He was, in short, scandalous in his day. "Ibsen was the best-hated artist of the nineteenth century," commented Huneker.
Ibsen was also one of the most revered. While initially utilizing conventions associated with the "well-made play," including exaggerated suspense and mistaken identity, Ibsen later used dialogue, commonplace events, and symbolism to explore the elusiveness of self-knowledge and the restrictive nature of traditional morality. A pioneer in the use of oblique dialogue and misdirection, Ibsen once wrote, "I prefer to ask; 'tis not my task to answer." Ibsen did not establish distinct dichotomies between good and evil, but instead provided a context in which to explore the complexities of human behavior and the ambiguities of reality. Esslin explained: "Ibsen can . . . be seen as one of the principal creators and well-springs of the whole modern movement in drama, having contributed to the development of all its diverse and often seemingly opposed and contradictory manifestations: the ideological and political theatre, as well as the introspective, introverted trends which tend towards the representation of inner realities and dreams." As such, his plays have influenced writers from Anton Chekhov to Harold Pinter and Berthold Brecht.
This is a free page. This page contains 123 words. This
biography contains 4,467 words (approx. 15 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Biography with our Henrik Ibsen Access Pass.
