Tragedy Journal 8 (Wild Duck Act 5)

Narrative Structure: How important/effective is the ending? Has everything been revealed by the end or are there unanswered questions? Does this matter?


The ending of Wild Duck by Ibsen is very important to the drama as a whole. It acts as the end of the climax in the play through Hedvig's suicide. Most everything has been revealed by the end mainly through Hjalmar's realizations. For instance, after storming out of the house, Hjalmar returns to his home at first looking to pack his bags and make his final preparations for his departure, but instead realizes that he still requires the care of his wife Gina, through homely items like butter and coffee, "Could I - without being annoyed by anybody - anybody at all - put up in the living room for just a day or two?" (208-209). Hjalmar even expresses his shame after reluctantly gluing back Werle's letter of endorsement, "(Cutting and pasting.) Far be it from me to take liberties with another's property - least of all, a penniless old man's." (209). All of these actions play into the fall of the tragic hero, Hjalmar.

To mention the actual ending of the end of this Act, there is a conversation between Relling and Gregers, both rivals from the Hoidal works, where both argue on whether Hjalmar should still be idolatrized in the sad death of his daughter, "RELLING Oh, life would be good in spite of all, if we only could have some peace from these damned shysters who come badgering us poor people with their 'summons to the ideal'" (5.216). Relling criticizes a societal perspective of idealism that Gregers maintains through the play until the very end. This is also another realization that Gregers failed to peacefully unite the Ekdal family even through he proselytized endlessly to Hjalmar about telling the truth and its dignity in human life.