Dramatis Personae & Act 1

The Wild Duck (1884) (original Norwegian title: Vildanden) is by many considered Ibsen's finest work, and it is certainly the most complex. It tells the story of Gregers Werle, a young man who returns to his hometown after an extended exile and is reunited with his boyhood friend Hjalmar Ekdal. Over the course of the play, the many secrets that lie behind the Ekdals' apparently happy home are revealed to Gregers, who insists on pursuing the absolute truth, or the "Summons of the Ideal". Among these truths: Gregers' father impregnated his servant Gina, then married her off to Hjalmar to legitimize the child. Another man has been disgraced and imprisoned for a crime the elder Werle committed. Furthermore, while Hjalmar spends his days working on a wholly imaginary "invention", his wife is earning the household income. Ibsen displays masterful use of irony: despite his dogmatic insistence on truth, Gregers never says what he thinks but only insinuates, and is never understood until the play reaches its climax. Gregers hammers away at Hjalmar through innuendo and coded phrases until he realizes the truth; Gina's daughter, Hedvig, is not his child. Blinded by Gregers' insistence on absolute truth, he disavows the child. Seeing the damage he has wrought, Gregers determines to repair things, and suggests to Hedvig that she sacrifice the wild duck, her wounded pet, to prove her love for Hjalmar. Hedvig, alone among the characters, recognizes that Gregers always speaks in code, and looking for the deeper meaning in the first important statement Gregers makes which does not contain one, kills herself rather than the duck in order to prove her love for him in the ultimate act of self-sacrifice. Only too late do Hjalmar and Gregers realize that the absolute truth of the "ideal" is sometimes too much for the human heart to bear. (Summary by Wikipedia) Cast Narrator: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/6548">Kristingj</a> WERLE, a merchant, manufacturer, etc.: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/4705">Algy Pug</a> GREGERS WERLE, his son: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/5141">David Goldfarb</a> OLD EKDAL: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/6707">Lewis</a> HIALMAR EKDAL, his son, a photographer: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/6035">Marty Kris</a> GINA EKDAL, Hjalmar's wife: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/6534">Helen Falconer</a> HEDVIG, their daughter, a girl of fourteen: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/6130">ChyAnne Donnell</a> MRS. SORBY, Werle's housekeeper: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/6173">Carol Box</a> RELLING, a doctor &amp; A SHORT-SIGHTED GENTLEMAN: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/2234">Lars Rolander</a> MOLVIK, student of theology &amp; ANOTHER WAITER: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/2911">David Lawrence</a> GRABERG, Werle's bookkeeper: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/4174">Availle</a> PETTERSEN, Werle's servant: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/6553">DublinGothic</a> JENSEN, a hired waiter: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/6333">Max Körlinge</a> A FLABBY GENTLEMAN: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/4738">Leonard Wilson</a> A THIN-HAIRED GENTLEMAN: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/3595">Martin Geeson</a> Audio edited by: Algy Pug

Arts

The Wild Duck (1884) (original Norwegian title: Vildanden) is by many considered Ibsen's finest work, and it is certainly the most complex. It tells the story of Gregers Werle, a young man who returns to his hometown after an extended exile and is reunited with his boyhood friend Hjalmar Ekdal. Over the course of the play, the many secrets that lie behind the Ekdals' apparently happy home are revealed to Gregers, who insists on pursuing the absolute truth, or the "Summons of the Ideal". Among these truths: Gregers' father impregnated his servant Gina, then married her off to Hjalmar to legitimize the child. Another man has been disgraced and imprisoned for a crime the elder Werle committed. Furthermore, while Hjalmar spends his days working on a wholly imaginary "invention", his wife is earning the household income.Ibsen displays masterful use of irony: despite his dogmatic insistence on truth, Gregers never says what he thinks but only insinuates, and is never understood until the play reaches its climax. Gregers hammers away at Hjalmar through innuendo and coded phrases until he realizes the truth; Gina's daughter, Hedvig, is not his child. Blinded by Gregers' insistence on absolute truth, he disavows the child. Seeing the damage he has wrought, Gregers determines to repair things, and suggests to Hedvig that she sacrifice the wild duck, her wounded pet, to prove her love for Hjalmar. Hedvig, alone among the characters, recognizes that Gregers always speaks in code, and looking for the deeper meaning in the first important statement Gregers makes which does not contain one, kills herself rather than the duck in order to prove her love for him in the ultimate act of self-sacrifice. Only too late do Hjalmar and Gregers realize that the absolute truth of the "ideal" is sometimes too much for the human heart to bear. (Summary by Wikipedia)Cast Narrator: KristingjWERLE, a merchant, manufacturer, etc.: Algy PugGREGERS WERLE, his son: David GoldfarbOLD EKDAL: LewisHIALMAR EKDAL, his son, a photographer: Marty KrisGINA EKDAL, Hjalmar's wife: Helen FalconerHEDVIG, their daughter, a girl of fourteen: ChyAnne DonnellMRS. SORBY, Werle's housekeeper: Carol BoxRELLING, a doctor & A SHORT-SIGHTED GENTLEMAN: Lars RolanderMOLVIK, student of theology & ANOTHER WAITER: David LawrenceGRABERG, Werle's bookkeeper: AvaillePETTERSEN, Werle's servant: DublinGothicJENSEN, a hired waiter: Max KörlingeA FLABBY GENTLEMAN: Leonard WilsonA THIN-HAIRED GENTLEMAN: Martin GeesonAudio edited by: Algy Pug

The Wild Duck (1884) (original Norwegian title: Vildanden) is by many considered Ibsen's finest work, and it is certainly the most complex. It tells the story of Gregers Werle, a young man who returns to his hometown after an extended exile and is reunited with his boyhood friend Hjalmar Ekdal. Over the course of the play, the many secrets that lie behind the Ekdals' apparently happy home are revealed to Gregers, who insists on pursuing the absolute truth, or the "Summons of the Ideal". Among these truths: Gregers' father impregnated his servant Gina, then married her off to Hjalmar to legitimize the child. Another man has been disgraced and imprisoned for a crime the elder Werle committed. Furthermore, while Hjalmar spends his days working on a wholly imaginary "invention", his wife is earning the household income. Ibsen displays masterful use of irony: despite his dogmatic insistence on truth, Gregers never says what he thinks but only insinuates, and is never understood until the play reaches its climax. Gregers hammers away at Hjalmar through innuendo and coded phrases until he realizes the truth; Gina's daughter, Hedvig, is not his child. Blinded by Gregers' insistence on absolute truth, he disavows the child. Seeing the damage he has wrought, Gregers determines to repair things, and suggests to Hedvig that she sacrifice the wild duck, her wounded pet, to prove her love for Hjalmar. Hedvig, alone among the characters, recognizes that Gregers always speaks in code, and looking for the deeper meaning in the first important statement Gregers makes which does not contain one, kills herself rather than the duck in order to prove her love for him in the ultimate act of self-sacrifice. Only too late do Hjalmar and Gregers realize that the absolute truth of the "ideal" is sometimes too much for the human heart to bear. (Summary by Wikipedia) Cast Narrator: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/6548" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kristingj</a> WERLE, a merchant, manufacturer, etc.: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/4705" rel="noopener noreferrer">Algy Pug</a> GREGERS WERLE, his son: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/5141" rel="noopener noreferrer">David Goldfarb</a> OLD EKDAL: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/6707" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lewis</a> HIALMAR EKDAL, his son, a photographer: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/6035" rel="noopener noreferrer">Marty Kris</a> GINA EKDAL, Hjalmar's wife: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/6534" rel="noopener noreferrer">Helen Falconer</a> HEDVIG, their daughter, a girl of fourteen: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/6130" rel="noopener noreferrer">ChyAnne Donnell</a> MRS. SORBY, Werle's housekeeper: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/6173" rel="noopener noreferrer">Carol Box</a> RELLING, a doctor &amp; A SHORT-SIGHTED GENTLEMAN: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/2234" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lars Rolander</a> MOLVIK, student of theology &amp; ANOTHER WAITER: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/2911" rel="noopener noreferrer">David Lawrence</a> GRABERG, Werle's bookkeeper: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/4174" rel="noopener noreferrer">Availle</a> PETTERSEN, Werle's servant: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/6553" rel="noopener noreferrer">DublinGothic</a> JENSEN, a hired waiter: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/6333" rel="noopener noreferrer">Max Körlinge</a> A FLABBY GENTLEMAN: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/4738" rel="noopener noreferrer">Leonard Wilson</a> A THIN-HAIRED GENTLEMAN: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/3595" rel="noopener noreferrer">Martin Geeson</a> Audio edited by: Algy Pug

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Dramatis Personae & Act 1

Dramatis Personae & Act 1