The Wild Duck
by Henrik Ibsen, adapted by Richard Nelson

from Richard Nelson’s Introduction:THE WILD DUCK is a play about family life twisted, bent, and knotted into perverse shapes.

Everyone seems to have a lifetime’s history with everyone else.

Take just one character, Gregers Werle.

There’s his father with whom he has been estranged for many years, certainly since the death of his mother.

There is Gina who as a maid helped look after the Werle house while Gregers’ mother was dying; his mother accused Gina of have having an affair with Gregers’ father.

This we learn was untrue at the time, but prescient.

Gina is now married to Hialmar Ekdal, Gregers’ old friend from college.

They have a daughter, Hedvig, who is most likely not Hialmar’s but Gregers’ father’s and so is the half sister of Gregers.

Hilmar’s father was in business with Gregers’ father.

There was a business scandal and Hialmar’s father went to prison, Gregers’ father didn’t.

Gregers’ father continues to dole out bits of money to both his old partner and his old mistress.

There’s Relling a drunken doctor who had fought with Gregers years before while they were both at the distant saw mill.

And there’s Mrs Sorby, who like Gina, used to be Gregers’ father’s housekeeper, but now is his mistress; she once was in love with Relling and may still be.

And it goes on and on.

This play is structured around learning these relationships and the various secrets attached to them, and thematically propelled by the question: is it better to know or not to know?

“Truth” is stood on its head, as we find ourselves rooting for lies and delusions.

This is a very disorienting play.

And, I believe, a very great one.