The Wild Duck: Journal Three

Personal convictions and shared beliefs, the private and public life, sometimes seem at odds in the modern world. How did you find your chosen works touched with this conflict?


In The Wild Duck by Henrik Ibsen, the character of Gregers seems to be at odds with the rest of the characters of the play. Gregers believes that his father is corrupt, and his corruption has formed a lie around his friend Hjalmar's life. However, it is difficult to determine if Gregers seriously cares about his friend, or if he is trying to expose the lies solely to spite his father:
 "Gregers. I'm planning to open Hjalmar Edkal's eyes. He's going to see his situation just as it is- that's all. Werle. Is that thte mission in life you talked about yesterday?" (Ibsen 175).
From this quote, we can see that Gregers has the desire to help Hjalmar, but it is also apparent that there are feelings of negativity towards his father. Gregers' moral crusade is also frowned upon by other characters in the play:
"Relling. All right, I'll tell you, Mrs. Edkal. He's suffering from an acute case of moralistic fever. [...] Gina (walking restlessly around the room). Ugh, that Gregers Werle- he always was a cold fish." (Ibsen 178).
In this quote, the other characters express there dislike of Gregers' moral actions. However, Ibsen may not only be critiquing the other characters, but Gregers as well, whose possibly selfish actions ultimately bring the Edkal's downfall.

In Oedipus the King by Sophocles, Oedipus and his wife Jocasta attempt to challenge Oedipus' prophecy regarding his parents:
"Tiresias: I say you are the murderer you hunt.
Oedipus: That obscenity, twice- by god, you'll pay."
Here, Oedipus is told explicitly by Tiresias that he is the murder of King Laius. However, Oedipus does not believe Tiresias, and even threatens him in his outrage. In this way, Oedipus' private views challenge that of not only Tiresias but the gods as well. However, in attempting to disprove the prophecy, Oedipus ultimately fulfills it. Oedipus and Gregers are both alike in that they are both trying to do the right thing, but for perhaps no the right reasons. Gregers is motivated by revenge towards his father, and in pursuing this he undoes himself and the Edkals. Similarly, Oedipus is motivated by the desire to expose the truth to satisfy his prideful nature, and in doing so he exposes himself as the murderer, bring shame to his family and himself.