Peer Gynt Analysis - 1481 Words

Sharlyn Ramirez 4/10/11 EL-123-03 Play Analysis Paper Analysis of Henrik Ibsen’s Play â€Å"Peer Gynt† â€Å"Peer Gynt† (1867) was the first of Henrik Ibsen’s successful plays in the nineteenth – century. Most commonly known as the â€Å"father of modern theater†, Ibsen devoted his entire career to the reconstruction of theater from a large, exaggerated spectacle, to more psychological and condensed productions. He was able to accomplish this through the use of several literary techniques such as the centralization of theme, detailed imagery, and allusions to some of the works of a writer who greatly influenced his writing; P.C. AsbjÃ" §rnsen (Archer). As a modern playwright, Ibsen helped to shape the new movement in†¦show more content†¦This adjoins the idea of fantastic poetry to Ibsen’s desire to appeal to the senses of the audience by making the audience think to imagine the forty different scenes either displayed or described throughout the play (Groddeck). One example of such imagery occurs at the opening of the play when Peer is telli ng an exaggerated tale of how he allegedly rode a reindeer on a dangerous path in the mountains to then jump into a pond far below while maintaining his balance on the reindeer. In Peer’s words Mountain walls behind us, black, and below a void unfathomed! First we clove through banks of mist, then we clove a flock of sea-gulls, so that they, in mid-air startled, flew in all directions, screaming. Downward rushed we, ever downward. But beneath us something shimmered, whitish, like a reindeer’s belly. – Mother, ‘twas our own reflection in the glass – smooth mountain tarn... (Ibsen) This form of vivid story telling not only engages the characters that Peer speaks to in the play, but it also greatly appeals to the senses of the audience. It’s as if the audience and Peer’s mother are accompanying Peer on this adventure, though it is a falsehood. Such imagery also tells us about the personality and lifestyle of Peer; childish, fabricated, and exaggerated. Another example of imagery occurs when Ibsen describes Peer’sShow MoreRelatedNotes for Educating Rita2612 Words   |  11 Pagesunderstand Frank - She is far off of achieving self-knowledge – â€Å"junk† – she doubts herself – she criticises the people around her - She idealises Frank’s world |Key Quotes from Scene |Analysis | | | | Scene 4 - Complains about Forster Read More Educating Rita Raises Serious Issues Essay2949 Words   |  12 Pagesapproach to literature is emotional and descriptive but at least it is sincere. The point is made humorously when she gives a short and glib response to an essay question on Peer Gynt: Do it on the radio So, Frank teaches her that to pass her exam she must suppress or abandon her uniqueness and approach textual analysis with cool and objective critical skill. Just as Rita conformed to expectations at school by not trying to succeed, she now has to conform to the expectations of examinersRead MoreEducating Rita4003 Words   |  17 Pageswho are looking for reasons to acquaint themselves with English literature and teachers whose interests lie in finding materials that will help answer their students why we need such liberal education as literature. The study gives an overview analysis of the interplay between society and literature exposed in the story of Rita’s education. It also explores the possibilities of adapting the literary allusions in the play into real-life education, with the all-presumptive assertion that ‘If RitaRead MoreA Doll House by Henrik Ibsen7379 Words   |  30 Pages‘behind’ events. The result is a work of controlled symmetry: in A Doll House, a three act structure, each act building to its own peripety (reversal ) and anagnorisis (discovery) while enacting a progressively dialectic (Bradford). Samorsen offered an analysis of A Doll House, revealing how Ibsen’s play reproduces many of the crucial details of Hegel’s text: â€Å"In the different stages of his life, Helmer has taken part in a political, administrative and judicial system and now in a powerful institution†