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The Power Of Desire In Selected Plays By Henrik Ibsen, Brooke Torrens

Theses : Honours

This thesis explores how desire operates in selected plays by the Norwegian dramatist, Henrik Ibsen. I will argue that desire acts us a motivating force, urging the characters to seek fulfilment in their ideals, resulting in both defeat and triumph. The four plays considered, Rosmersholm, The Lady From the Sea. Hedda Gabler and The Master Builder, depict characters that are unable to sustain ordinary existence. This inability produces equivocal and contradictory human emotions that both restrict and impel the characters as they journey toward their downfall and salvation. The ambiguous nature of these four plays is examined in order to …