Metropolis and Modernity

Henrik Ibsen: The Father of Modernism in Theartre

Modernism in itself is a broader term it is a movement that along with cultural trends and changes brought transformation in modern society in late 19th and early 20th centuries. 

Modernism explored with the growth of industrialization with growth of city, societies rejecting the religious belief and enlightenment thinking. Henrik Ibsen brings out the examined realities that lay behind many facades it was a critical eye and free inquiry into the conditions of life and issues of morality. Ibsen is often called as “the father of realism” and founder of modernism in theatre. Many of his works received prestige including ‘A doll’s house ranked as truly great playwright a profound poetic dramatist the best since Shakespeare.

Rank, deadly pessimistic, evil to be deprecated, a disease which is beyond imagination referred to describe the work of the man who swept modernism into theatre his life was not to envy. We can see a great impact of his life in his writings infusing his plays with highly controversial themes which lead him to make a lasting impact on theatre. Despite of depression and poverty surrounded in Ibsen’s life he successfully brings the lasting mark on theatre by bringing modernism to the stage by using reality. Ibsen education and personal life greatly impacted his ability to write works which he waved into his works, the cause for depression at very early age was his mothers romantic affair.

Justifying the title:

The idea that Ibsen looks backward to some pre-existing models ibsens theatre is a realistic mirror and a romantic lamp. He struggled to free himself most of his life, talking about his famous work A Doll’s house, love comedy this work shows what comedy and open satire 

became under his hands the most common idea of what the poet conceives here is man’s duty and destiny. The writer /dramatist /playwright debates on a dolls house acute problem of his day, the wild duck shows his uses of symbol, the manster builder exemplify the autobiographical strain. The love comedy is a satirical play about courtship, love and marriage because at that passage of time the author got married it might be his marital experiences which were the root cause of Ibsen’s wretchedness. Ibsen’s development was retarded by the ‘nationalistic’ which the theatre (Bergen and Mollergate) imposed on him the subject which the mature Ibsen touched upon but in a satirical manner. In love comedy a Norweign play his style owes nothing either to ballad or saga the writers of modern era rejected the idea of philosophy, activities of daily life and even the sciences but rather moved on social and political environment of an emerging industrialized world. In his work ghosts he portrays a family expressing his radical idea and views through the theme of his plays on marriage and morality shocked the attitude of contemporary society.

Ibsen was rebel against these ideologies, he constantly fights against hypocrisy. He was scene instructor of the Christian Norwegian theatre and later artistic director there but took a job of theatre critic. His ability enriches the prose plays with symbols that have broader as well as narrow meaning in ghosts, his concept of light and darkness Oswald’s(character) plea for sun 

which will give him joy in his life is Ibsen himself asking for freedom . When we encounter with the play we see a pall which hangs over the entire landscape of the play (ghosts).The truth revealed by Mrs.Alving(character) clears the darkness but Oswald weakly cries out for 

the sun destruction of orphanage flames the fire assures Engstrand(character) to presume his plan of building Alving home with characteristics irony. The title gives a flashback of Ibsen’s upbringing the conditions in which he lived, the worn ideals and principal of law which has no actual significance which affected his life. The ghosts which he was afraid of and which Ibsen was rebel against these ideologies, he constantly fights against hypocrisy. He was scene instructor of the Christian Norwegian theatre and later artistic director there but took a job of 

theatre critic. His ability enriches the prose plays with symbols that have broader as well as narrow meaning in ghosts, his concept of light and darkness Oswald’s(character) plea for sun 

which will give him joy in his life is Ibsen himself asking for freedom . When we encounter with the play we see a pall which hangsover the entire landscape of the play (ghosts).The truth revealed by Mrs.Alving(character) clears the darkness but Oswald weakly cries out for 

the sun destruction of orphanage flames the fire assures Engstrand(character) to presume his plan of building Alving home with characteristics irony. The title gives a flashback of Ibsen’s upbringing the conditions in which he lived, the worn ideals and principal of law which has 

no actual significance which affected his life. The ghosts which he was afraid of and which caused him depression the symbol were the lies about the past perpetrated to the present and which will haunt him in future .The ghosts are actual and symbolic diseases of heredity that will destroy the joy in young people life and free thinkers of the young generation in the modern era. In Ibsen’s ghosts a dramatic tragedy a play which questions the societal values 

and their importance, responsibility in human life and in modern life which mirrors his life in Norway society thinking which was imposed on the young generation for which he rebels and 

write his work ghosts .The play which has to be performed on staged spectators must have critiqued him ,his idea of awakening them all by showing reality of society which reconstructs the thinking which people followed it as traditions. If these norms of society are not accepted by the people they are going to suffer.

There is no choice available to an individual to escape from these norms which the writer and character encounters also the plea to let him out for the sun symbolises the idea to leave him and everyone without imposing terms and conditions. The marriage of Mrs.Alving(character) brings shame of a so-called marriage which later caused unlimited disaster on her whole 

family .The ghost which she collected in her mind and followed blindly without seeing any reason behind it was because the society is what matters the most rather than living freely as a result she harmed her relations with everyone which she thought will be good for her and her son Oswald(character) too. The construction of Mrs.Aliving in ghosts shows that woman 

of Norway tries to become an ideal wife although they did not succeeded, despite of her love affair with pastor mandor’s affecting the child’s life by sending him away she felt she is right and made best choice for her son but the result was totally opposite of it he got depressed and suffocated life as the norms of society were unacceptable to his identity. As a 

result of his free thinking his fate was decided by the society (also Ibsen) as a result the performance of ghosts was denied in theatres of Europe for many years but private theatres welcomed the play showing what a contemporary drama should show. The idea of building an orphanage was suggested by pastor Mander’s the culprit of the existing norms in the society a follower of orthodox religious principles. The gap between marriage caused death of Mr.Alving which is later on revealed by her to her son who asked the same question of freedom once his father use too but she knew that she is too late to help herself and her 

son(your poor father never found any outlet for the overmastering joy of life that was in him and I brought no holiday spirit into his home either), her love for Mander’s was genuine but she is been sent back to her husband house by Mander as she is married know and if she likes to live with Mander (priest) she has no choice as a rule of society now she has to follow her ‘duty’ forgetting about her own wishes the family pays for this one mistake as a result her son suffers from a lifelong disease .So, Ibsen attitude towards the society /modern world through theatre brought change in human psychology which no longer felt depended on society but instead wished to create something new and unique.