wants to wring its neck . He said if he had his way, hed do it but that hed spare her for my sake. That was sweet of him. Suppose you were willing to sacrifice the wild duck for his sake. The wild duck . Suppose you were ready to sacrifice for him the most precious thing you had in the world. Do you think that would help . Try it, hedvig. Yes, i will try it. Have you the proper strength of mind, do you think, hmm . Ill ask grandfather to shoot the wild duck for me. Yes, do that. But not a word to your mother about this. Why not . She doesnt understand us. The wild duck. Ill try it first thing in the morning. Did you find him, mother . No. But hed gone out with relling, they said. You sure . Yes. The caretakers wife said so. Molvik was with them, too, she said. Oh, at a time like this, when his soul so desperately needs solitude if hes to win through. Yes. You never know where you are with men. Lord knows where relling has dragged him off to. I rushed into ma eriksens, but they werent there. What if he never comes back . He will come back. Ill take a message to him in the morning. Youll see, hell come. Sleep well. Rest assured about that, hedvig. Good night. Mother. [crying] yes. Relling was right. This is what happens to you when you get those stupid idiots coming round with their fancy talk of the claim of the ideal. Well . Yes, mother, i think its very likely hes in with relling there you are, you see. Because the caretakers wife said she heard two other people come in with relling last night. I fancied as much. That doesnt help, though, if he wont come back here. Well, at least i can pop down and talk to him. Hjalmar. Hjalmar . Ioh, wheres hjalmar . Hes gone out. So early . In all this snow . Oh. Oh, well, let him. I can go for a walk by myself. Help your grandfather into the loft, hedvig. Hedvig. Hello. Mother, whats poor grandfather going to say when he hears daddy is going to leave us . Rubbish. Grandfather mustnt hear anything of the sort. Oh, what a godsend he wasnt around yesterday when all this business was going on. Yes, but well, found any trace of him . As like as not, hes down there in with relling, they say. With relling . Has he really been out with those fellows . Yes. How could he, when he desperately needs solitude and a chance to collect himself . You might well say that. Is daddy with you . Is he there . Indeed he is. And you never told us. [belching] i know. Im a beast. But i had to see to the other beast first, you know, the demoniac one, our friend molvik. And then i fell right off to sleep. Well, whats hjalmar got to say for himself today . He doesnt say anything. Hasnt he said anything at all . Not a blessed word. I know. I understand that so well. Whats he doing with himself then . Well, hes lying on the sofa, snoring. Oh, is he . Yes, hjalmars pretty good at snoring. Is he asleep . Can he really sleep . Well, it certainly looks like it. Quite understandable, torn as he was by the conflict in his soul
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