Ibsen

=__Ibsen__= __His Begining__

Henrik Johan Ibsen was born 20th March 1828 and died in 1906. He was a Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. Ibsen was born to Knud Ibsen and Marichen Altenburg and was from a relatively well off family. His Father was a merchant and pauper, but he suffered with financial difficulties which led to depression. Due to his father’s debt their house was repossessed and they had to move to a small country house. The characters in his plays often mirror his parents, and his themes often deal with issues of financial difficulty as well as moral conflicts stemming from dark secrets hidden from society. Ibsen left home at 15 got a part time job and began to write plays. When Ibsen was 18, a liaison with a servant produced an illegitimate child, whom he later rejected. While Ibsen did pay some child support for fourteen years, he never met his illegitimate son, who ended up in similar difficult circumstances. His first play, the tragedy //Catiline// (1850) was published but never performed at the age of 20 his first staged play was The Burial Mound.

__Similar Playwrights? Why?__ __﻿__ Henrik Ibsen was widely known for his themes of realism in his plays. Conventions of the realistic genre:  1. Colloquial Language · Used to make characters more believable and seem to have a more present and accurate portrayal of modern life. 2. The roles of society and class · Makes the audience think about their lives and reflect upon it.

Similar Playwrights: 1. Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) Russian His works: //The Sea Gull (1896) - Uncle Vanya (1899) The Three Sisters (1900) The Cherry Orchard (1904)// Chekhov included important variations in realism. He moved away from melodramatic elements like suicides, and included full gallery of characters. His stories of characters overlapped and echoed each other and developed a blend of tragedy and comedy creating a genre referred to as tragicomedy where everything happens and nothing happens.

2. August Strindberg (1849-1912) Swedish His Works: //The Father (1887) Miss Julie (1888)// Strindberg liked to use indivduals at war with themselves and each other mostly a war between sexes where they attempt to dominate each other and in the end one is destroyed. His characters are subject to neuroses and anxieties. His style is closer to naturalism where there is no intermission and the dialogue is interrupted and fragmentary.

__Stanislavski links? And Devices__

**Themes and Devices **

** · ****Colloquial language ** ** · ****Critical thinking ** ** · ****Noble characters ** ** · ****Untraditional characters ** **o ****Ibsen’s characters mirrored his parents. ** ** · ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%;">Good conquers evil ** <span style="display: block; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">**<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%;">Both Stanislavski and Ibsen wrote naturalistic plays. They also crossed social, political and cultural boundaries by creating ** <span style="display: block; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">**<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%;">untraditional characters. Such as Nora from the play ‘A Doll’s House’ as she crosses social boundaries by taking out a loan ** <span style="display: block; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">**<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%;">and leaving her husband. ** <span style="display: block; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">**<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%;">Many of Stanislavski and Ibsen’s plays held messages that left audience and readers thinking about for a long time ** <span style="display: block; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">**<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%;">afterwards. ** <span style="display: block; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">**<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%;">Both Ibsen and Stanislavski wrote about characters which overcome struggles that they encounter. **

__Extra__
 * He portrays his own political and social views through his plays to widen the view of the audience.
 * Many viewed him as a rare voice as he challenged the societys excepted 'norms'.
 * He rebelled against the traditional drama so he could show the audience what he believed to be correct and to hopeful open their views.