Werle's Plan for Gregers
In Act 1, the estrangement of Gregers from his father is evident, with many of the guests at Werle's party even admitting that they did not know that Werle had a son at all. Even so, Gregers has been called down from the Höidal works by his father for an unknown purpose. Later in the act, we learn that Gregers was summoned by Werle because Werle intends to marry Mrs. Sörby, and he wanted to have his son present to offer public support for their coming nuptials. Ironically, however, once Gregers is summoned to town and reconnects with Hialmar Ekdal at his father's party, he learns of the extent of his father's deceit and sets out to reveal the truth to the Ekdals, thus undermining his father. Were Gregers not summoned to town by Werle, it is unlikely that he would have learned of Werle's interference in Hialmar's life and decided to ruin his father's larger plans by severing ties with him and pursuing truth in the Ekdals' relationships with one another.
Hialmar's Reaction
When Gregers sets out to tell Hialmar the truth about his family, he anticipates that—since he thinks Hialmar to be a simple and honest man—Hialmar will react by setting things right and pulling himself back together without feeling sad for himself. When he finally reveals the truth to Hialmar between Acts 3 and 4, however, Hialmar reacts not with even-tempered righteousness but rather with anger and indignant feelings. Here, the irony runs particularly deep not just because we see that Gregers' estimation of Hialmar's character is mistaken (see his argument with Relling on this topic in Act 5), but the irony is also strong because Hialmar's overblown and aggressive reaction to the truth is what ultimately scares Hedvig enough for her death to take place, either by accident or intentionally.
Hedvig's Death
The death of Hedvig is tragic, but beyond this, it is also a deeply ironic event. In the event that she died an accidental death, there is the irony that she meant to kill the wild duck and not herself; conversely, if she died of suicide, there is the irony that, in doing so, she has not only acted contrary to Gregers' expectations but also acted in a way that her grandfather and father before her could not (i.e., taking her own life with the same pistol they each almost used). Layered onto each of these ironies, then, is the addition of the irony of Hedvig's symbolic correspondence to the wild duck itself, the creature she was hunting. Both are relatively alone in the world with no companion, are of unknown origins, and are living in/accustomed to a kind of false and temporary domesticity.
Relling
Relling is one of the most interesting characters in The Wild Duck, and not just because of his drunken antics. While he seems to occupy the role of raisonneur in the play (i.e., a character who echoes the author's own viewpoints), espousing an irreverence for Gregers' unrealistic idealism that is like Ibsen's own cautious awareness of the power of truth and unmasking lies, he is also ironically presented as a degenerate and scoundrel within the context of the play. Not only is this a highly unusual move in drama, but it is also complemented by the choice to have the two pseudo-protagonist figures, Gregers and Hialmar, be villainous and powerless, respectively. All in all, Relling's status as a subversive but wise stand-in for Ibsen shows just how far Ibsen departs from his own conventional style in The Wild Duck, and it also reflects Ibsen's turn towards a more cynical and self-reflexive style of drama in his later career.
