The Wild Duck by Henrik Ibsen - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)

By Henrik Ibsen

This eBook features the unabridged text of ‘The Wild Duck by Henrik Ibsen - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ from the bestselling edition of ‘The Complete Works of Henrik Ibsen’.

Having established their name as the leading publisher of classic literature and art, Delphi Classics produce publications that are individually crafted with superior formatting, while introducing many rare texts for the first time in digital print. The Delphi Classics edition of Ibsen includes original annotations and illustrations relating to the life and works of the author, as well as individual tables of contents, allowing you to navigate eBooks quickly and easily.

eBook features:
* The complete unabridged text of ‘The Wild Duck by Henrik Ibsen - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’
* Beautifully illustrated with images related to Ibsen’s works
* Individual contents table, allowing easy navigation around the eBook
* Excellent formatting of the textPlease visit www.delphiclassics.com to learn more about our wide range of titles

• Language: English
• Publisher: Publishdrive
• Release date: Jul 17, 2017
• ISBN: 9781788775878

Henrik Ibsen

Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) was a Norwegian playwright who thrived during the late nineteenth century. He began his professional career at age 15 as a pharmacist’s apprentice. He would spend his free time writing plays, publishing his first work Catilina in 1850, followed by The Burial Mound that same year. He eventually earned a position as a theatre director and began producing his own material. Ibsen’s prolific catalogue is noted for depicting modern and real topics. His major titles include Brand, Peer Gynt and Hedda Gabler.

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The Complete Works of

HENRIK IBSEN

VOLUME 17 OF 29

The Wild Duck

Parts Edition

By Delphi Classics, 2013

Version 1

COPYRIGHT

‘The Wild Duck’

Henrik Ibsen: Parts Edition (in 29 parts)

First published in the United Kingdom in 2017 by Delphi Classics.

© Delphi Classics, 2017.

All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form other than that in which it is published.

ISBN: 978 1 78877 587 8

Delphi Classics

is an imprint of

Delphi Publishing Ltd

Hastings, East Sussex

United Kingdom

Contact: [e-mail]

www.delphiclassics.com

Henrik Ibsen: Parts Edition

This eBook is Part 17 of the Delphi Classics edition of Henrik Ibsen in 29 Parts. It features the unabridged text of The Wild Duck from the bestselling edition of the author’s Complete Works. Having established their name as the leading publisher of classic literature and art, Delphi Classics produce publications that are individually crafted with superior formatting, while introducing many rare texts for the first time in digital print. Our Parts Editions feature original annotations and illustrations relating to the life and works of Henrik Ibsen, as well as individual tables of contents, allowing you to navigate eBooks quickly and easily.

Visit here to buy the entire Parts Edition of Henrik Ibsen or the Complete Works of Henrik Ibsen in a single eBook.

Learn more about our Parts Edition, with free downloads, via this link or browse our most popular Parts here.

HENRIK IBSEN

IN 29 VOLUMES

Parts Edition Contents

The Plays

1, Catiline

2, The Burial Mound

3, Lady Inger of Oestraat

4, The Feast at Solhaug

5, Olaf Liljekrans

6, The Vikings at Helgeland

7, Love’s Comedy

8, The Pretenders

9, Brand

10, Peer Gynt

11, The League of Youth

12, Emperor and Galilean

13, Pillars of Society

14, A Doll’s House

15, Ghosts

16, An Enemy of the People

17, The Wild Duck

18, Rosmersholm

19, The Lady from the Sea

20, Hedda Gabler

21, The Master Builder

22, Little Eyolf

23, John Gabriel Borkman

24, When We Dead Awaken

The Poems

25, The Poetry

The Norwegian Texts (De norske tekster)

26, The Original Texts

The Non-Fiction

27, Speeches and New Letters

The Criticism

28, The Criticism

The Biography

29, The Life of Henrik Ibsen by Edmund Gosse

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The Wild Duck

Translated by William Archer

Ibsen began working on this play in 1884 and in one of his notes at the time he writes, The metaphor of the wild duck: when they are wounded they sink straight to the bottom, the stubborn devils, and hold on with their beaks. This metaphor was inspired by Welhaven’s poem The Sea Bird. On April 20, 1884 Ibsen started on the first act, taking eight days, whilst the second act was started on May 2nd, but broken off midway. The first and second acts were then rewritten up to May 24th. The third and fourth acts were written in the period between May 25th and June 8th, while the fifth act was done between the 9th and 13th of June. The following day Ibsen wrote to his Danish publisher Frederik Hegel: This play does not deal with political or social or public issues at all. It has entirely to do with family life. It will doubtless cause some discussion, but it will not offend anyone.

At the end of June, Ibsen left Rome for Gossensass, where he spent the next four months mostly alone, while Suzannah and Sigurd were staying in Norway. He started the work of writing the fair copy several times, but it wasn’t until September the final version was ready and Ibsen sent the fair copy of the manuscript to Hegel.

The Wild Duck was published on November 11, 1884 at Gyldendalske Boghandels Forlag in Copenhagen and Christiania in an edition of 8,000 copies. Both reviewers and readers were somewhat puzzled by the play, compared to the previous two ‘bombshell’ works. The Wild Duck introduces what has since become known as the symbolic phase in Ibsen’s writing and it is the use of symbols in the play that seemed strange and confusing to its first readers.

The play had its first performance on January 9, 1885 at Den nationale Scene in Bergen. The production was a success, largely owing to its director, Gunnar Heiberg. Two days later the play had its first night at Christiania Theatre and was received well.

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 elder Werle had arranged the match by providing Hjalmar with a home and profession as a photographer. Gregers, whose mother died believing that Gina and her husband had carried on an affair, becomes enraged at the thought that his old friend is living a life built on a lie.

The three Scandanavian actresses that played the role of Hedvig in 1889

CONTENTS

CHARACTERS.

ACT FIRST.

ACT SECOND.

ACT THIRD.

ACT FOURTH.

ACT FIFTH.

CHARACTERS.

WERLE, a merchant, manufacturer, etc.

GREGERS WERLE, his son.

OLD EKDAL.

HIALMAR EKDAL, his son, a photographer.

GINA EKDAL, Hjalmar’s wife.

HEDVIG, their daughter, a girl of fourteen.

MRS. SORBY, Werle’s housekeeper.

RELLING, a doctor.

MOLVIK, student of theology.

GRABERG, Werle’s bookkeeper.

PETTERSEN, Werle’s servant.

JENSEN, a hired waiter.

A FLABBY GENTLEMAN.

A THIN-HAIRED GENTLEMAN.

A SHORT-SIGHTED GENTLEMAN.

SIX OTHER GENTLEMEN, guests at Werle’s dinner-party.

SEVERAL HIRED WAITERS.

The first act passes in WERLE’S house, the remaining acts at HJALMAR EKDAL’S.

ACT FIRST.

[At WERLE’S house. A richly and comfortably furnished study; bookcases and upholstered 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 candle-sticks. 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. Sorby.

JENSEN

[pushing forward an arm-chair.]

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 Hoidal 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 Graberg’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 Hoidal 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 held 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