Ibsen and Fatherhood

Abstract

Fatherhood is a pervasive motif throughout the works of the Norwegian play writer Henrik Ibsen. The article "Ibsen and Fatherhood" is exploring the meaning of fatherhood in Ibsen's works with a special attention to the The Wild Duck. This play present three different forms of fatherhood: the patriarchal father, the fallen father, and the loving, but helpless father. They are significant forms of fatherhood in Ibsen's drama that correspond to actual father roles in Ibsen's time. One key aspect of Ibsen's dramas is the manner in which he weaves together these father roles. He does not separate them as three distinct forms of fatherhood, but instead demonstrates how they are interconnected through relationships, dissolutions and continuity/discontinuity.