The Wild Duck Lesson Plan

The Wild Duck is often understood to be a more "realist" work than Ibsen’s earlier plays, such as Peer Gynt. Why do you think this is the case?

Earlier works of Ibsen’s like Brand and Peer Gynt featured expansive or colorful settings, grand ideas and themes, and larger-than-life characters. In contrast, The Wild Duck is more more compact and psychological overall, and is driven by characters who feel more substantial and real to us. The language is another significant point of difference – these earlier works were more poetic, whereas The Wild Duck makes use of naturalistic, everyday language.

Analyze Gina’s character. How does she compare to the other characters in...