Four Major Plays Volume 1

HenrikIbsen(Norwegianpronunciation;20March1828–23May1906)wasamajor19th-centuryNorwegianplaywright,theatredirector,andpoet.Heisoftenreferredtoas"thefatherofprosedrama"andisoneofthefoundersofModernisminthetheatre.[1]HismajorworksincludeBrand,PeerGynt,AnEnemyofthePeople,EmperorandGalilean,ADoll'sHouse,HeddaGabler,Ghosts,TheWildDuck,andRosmersholm.Severalofhisplayswereconsideredscandaloustomanyofhisera,whenEuropeantheaterwasrequiredtomodelstrictmoresoffamilylifeandpropriety.Ibsen'sworkexaminedtherealitiesthatlaybehindmanyfaçades,revealingmuchthatwasdisquietingtomanycontemporaries.Itutilizedacriticaleyeandfreeinquiryintotheconditionsoflifeandissuesofmorality.ThepoeticandcinematicplayPeerGynt,however,hasstrongsurrealelements.IbsenisoftenrankedasoneofthetrulygreatplaywrightsintheEuropeantradition.[3]RichardHornbydescribeshimas"aprofoundpoeticdramatist—thebestsinceShakespeare".HeinfluencedotherplaywrightsandnovelistssuchasGeorgeBernardShaw,OscarWilde,JamesJoyce,andEugeneO'Neill.ManycriticsconsiderhimthegreatestplaywrightsinceShakespeare.AlthoughmostofhisplaysaresetinNorway—ofteninplacesreminiscentofSkien,theporttownwherehegrewup—Ibsenlivedfor27yearsinItalyandGermany,andrarelyvisitedNorwayduringhismostproductiveyears.亨利克·约翰·易卜生（挪威语：HenrikJohanIbsen，1828年3月20日－1906年5月23日），生于挪威希恩，是一位影响深远的挪威剧作家，被认为是现代现实主义戏剧的创始人。