The Wild Duck

by Henrik Ibsen · Vildanden

Assigned by 2 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only

Written
1884
Form
Drama
Language
Norwegian
Length
Short · 110 ppunder 120 pages
Difficulty
Moderate2 of 5 for a first-year reader

We recommendIbsen: The Complete Major Prose Plays, translated by Rolf FjeldePlume, 1978All twelve prose plays in one volume, in a translation that has held up on stage.

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Gregers Werle, a zealot for truth, returns home and discovers that his old friend Hjalmar Ekdal's comfortable family life rests on lies arranged by Gregers' father: Hjalmar's wife Gina was the elder Werle's mistress, and their daughter Hedvig may be his. Gregers insists on telling Hjalmar everything, believing it will found a true marriage. Instead Hjalmar rejects Hedvig, and the girl, wanting to prove her love, shoots herself in the attic where the family keeps a wounded wild duck.

No reading guide yet

The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Wild Duck are verified against each program's published list.

What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.

Browse the 48 works that do have a guide →

Vildanden, Gregers Werle, Hjalmar Ekdal, Hedvig, Gina, Dr Relling, life-lie, attic, wild duck, Henrik Johan Ibsen