the wild duck
In the Wild Duck, Henrik Ibsen begins his play by emphasizing the value of color and light. He uses the theme of light to contrast Old Werle, a stingy rich man, with Old Ekdal, a poor helpless man. Ibsen connects the color green with the loss of eyesight of Old Werle. A possible affair between Old Werle and Gina, Hedvig's mother, may suggest the cause of Hedvig's loss of sight. By using sun and moon, Ibsen establishes the atmosphere of the scene. The story line deteriorates from peaceful to tragic. Similarly, does the setting in the last four acts. In the Wild Duck, Henrik Ibsen employs the image of light to portray certain characteristics in order to construct the plot and to adjust the mood of the scene. F.L. Lucas analyzes the opening arrangement and writes "In the outer room the lamps are dimmed, with green shades, in contrast to the brilliance of the room behind"(190). We understand that this meant that the outer room, lit with soft and shaded light, implies poverty, where as the inner room, illuminated with bright candles, expresses wealth. The darkened room, insinuating poverty, is the office in which the poor Old Ekdal 'does some extra copying,' and in return receives a
" 'The daylight falls through the large windows in the slanting roof. One implication of the color green, is the affair between Old Werle and Gina, through eye trouble. This contrasts the previous scene from the present scene, by means of setting and contents. ' "Further, green is the color of romantic unreality-the world of the Wild Duck caught in the seaweed below the waters of the fjord"(190), adds Lucas. The distinctions of these two lit rooms contrast Old Ekdal and Old Werle. The fact that this day was Hedvig's birthday may suggest that she was the perfect person, living an exact number of years. This lighting early in the Wild Duck hints that '[Old Werle] is going blind' which relates him to Hedvig, where 'there is every probability that she will lose her eyesight. "[Old Werle] escaped by the skin of his teeth," while they sentenced Old Ekdal to prison. These examples of 'cold reality' also show Ibsens consistency of parallel scenery and content. Gregers takes the approach of truth to improve the marriage, which is another major theme of the Wild duck. Gina admitted her affair with Old Werle and explained that '[Old Werle] didn't give up till he had his way.
Common topics in this essay:
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Acceptance Essays
