Henrik Ibsen’s Biography

Emma AlcantarKameron Casey

Laura CoveyMorgan Guilbeau

Alec HeikkalaMichael Seo

Activity:2 Truths&A Lie

~Activity~Two Truths and a

Lie

Which one is the lie?• Ibsen had two other brothers, Joseph

and George.• Ibsen’s father was a well-off merchant

and his mother was the daughter of the richest merchant in Skien.

• At the age of 8, Ibsen’s father went bankrupt and became an alcoholic.

Which one is the lie?• At the age of 15, Ibsen left school and

became the apprentice of a Pharmacist.

• In 1850, at the age of 22, Ibsen entered the University of Christiania.

• In 1851, Ibsen got a job at the National Theater of Bergen.

Which one is the lie?• Ibsen is referred to as the father of

modern Theatre.• Ibsen is referred to as the second

Shakespeare of the 18th century.• Ibsen is referred to as the father of

realism.

Which one is the lie?• One of Ibsen’s greatest influences was

Shakespeare.• Several of Ibsen’s plays involve

influences from his childhood.• Ibsen collaborated with Shakespeare

in the course of writing some of his plays.

Which one is the lie?• Ibsen married Suzannah Thorese in

1858 in Christiania. • Ibsen only had one son, Sigurd, who

would become an author and successful politician.

• Throughout his life, Ibsen never had any financial hardships due to his successful plays.

Which one is the lie?• In 1865, Ibsen wrote the play, Brand,

which caused an uprising in Scandinavia.

• The first play Ibsen wrote was Catilina.

• Ibsen was offered a job in the early 1950’s to be writer and manager for the Norwegian Theater in Bergen.

Which one is the lie?• Ibsen wrote his first major playwright

Peer Gynt while living in Italy.• Ibsen wrote both Hedda Gabler and A

Doll’s House, consecutively, while living in Germany.

• Henrik wrote another major playwright, Ghosts, which stirred up controversy.

Which one is the lie?• Ibsen was self-exiled from his home

country, Norway, but returned in 1891 as a literary hero.

• Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler and A Doll’s House feature some of theater’s most notorious characters.

• Ibsen’s Nora in A Doll’s House is called the female Hamlet, Shakespeare's famous tragic figure.

Which one is the lie?• Ibsen’s first playwright, Catilina, was a

tragedy.• Ibsen’s playwright, Ghosts, includes

the controversial topics of venereal disease and incest.

• The Master Builder was the last play Ibsen wrote before he died.

Which one is the lie?• Henirk Ibsen died in Christiania,

Norway in 1906.• Ibsen wrote his last play, When We

Dead Awaken, in 1899.• Ibsen died from a series of strokes.

Videohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAxGNj83WQ0

Overview• Born in Skien, Norway on March 20,

1828.• Exiled to Italy where he wrote Brand

(tragedy)• Moved to Germany in 1868 where he

wrote A Doll’s House in 1879.• Returned to Norway a literary hero in

1891.• Died in Oslo, Norway on May 23, 1906

Early Life• As a child he showed very little sign of

the theatrical genius he would become.

• Parents were Knud and Marichen Ibsen.

• Father was a successful merchant and mother was a painter and played the piano.

• He was the oldest of 5 children.• Expressed interest in becoming an

artist.

Influential People

• following his apothecary apprenticeship, Ibsen published his first drama, then produced a second, both while highly influenced by this man

• inspired Ibsen to get involved in the literary arts, which was his true passion

The Danish poet Oehlenschlager

Influential People

• In 1836 Knud Ibsen became insolvent, and his family moved to a small cottage on the outskirts of town

• Due to his father’s actions, the family withdrew to great poverty

• Decided to pursue his passions in order to escape the dreariness of his father’s actions

His father, Knud Ibsen

Influential Events • In 1843 he was forced to leave school.• In 1850 he moved to Christiania (modern day

Oslo) intending to enroll in college, and published his first drama, a tragedy entitled Catiline.

• In 1858 he became the creative director of the Christiania theater.

• In 1865 his first commercially successful play Brand was published.

• In 1879 A Doll’s House is published.

Education• From an early age, Henrik shared an

interest in being an artist like his mother

• After financial difficulties, Henrik spent most of his young life reading, painting, and performing magic tricks

• By age 15, Henrik quit school in order to pursue work and an apprenticeship to follow his interests of art

Apprenticeship• Served as an apprentice in an

apothecary for six years after dropping out of school

• Wrote poetry and painted on free time• Wrote his first play Catilina at the end

of his apprenticeship modelled after the writings of one of his great influences, William Shakespeare

Cultural Events • Ibsen did not agree with many social norms and

the oppressive society that he lived in.• Women had few rights and were mainly

controlled by their husbands.• People were expected to obey the norm and stay

in line.• Ibsen wanted to break away from that.• He tried to uncover the negative sides of society

and exploit it and he demanded truth and fairness.

Influence on Ibsen and writing

• The characters in his works and the challenges they face reflect his views.

• Many times characters are caught in a moral struggle or a struggle against society.

• He depicts female characters as struggling to gain acceptance and a place in society.

• Many of his characters are searching to find “themselves” or to find freedom from some form of oppression.

Economic events • The economy of Norway was stabilizing

after the independence of the country in 1814

• The young life of Henrik consisted of an economic boom to occur within Norway, where economic growth was seen for decades

• The end of Henrik’s life was plagued by economic stagnation due to the industrialization of Europe and Norway

Influence on Ibsen and writing

• The stagnant economy caused by the independence of Norway was partially a cause to the poverty Henrik and his family faced at a young age

• Many of Henrik’s writing (such as in A Doll’s House) deals with poverty and struggle with money, the same struggle he had during his young life

Political Events • Foundation for modern industry laid in

1840s.• Economic developments led to class

conflict.• February Revolution of 1848 called for

democratic reform.• The majority featured radicals and

farmers, frustrated with the actions of the monarchy.

• Eventually, parliamentarianism was introduced.

Influence on Ibsen and his Writing• The conversation between Nora and Mrs. Linde

describe some of the class conflict evident during this time.

• “How very kind of you, Nora to be so concerned over me - doubly kind, considering you really know so little of life’s burdens yourself” (2192).o Nora has lived a comfortable life, while Mrs.

Linde has fallen subject to many injustices that Nora will not be able to understand.

Career as a writer• Held a mostly meager career as a

writer.• Failed his matriculation exam, and still

not qualified by the time he had served apprenticeship under Oehlenschlager.

• First few works (Catiline, The Warrior’s Barrow) received harsh criticism, but Brand (1865) is regarded as the beginning of his critical acclaim.

Career as a writer • Most famous works….

o Hedda Gabler (1891)o Ghosts (1881)o An Enemy of the People (1882)o The League of Youth (1869)o The Wild Duck (1884)o Peer Gynt (1876)o Brand (1865)

Career as a writer• Was one of the few original male

feminists.• Has been called the “father of modern

drama”• Career falls into several distinct

periodso First two decades (from 1850) = verse dramao 1873 - 1877 = proseo Post - 1877 = realistic dramas (wrote 8)

Close Read Passage: Page 2186-2187 Read it! Enjoy it! Actually do it!

Close Read Look out for:• word meaning• structure• sound and rhythm • syntax• textual context• irony• tone and narrative voice• imagery • rhetorical devices• themes • gender • history

Close ReadNow… Create a thesis!• (Tie all of the things we just talked

about together.) • Be prepared to share with the class.

Works Cited"A Short History Of Henrik Ibsen." YouTube. YouTube, 08 Apr. 2013. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.

"Henrik Ibsen Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.

Kim, Cindy. "A Doll's House- The Cultural Context." Prezi.com. N.p., 3 Nov. 2012. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.

Hemmer, Bjorn, Prof. "The Dramatist: HENRIK IBSEN." Great Norwegians. Metropolitan News Company, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.

"Henrik Ibsen." NNDB: Tracking the entire world. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.

"Henrik Ibsen Biography - Childhood, Life Achievements & Timeline." Famous People - Famous People in History, Famous People List & Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.