Henrik Ibsen

HENRIK IBSEN

One of my favourite playwrights is Henrik Ibsen. He and Anton Chekhov are similar in their ability to write down characters as an entity in an entire universe. They remind us that life is a bit shit sometimes and that we are alone, but that we are ALL alone therefore all in it together. Here are some of my favourite quotes from his plays and a mood board analysis of Hedda Gabler.

The Lady from the Sea
Looking in the mirror and acknowledging what life is/isn’t.

Freedom of Expression:
“But my mind - my thoughts - my dreams and longings - those you cannot imprison. They strain to roam and hunt out into the unknown -which I was born for…” (Ellida, 206)

The Master Builder
The young and the old. Success and love in life. Inner demons and a loss of childhood.

Meaning:
“I was so alone, hollow, empty. In a cold and blue room - huge and empty, filled full of things I tried to give meaning to. My life meaning too. But now I’m filling”. (Solness, 72)



A Dolls House
Life’s meanings. Success and love.

Love and success:
“That’s just the point. You never understood me. A great wrong has been done to me, Torvald. First by pa and then by you.”(Nora, 97)

Hedda Gabbler
Repelled by the Realities of sex. Defying what people accept.

Life’s journey:
“And the train goes on” (Hedda, 278)

This Mood Board (below) was my direct reaction to reading Hedda Gabbler. The Board transits from childhood at the far left to death in adulthood at the far right.

A train track along the bottom to represent her journey in life and quotes from the play along the sides. The images fall vertically and each section along represents a stage in her life. The beginning 'chunk' is about childhood, innocence and what we imagined life would be like. It moves into a 'chunk' about adulthood and how it feels when you begin to realise that these things will not come true - the realities of life. Then onwards and into the only remaining stage - death. These images portray death as something peaceful because it is death that Hedda chooses when she can bear her adulthood no more. She escapes to death where she can sleep forever more and be or dream whatever kind of world she wants.

Love Stories in Romeo and Juliet/Where is Prince Charming?
"The anti depressants seemed to be working" 
Happiness is not so easy to come by.

"When I am grown up"
Mermaids as a symbol of virginity
'Dance Scrawls' - Lines scrawled to the melody of music
"Fuck off, I'm smoking" - Intoxicating and drugging oneself to get through the day can take you to somewhere else in your head more content than the real world outside of it.

"Sex" - Hedda is repelled by sex. The lady has a gun at her knees. The triangle is a symbol of femininity.
"Trapped" - Nowhere to go, lost in life and unable to imagine going anywhere that feels any better.