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Early Plays
This classic text by the great Norwegian bard contains the following early works: Catiline, The Warrior's Barrow and Olaf Liljekrans.
240 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2004
About the author
Henrik Ibsen
2,460 books2,168 followersHenrik 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 31, 2014
One of the curious things about reading Ibsen's first plays last is that they can seem like a tired rehash of the themes of better plays, when in reality they are the first drafts of ideas that Ibsen later managed to brilliantly improve upon.
This is a testament to the freshness of Ibsen's ideas, though anyone who had first experienced Ibsen by reading his plays chronologically (and nobody does) would soon find familiar plot tropes and themes that would allow them to predict certain narrative twists.
Nonetheless, far from getting tired as he grew older, Ibsen produced some of his best plays. The exception is his last play, When We Dead Awaken, which is definitely weaker, though not for want of new ideas - perhaps because Ibsen was starting to experiment with another style of writing that he didn't live long enough to develop.
However, back to these plays. Catiline has an uncharacteristic Roman setting, though the plot lines are similar to many other political dramas that Ibsen went on to write. Hence we are not surprised by the ending, except for one murder.
The most interesting aspect is to see yet another political idealist brought down by his own flaws, past actions and the conservative forces of society.
Many people inexplicably prefer Chekhov to Ibsen, but it is this aspect that (in my opinion) makes Ibsen the better writer. Chekhov's characters are self-absorbed and self-pitying hedonists who constantly bleat about how their sufferings will one day be replaced by a happier world, whilst never doing anything to bring that about. Given that later generations were probably being sent off to the Gulags, we see how vain this hope was, and it would not be surprising if Russians really behaved like they do in Chekhov plays.
Ibsen heroes by contrast always go out there and DO something to try to bring about that better world. They are idealists with clear values, even if they are weighed down by guilt and the past, and their efforts usually end up in failure. This doesn't always make them good, and their efforts are often morally compromised, as are Catiline's. We don't feel too much sadness at his failure, as his good intentions are limited by his behaviour and ambitions.
The Warrior's Barrow is a short one-act play. It's Ibsen's first Viking play and even has a character called Gandalf. We get another one of Ibsen's passionate women (though until we get to his last prose plays, they remain subordinate to men), and a father holding back a guilty secret. Nonetheless, it is a rare happy ending for Ibsen, slightly more common in his early plays.
Lsst of all comes Olaf Liljekrans. The play is named after the hero, though he hardly seems the most interesting aspect of it. The play toys with fantasy notions in a manner that will recall Peer Gynt, but is also more bitingly humorous in its character studies. The mad heroine has some dull dialogue, but the other characters are given more to play with, and some of the complex character relationships that we associate with Ibsen are in place.
One contrast to later works that we see is a greater focus on poetry with many lines in verse (blank or rhyme) and a heightened style of writing that is sometimes difficult, though admirable.
Overall, the plays are certainly worth a look for Ibsen completists like myself. I'm not sure how great their appeal would be to others
This is a testament to the freshness of Ibsen's ideas, though anyone who had first experienced Ibsen by reading his plays chronologically (and nobody does) would soon find familiar plot tropes and themes that would allow them to predict certain narrative twists.
Nonetheless, far from getting tired as he grew older, Ibsen produced some of his best plays. The exception is his last play, When We Dead Awaken, which is definitely weaker, though not for want of new ideas - perhaps because Ibsen was starting to experiment with another style of writing that he didn't live long enough to develop.
However, back to these plays. Catiline has an uncharacteristic Roman setting, though the plot lines are similar to many other political dramas that Ibsen went on to write. Hence we are not surprised by the ending, except for one murder.
The most interesting aspect is to see yet another political idealist brought down by his own flaws, past actions and the conservative forces of society.
Many people inexplicably prefer Chekhov to Ibsen, but it is this aspect that (in my opinion) makes Ibsen the better writer. Chekhov's characters are self-absorbed and self-pitying hedonists who constantly bleat about how their sufferings will one day be replaced by a happier world, whilst never doing anything to bring that about. Given that later generations were probably being sent off to the Gulags, we see how vain this hope was, and it would not be surprising if Russians really behaved like they do in Chekhov plays.
Ibsen heroes by contrast always go out there and DO something to try to bring about that better world. They are idealists with clear values, even if they are weighed down by guilt and the past, and their efforts usually end up in failure. This doesn't always make them good, and their efforts are often morally compromised, as are Catiline's. We don't feel too much sadness at his failure, as his good intentions are limited by his behaviour and ambitions.
The Warrior's Barrow is a short one-act play. It's Ibsen's first Viking play and even has a character called Gandalf. We get another one of Ibsen's passionate women (though until we get to his last prose plays, they remain subordinate to men), and a father holding back a guilty secret. Nonetheless, it is a rare happy ending for Ibsen, slightly more common in his early plays.
Lsst of all comes Olaf Liljekrans. The play is named after the hero, though he hardly seems the most interesting aspect of it. The play toys with fantasy notions in a manner that will recall Peer Gynt, but is also more bitingly humorous in its character studies. The mad heroine has some dull dialogue, but the other characters are given more to play with, and some of the complex character relationships that we associate with Ibsen are in place.
One contrast to later works that we see is a greater focus on poetry with many lines in verse (blank or rhyme) and a heightened style of writing that is sometimes difficult, though admirable.
Overall, the plays are certainly worth a look for Ibsen completists like myself. I'm not sure how great their appeal would be to others
January 6, 2024
These three plays come from Henrik Ibsen's early years, before he wrote "Peer Gynt" or any of his other masterworks. He wrote the earliest play here, "Catiline," when he was a university student in the midst of Latin studies. Cicero and Sallust both wrote about Catiline, who led a revolt against the late Roman Republic. Interestingly, though both Cicero and Sallust present Catiline negatively, Ibsen makes him a romantic freedom fighter. This both fits the time of the play's composition (soon after the failed revolutions of 1848) and also more closely matches what modern historians have come to think about Catiline's motives.
"The Warrior's Barrow" tells a story of Vikings on a mission of revenge. To me, this was the weakest of the three plays collected here, though it had its charms.
"Olaf Liljekrans" is more of a comedy than the other two plays. It deals with a mismatched couple whose parents have arranged for them to be married. They eventually find more ideal partners, and everything works out happily in the end.
Though none of these plays rises to the level of, say, "A Doll's House," these three plays show that Ibsen was a talented dramatist even at a young age. I'm glad to know more about his origins as a playwright and will look forward to exploring more of his mature works.
"The Warrior's Barrow" tells a story of Vikings on a mission of revenge. To me, this was the weakest of the three plays collected here, though it had its charms.
"Olaf Liljekrans" is more of a comedy than the other two plays. It deals with a mismatched couple whose parents have arranged for them to be married. They eventually find more ideal partners, and everything works out happily in the end.
Though none of these plays rises to the level of, say, "A Doll's House," these three plays show that Ibsen was a talented dramatist even at a young age. I'm glad to know more about his origins as a playwright and will look forward to exploring more of his mature works.
July 26, 2016
Sometimes Catiline acts like a drama-queen, but the piece is really cool.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews