Henrik IbsenBy

Christina CarvalhoKevin Ganan

March 20th 1828 – May 23rd 1906 Born in Skien a small Norwegian coastal town He came form a wealthy family with 5 siblings In 1835, his father declared that they were

bankrupt. He was then reduced to a life of near poverty.

At the age of 15 he became an apprentice to an Apothecary in Grimstad

In 1850 he went to Christiania in hopes to become a doctor

In 1857 he was called to the directorship of the financially unstable Christiania Norwegian Theater, it failed in 1862

Died after he suffered from several strokes

Moving to Italy

1864, he moved to Italy for 27 years In Italy he writes Brand (1866) which defined his

career as a writer, the government paid him Peer Gynt (1867) Emperor and Galilean (1873)-He expressed his

philosophy of civilization

Moving to Germany

Looking for a new style He wrote 12 plays in 2 year intervals

starting with The Pillars of Society

Background on A Doll’s House

Published December 4, 1879 First preformed in Copenhagen on

December 21, 1879 Sold out 8,000 copies Very controversial so a second ending

called “a barbaric outrage” was made and used when necessary

Established new era of modern drama

Background Information

Ibsen became known as the “father of modern drama”

Ibsen’s goal was not necessarily to solve issues but to illuminate them.

Made theater to be not only for entertainment, but to expose social conflicts

Shifted focus from romantic, realistic depictions of individuals, to real world concerns

Evolution of Ibsen’s Literature

Brand (1866), Peter Gynt (1867)› Emphasis on plot

The League of Youth (1869) › Shift from emphasis on plot to interpersonal relationships

Emporer and Galilean (1873), A Doll’s (1879)› Reanslated into English, realism

The Wild Duck (1884)› Modern realistic theme including metaphor and symbolism

The Master Builder (1892), When We Dead Awaken (1899)› Conflicts between art and social life, between creativity and

social expectations, between personal contentment and self deception

Discussion Question

What made people interested in Ibsen’s later works rather then his earlier ones?

Discussion Question

So far in the play, how can you see Ibsen’s struggles depicted in the plot?

Work Cited

http://www.biography.com/people/henrik-ibsen-37014?page=2

www.mnc.net/norway/Ibsen.htm Worksheets given