Who is ibsen

Ibsen felt that this contradiction between will and real prospects was at the root of his art. Looking back on 25 years of writing in , he declared that most of what he had written involved "the contradiction between ability and aspiration, between will and possibility". In this conflict he saw "humanity's and the individual's tragedy and comedy simultaneously.

These two men, who are reflections of each other, both end up on the brink of an abyss where all they see is life's total emptiness and insignificance. In Ibsen's 12 modern contemporary plays, from "Pillars of Society" to "When We Dead Awaken" , we are led time and again into the same milieu. His characters' are distinguished by their staunch, well-established bourgeois lives. Nevertheless, their world is threatened and threatening. It turns out that the world is in motion; old values and previous conceptions are adrift.

The movement shakes up the life of the individual and jeopardizes the established social order. Here we see how the process has a psychological as well as a conceptual and social aspect. Yet what starts the whole process is the need for change, something springing forth from the individual's volition.

In this sense, Ibsen is a powerful conceptual writer. This does not mean that his main concern as a dramatist was the didactical use of theater, or the waging of an abstract ideological debate. Some of his critics, contemporary and later, have made this accusation - and it's fairly obvious that Ibsen was drawn towards the didactic.

However, the basis of Ibsen's human portrayal is his characters' conceptions of what makes life worth living - their values and their understanding of existence. The concepts they use to describe their position may be unclear; their self-understanding may be intuitive and deficient.

A good example of this is Ellida Wangel's description of her ambivalent attraction to the sea in "The Lady from the Sea" But for a long time, in Ellida's consciousness, a desire has grown for a freer life coupled with a need for other moral and social values than those dominating Dr. Wangel's bourgeois existence. And this discovery within her creates shockwaves on the psychological and the social plane.

Ibsen himself has given the best characteristic of his approach to drama. This was as early as in a theater review:.

What we see are human conflicts, and enwrapped in these, deep inside, lay ideas at battle - being defeated, or charged with victory. This undoubtedly touches upon something essential in Ibsen's demands to dramatic art: it should as realistically as possible unify three elements: the psychological, the ideological and the social.

At its best, the organic synthesis of these three elements is at the heart of Ibsen's drama. Interestingly, he considered his major work to be "Emperor and Galilean" , contrary to everyone else.

This could indicate how much emphasis he put on ideology, not overt, but as a conflict between opposing views toward life. Ibsen believed that he had created a fully "realistic" rendering of the inner conflict in the abandoned Julian. The truth is, however, that Julian is too marked by the dramatist's own thoughts - what he calls his "positive philosophy of life. Ibsen took many years, after "Emperor and Galilean" , to orient himself in this direction.

Five years after that great historical dramatization of ideas came "Pillars of Society", the starting point for lbsen's reputation as a European theatrical writer. In , Ibsen sent Nora Helmer out into the world with a demand that a woman too must have the freedom to develop as an adult, independent, and responsible person. The playwright was now over 50, and had finally been recognized outside of the Nordic countries. We experience the individual in opposition to the majority, society's oppressive authority.

Nora puts it this way: "I will have to find out who is right, society or myself". As noted earlier, when the individual intellectually frees himself from traditional ways of thinking, serious conflicts arise. For a short period around , it appears that Ibsen was relatively optimistic about the individual's chances of succeeding on his own. Although her future is insecure in many ways, Nora seems to have a real chance of finding the freedom and independence she is seeking. Ibsen can be criticized for his somewhat superficial treatment of the problems a divorced woman without means would face in contemporary society.

But it was the moral problems that concerned him as a writer, not the practical and economic ones. In spite of Nora's uncertain future prospects, she has served in a number of countries as a symbol for women fighting for liberation and equality.

In this connection, she is the most "international" of lbsen's characters. Yet this is a rather singular success. The middle-class public has enthusiastically applauded a woman who leaves her children and husband, completely breaking off with the most important institution in the bourgeois society - the family! This points to the basis of Ibsen's international success. He took deep schisms and acute problems that afflicted the bourgeois family and placed them on the stage.

On the surface, the middle-class homes gave an impression of success - and appeared to reflect a picture of a healthy and stable society. But Ibsen dramatizes the hidden conflicts in this society by opening the doors to the private, and secret rooms of the bourgeois homes.

These were the aspects of the middle-class life one was not supposed to mention in public, as Pastor Manders wished Mrs. Alving to keep secret her reading and everything else that threatened the atmosphere at Rosenvold in "Ghosts". In the same manner, the social leaders in "Rosmersholm" put pressure on Rosmer to keep him from telling that he, the priest, had given up the Christian faith.

But Ibsen did not remain silent, and the spotlights of his plays made contemporary aspects of life highly visible. He disrupted the peace of the lives of the bourgeoisie by reminding them that they had climbed to their position of social power by mastering quite different ideals than tranquillity, order and stability. The bourgeoisie had betrayed its own motto of "freedom, equality, and brotherhood", and especially after the revolutionary year they had become defenders of the status quo.

There was, of course, a liberal opposition within their class, and Ibsen openly joins these ranks in his first modern contemporary drama. He considered this movement for freedom and progress to be the true "European" point of view. As early as , he wrote to the Danish critic Georg Brandes that it was imperative to return to the ideas of the French revolution, freedom, equality, and brotherhood.

The words need a new meaning in keeping with the times, he claimed. In he writes, again to Brandes:. Eventually, as Ibsen grew older, he had trouble accepting certain extreme forms of liberalism which overemphasized the individual's sovereign right to self-realization and to some extent radically departed from past norms and values.

In "Rosmersholm" , he points out the dangers of radicalism built solely on individual moral norms. It is obvious here that Ibsen is concerned with European culture's basis in a Christian inspired moral tradition.

One has to build on this, he indicates, even though one has given up the Christian faith. This is certainly the conclusion that Rebekka West reaches. Simultaneously, this drama, like "Ghosts" , is a painful clash with the melancholic, killjoy aspects of the Christian bourgeois tradition which subdues the human spirit.

Both these works contain, for all their despair, a warm defense of happiness and the joy of life - pitted against the bourgeois society's emphasis on duty, law, and order. It was in the s that Ibsen oriented himself toward his "European" point of view. Even though he lived abroad, he continually chose a Norwegian setting for his contemporary dramas.

As a rule, we find ourselves in a small Norwegian coastal town, the kind Ibsen knew so well from his childhood in Skien and his youth in Grimstad.

The background of the young Ibsen certainly gave him a sharp eye for social forces and conflicts arising from differing viewpoints. In small societies, such as the typical Norwegian coastal town, these social and ideological conflicts are more exposed than they would be in a larger city. Ibsen's first painful experiences came from such a small community. He had seen how conventions, traditions, and norms could exercise a negative control over the individual, create anxiety, and inhibit a natural and joyful lifestyle.

This is the atmosphere of the "ghosts" as Mrs. Alving experiences it. Norway is opening up! Get the latest travel information.

Dynamic Variation: Default. Map of Norway Map. Main Menu. Choose Language. Toggling to another language will take you to the matching page or nearest matching page within that selection.

Hotels Scandic Hotels — in all major cities from north to south Nordic Choice Hotels — a different hotel company Thon Hotels — with fantastic breakfast Radisson Blu Hotels — discover your favourite destinations Citybox — modern and affordable hotels in a central location. Small Ship with 12 guests Stromma — sightseeing, excursions and experiences with bus, boat and train Booknordics.

The Norwegian playwright and poet Henrik Ibsen. Photo : Daniel Georg Nyblinn. The playwright who changed the theatre. Henrik Ibsen. Photo : Ibsenmuseet. Worked at theatres in Bergen and Kristiania from to Married Suzanne Daae Thoresen in and had a son, Sigurd, one year later. Moved abroad in and lived in Italy and Germany for 27 years. Meet Henrik Ibsen in Oslo!

Experience Ibsen. Go to : Peer Gynt Sculpture Park. One of Grimstad's main attractions! Go to : The Ibsen-museum in Grimstad Book. Ibsenhuset is named after Skien's famous son, Henrik Ibsen. Go to : Ibsenhuset. He was a writer familiar to most of us, but could it be that the Ibsen we feel we know… Go to : Guided tour of the Ibsen Museum Book.

In the warm ambiance of Apotekergaarden in Grimstad, we offer a fun and engaging experience with Henrik… Go to : Terje Vigen at the pub Book.

Terje Vigen at the pub Grimstad In the warm ambiance of Apotekergaarden in Grimstad, we offer a fun and engaging experience with Henrik….

The Ibsen Steps were restored in April Go to : The Ibsen stairs. Teater Ibsen works to create experiences you will remember! Go to : The Ibsen Theatre. The focus of this walk is Henrik Ibsen's time in Grimstad as a young man, and what may have inspired him to… Go to : Town walk in Ibsen's Grimstad Book. Town walk in Ibsen's Grimstad Grimstad The focus of this walk is Henrik Ibsen's time in Grimstad as a young man, and what may have inspired him to….

The sculpture Rat Virgin is located near by Skien centre, at Bakkestranda. Go to : The Rat-Wife sculpture. Let literature guide you. Through interactive… Go to : Garborgsenteret. Norway's first and Europe's largest house of its kind is dedicated to literature in the widest sense of the… Go to : House of Literature Litteraturhuset. House of Literature Litteraturhuset Oslo Norway's first and Europe's largest house of its kind is dedicated to literature in the widest sense of the….

Visit a Norwegian book town. Take advantage of top offers. Explore Norway with Hurtigruten. Norway tours with Authentic Scandinavia. Shape the trip of a lifetime with Up Norway.

Norwegian Holidays — Low-price package holidays with Norwegian. Secret Atlas — the authentic way to explore Svalbard. Inspiration for your cultural trip.

Theatre and shows The impressive Norwegian Opera and Ballet in Oslo is a must for its high-quality performances and architecture. He worked at the pharmacy for six years and in the rarely given spare time he started writing plays and painting. Quitting the idea of studies Ibsen fully concentrated on his writing.

He completed and published his first verse drama, a tragedy, Catilina with the help of a friend. Nor the play did sell any significant number of copies neither it got accepted at any theatre for performances. In , he got a job at the National Theatre of Bergen. The Burial Mound was his first drama to be staged and attracted few. In the following years he wrote numerous plays that went unsuccessful but his determination to be a playwright stayed strong.

Year , Ibsen returned to Christiania to work as creative director at a local Norwegian theatre. Later in the year, he got married to Suzannah Thorese. The couple got blessed with one child, Sigurd Ibsen who also became an author and was a successful politician too.

Then in this self-imposed exile he wrote a drama, Brands, which gave him a breakthrough and financial success he was seeking for as a playwright. After critically acclaimed Brands , there was no looking back for Ibsen.