The Complete Major Prose Plays

by Henrik Ibsen, Rolf Fjelde (Translator)

Gathers the Norwegian writer's most important dramas, including A Doll's House, An Enemy of the People, Hedda Gabler, and Ghosts

Genres: Plays, Drama, Classics, Literature, Theatre, Fiction, Grad School

1152 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1978

About the author

Henrik Johan Ibsen was a major Norwegian playwright largely responsible for the rise of modern realistic drama. He is often referred to as the "father of modern drama." Ibsen is held to be the greatest of Norwegian authors and one of the most important playwrights of all time, celebrated as a national symbol by Norwegians.

His plays were considered scandalous to many of his era, when Victorian values of family life and propriety largely held sway in Europe and any challenge to them was considered immoral and outrageous. Ibsen's work examined the realities that lay behind many facades, possessing a revelatory nature that was disquieting to many contemporaries.

Ibsen largely founded the modern stage by introducing a critical eye and free inquiry into the conditions of life and issues of morality. Victorian-era plays were expected to be moral dramas with noble protagonists pitted against darker forces; every drama was expected to result in a morally appropriate conclusion, meaning that goodness was to bring happiness, and immorality pain. Ibsen challenged this notion and the beliefs of his times and shattered the illusions of his audiences.

Reviews

[Casi Graddy-Gamel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most people seem to find Ibsen absolutely insufferable. His plays can be exceedingly difficult to watch, but I find them absolutely wonderful to read. Particularly "Peer Gynt" and "Master Builder". When you read Ibsen, just bear in mind... it's all about syphilis. Seriously.

[Jeffrey Falk · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the end of his life, Ibsen wanted all of these plays to be considered as an interconnected series with recurring themes (and one recurring character), somewhat like Frank Zappa's idea of "conceptual continuity". Translator Rolf Fjelde, who agonized over his word choices much more than a hired gun translator of a single play looking for a quick paycheck, characterized Ibsen as a playwright concerned foremost with truth and freedom, which is not inaccurate. If a single theme characterizes all twelve, a few of which are five-star plays, it is the importance of living an honest life on one's own terms, even if one must defy all of the expectations of society and human history. It is the antipode of the pragmatist, conformist culture of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and a window to a more rational, more salubrious culture.

[Joe Sundermeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mean. Ibsen.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ibsen shows how gossip can be a powerful social force, for good or ill. His characters are mesmerizing and have to surmount social obstacles. Whether they win or lose, they live in your memory.

[Ray Schram · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of them were solid. I think reading all of them in a row was overwhelming, but I feel a richer person for it. I liked The Master Builder best.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a love/hate relationship with Ibsen. Second in stature only to Shakespeare, one must recognize his genius of dramatic construction and his bravery in bringing social injustices and inequalities to light. He was pivotal in puncturing the haughty moralism of late 19th century western culture. And he practically invented naturalism/realism in the theatre.

But in these accomplishments, I feel that his domestic tragedies are emotionally manipulative, displaying a morally ambiguous melodrama in which one bad thing after another happens and the characters seem stiffly trapped in their roles, unable to change or adapt. Additionally, his Enemy of the People argues strongly for fascism, while other plays display a nihilistic attitude about trying to improve the world.

Furthermore, as time goes by, the plays are becoming increasingly dated as the societal ills he attacks are things of the past. It is difficult for younger readers to understand the roles of women in 19th century Europe, so the plays don’t resonate like they used to.

Here are my reviews as I re-read the plays:

An Enemy of the People – *** You can see my review in the Arthur Miller translation here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


Hedda Gabler – ** What a dismal, dismal play. Hedda Gabler is a villain of monstrous proportions – almost cartoonishly evil. (It seems that the scene is missing where she strangles kittens.) This is a classic “seat squirming” domestic drama in which the reader’s/audiences’ emotions are strung out watching the tragedy unfold.

In the first 10 minutes of her appearance, it is clear that Hedda is bent on destroying everyone in the play because … she’s bored? From there, she manipulates the other characters leading up to the accidental death of Eilert, and then her suicide. Yet everyone seem blind to her evil intentions.

This is called one of the first plays presenting a character with mental illness. That may be true, but there’s little background on motive or reason. Hedda has unpredictablity, but not complexity or motivation. It’s shame. It is a deliciously evil role.

Some of the articles I’ve read about the play position Hedda’s suicide as a life-affirming act in which she escapes from the shackles of bourgeois conformity. But to me, her death is logical result of a nihilistic view, and the truly life-affirming roles are Mrs. Elvstad who finds meaning in her work and in the aunt who find it in helping others. (02/16)

The Master Builder **** -- This play is a strange and haunting mixture of naturalism and expressionism, combining aspects of Ibsen’s middle-period realism with the sweeping imagination of his earlier works like Peer Gynt.

One can argue if this strange mix works. It is certainly difficult if not impossible to combine the two in a production – one or the other must seem out of place.

Within the play is a story of a man fearing old age, and angry with god. Goaded by a young woman, he is driven, literally, to new heights beyond his normal powers but falls to his death.

But within this rather realistic story is a man who is possessed by trolls, who can will things to happen, a young woman who hears angels and wants castles in the air.

Are these two pieces compatible? There are many disagreements, but ultimately I’d have to say “no.”

To me, the talk of trolls and Vikings and wills distracts from the story of a man trying to reach beyond the limits of reality and realism. There could be imaginative elements – there should be! – but that’s where the struggle should be. These shouldn’t try to justify the struggle.

One other thought: using a story about the dolls to shape or justify Aline’s feeling didn’t work for me. It felt like amateur psychology.

Anyway, the perfect should not be the enemy of the good. I highly recommend this play. There are many outstanding parts, and its portrayal of the artist’s struggle against old age, impotency, irrelevancy and death is well worth the effort. (7/07 and 4/22)


Pillar of Society — Ibsen (6/07)
Ghosts — Ibsen (6/07)
The Doll House — Ibsen (6/07)
Wild Duck — Ibsen (7/07)
When We Dead Awaken — Ibsen (7/07)

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

نمایش نامه های هنریک ایبسن مانند زندگی اش پر از فراز و نشیب اند. منتقدانی بودند که او را به راستی ستودند و نقادانی هرگز از او و آثارش خوششان نیامد. ایبسن به معنایی که دکتر امیر حسین آریانپور در کتاب "ایبسن آشوب گرای" گفته، چه در زندگی و چه در آثارش هم چون یک آنارشیست جلوه می کند. با وجودی که گفته اند از زمان شکسپیر به این سو دیگر زمان تراژدی سر آمده، برخی از منتقدان بر این عقیده اند که ایبسن تنها نمایش نامه نویسی ست که برخی از آثارش مانند اشباح و هداگابلر به تراژدی به معنای ارسطویی و شکسپیری آن نزدیک است.
یکی از نمایش نامه های نه چندان مشهور ایبسن با نام "وایکینگ ها در هل گلاند" توسط محمود مهدیان و مصطفی امینی به فارسی ترجمه شده و توسط انتشارات بابک در 1352 چاپ و منتشر شده است.

[Maggie Lorenz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ibsen has carefully detailed each of his characters movements thoughts and responses and providing tragic and honest circumstances of women and love during the time. I always enjoy when we dead awaken, particularly.

[jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

genius.

[jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of these plays--Ibsen is brilliant. The last four plays of the cycle are more dense and abstract the the rest, but well worth the effort.

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best translator of Ibsen

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

For all that performing Ibsen goes in and out of style, his influence is as undeniable as his craft is superb. Want to write plays? Read Ibsen, write a five-act play, then conquer the world.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

my second favorite playwright. love how far ahead of his time he was.

[Michaela · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be frank, Realism isn't quite my thing. But the plays are good, and fun to read for the most part. Don't know if I'll ever read them for fun, but if I ever do, I'll let you know how it goes.

[Chris Brimmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing how different plays read than novels. I think reading then seeing them enhances the appreciation of drama.

[Blanche · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to have to put down each play separately, to count towards my 50 book total for the year, but I'm reading them out of this edition. All I can say is... Ibsen, you are a master.

[Alan Teasley · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my OLLI class on Ibsen, I have read "A Doll House," "Ghosts," "Rosmersholm," "The Lady of the Sea," and