The Wild Duck

Written in 1884 and first performed in 1885, “The Wild Duck”, by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, is the first modern tragicomedy to be embraced by critics and audiences alike. The play, titled “Vilanden” in its original Norwegian, is widely considered one of Ibsen’s most well-written plays. The story centers around the secrets and dramas of the Ekdal family, who live a dysfunctional life in purposeful denial of the many skeletons that lurk in their respective closets. Their delusional, but comforting, existence is interrupted by the reappearance of family friend Gregers Werle, an idealistic young man who values honesty and absolute truth above all other concerns. Gregers zeal prompts him to force the Ekdals to expose their secrets, which are made up of scandalous stories of illegitimacy, prison, and madness. As a result their entire lives begin to unravel in classic Ibsen fashion. Provocative, moving, and thoughtful, Ibsen’s masterpiece asks the audience to consider the cost of protecting ourselves with lies and fantasies and whether or not it is worth the damage it may do to reveal such shameful and embarrassing secrets. This edition includes a biographical afterword and follows the translation of Frances E. Archer.