Henrik Johan Ibsen (1828 - 1906)
Related: Norway - European literature - theatre - 1800s literature - world literature
"Do it beautifully," says the heroine of Ibsen's 1890 play Hedda Gabler to Eilert Loevborg as she commands him to take his life.
Biography
Henrik Johan Ibsen (March 20, 1828 – May 23, 1906) was an influential Norwegian playwright who was largely responsible for the rise of the modern realistic drama (dubbed "the father of modern drama"). It is said that Ibsen is the most frequently performed dramatist in the world after Shakespeare. Despite spending much time in exile, living in Germany and Italy, Ibsen is held to be one of the greatest Norwegian authors of all time, being celebrated as a national symbol by Norwegians, and as one of the most important playwrights in world history.
His plays were considered scandalous to many of his era, when Victorian values of family life and propriety largely held sway in Europe and any challenge to them was considered immoral and outrageous. Ibsen's work examined the realities that lay behind many façades, possessing a revelatory nature that was disquieting to many contemporaries.
Ibsen largely founded the modern stage by introducing a critical eye and free inquiry into the conditions of life and issues of morality. Victorian-era plays were expected to be moral dramas with noble protagonists pitted against darker forces. Every drama was expected to result in a morally appropriate conclusion, meaning that goodness was to bring happiness, and immorality only pain. Ibsen challenged this notion and the beliefs of his times and shattered the illusions of his audiences. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrik_Ibsen [Aug 2006]
Hedda Gabler (1890) - Henrik Ibsen
"Do it beautifully," says the heroine of Ibsen's 1890 play Hedda Gabler to Eilert Loevborg as she commands him to take his life.
Hedda Gabler is both a play and a fictional character created by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. First published in 1890 and premiered the following year in Germany to negative reviews, the play Hedda Gabler has subsequently gained recognition as a classic of realism, nineteenth century theater, and world drama. A 1902 production was a major sensation on Broadway starring Minnie Maddern Fiske and following its initial limited run was revived with the actress the following year.
The character of Hedda is one of the great dramatic roles in theater, the "female Hamlet," and some portrayals have been very controversial. Depending on the interpretation, Hedda may be portrayed as an idealistic heroine fighting society, a victim of circumstance, a prototypical feminist, or a manipulative villain. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedda Gabler [Aug 2006]
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