Existentialist traits in works of Henrik Ibsen Essay

existentialist philosophy is a major twentieth century continental European philosophic movement. The label was inspired by the tendency of most of the writers like Kierkegaard, Heidegger , Sartre and Nietzsche to commit the term existence for a kind of being or emotional state unique, in their view, to hu humanity beings. Only in the case of human beings is the subscribe to of their living an issue for them only they green goddess stand out(a) exstare, the Latin word from which exist comes from their come throughs and reflect upon them and only they consume the capacity freely to shape their lives. Though Existentialism can appear in a number of different forms, the focal point as Jean capital of Minnesota Sartre puts it is existence precedes essence.The existentialists are of the view that as there is non pre-determined course of human life, they are only what they make themselves. This gives human beings a freedom to choose. Human beings have to make choices or are rather condemned to make choices and bear their consequences. Every correspond is conscious and so only the responsibility falls on their shoulders with no one to rely on and thus give rise to feelings of despair and anxiety. All of which had been sensitively explored previous in the century by such literary figures as Luigi Pirandello (1867-1936) and Franz Kafka (1883-1924) and can striken to be already an abiding concern in the works of Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906).The Norwegian chat upwright, Henrik Ibsen a was an advocator of individualism and was against the social norms which shape the lives of human beings. His characters live themselves out in the spirit of reckless and vehement self-assertion acid and superwomen. Ibsen was a believer in freedom to will. Many of his characters can be seen in this light who reject to be shaped by some force outside their own will.In his famous and contr everywheresial recreate A Dolls House the character of Nora sheds the cloak of being -for-others and get up out in a oceanrch for being-for-self. She says in the end we twain must be perfectly free. As Nietzsches holy man of human personality combined the virtues of the warrior and the independent thinker and it preferred the knockout life to that of an easy one , in similar way Nora has to head her shelter and get out inthe open to find her self and think of what she is.Helmer on the other hand can be see as a victim of bad faith who goes on to come himself identifying too completely and mechanically with a fixed role that absolves him from having to await up to decisions and surrenders to the role which society has coined for him letting the norms dictate him.Ibsen shows the struggle and current of air of life in his verse play coadjutor Gynt. The play replicas many of the characteristics of existentialism. Peer Gynt ,the protagonist of the play , starts out as a highly imaginative, irresponsible youth to find himself only to notice in the end that he h as no self. He often misquotes proverbs or scripture to justify his actions. The play poses many questions , religious and social , as to how far a man is free to make choices and what kind of choices he has ? The play also asks the pivotal question that what is a man evaluate to do with is life?There are many instances in the play where Peer has to make a choice . Early on he has to decide whether to start a true man or become a Troll and the end shows the consequences he bears for this choice. Peer moves in a world which is full of uncertainties and he is burdened with the responsibility of shaping his life without anything to hang on to, a lamentation so often cried out by the existentialist playwrights and philosophers.Peer, all through the play is baffled with the choices that he has to make . After he has escapes from the Trolls Kingdom he saysGo in afterwards this? So befouled and disgraced?Go in with that troll-rabble after me still?Speak, provided be silent confess, yet conceal The stage instructions shows several time his reluctance in moving forward-moving , and small actions mark the important decisions in his life. In the first act when he has to go to the wedding of Ingrid, the girl he had formerly detested , their a series of step taken forward and hold upwardPEER GYNT comes along a footpath, goes quickly up to the fence,stops, an looks out over the stretch of country belowPuts one leg over the fence therefore hesitates.Draws back his leg.By making the choices which he has to make , Peer not only takes the responsibility of his own life but shapes others destinies too. Solveig, the girl who loves him truly, comes to him exit all that belonged to her and thus she makes her choice , not aware of its consequences.SOLVEIGThe path I have trodden leads back nevermoreAfter he leaves the Troll princes and comes back to Solveig , his true love , and thinks that his life is free from worries , the Troll princes comes to see him. He is again caugh t in a fix and has to chose between the two , he is now a father and has to bear the consequences of the deeds which he performed originally in his life. And he has to bear it alone .George Luckas in Myth of malarky saysThe emptiness and hollowness of human life which Sartre calls nothingness is also depicted in a striking scene in Peer Gynt by Ibsen. The aging Peer Gynt is peeling off the layers of an onion, and playfully compares the single layers with the periods of his life, hoping at the end to come to the burden of the onion and the core of his own personality. only layer follows layer, period after period of life and no core is found.(1)Jean capital of Minnesota Sartres nothingness also echos in the nothingness of Peer Gynts life. While talking to the sphinx, he is told that his name means The Unknown. The word nothing occurs twenty-eight times during the course of the play. Peer Gynt is asked several times during the course of the play roughly the reality of his Gyntis h-Self and at one of the points he replies the Gyntish Selfit is the hostof wishes, appetites, desires,the Gyntish Self, it is the seaof fancies, exigencies, claims,all that, in short, makes my breast heave,and whereby I, as I, exist.In fourth act of the play , when he visit Gezih, a village near Cairo, he is asked about his identity and he repliesPEER modestly Ive always endeavoured to beMyselfAll his pride comes to an end when he is confronted with the final moment of his life. His collision with the Button-moulder revleas on him that he has not identity what soever and so he has to be melted down and made into something useful.the fact that he has essentially no identity of his own and is as useless as a firing without a loop.THE BUTTON-MOULDERYourself you never have been at allthen what does it matter, your demise right out?PEERHave I not been? I could almost laughPeer Gynt, then, has been something else, I supposeNo, Button-moulder, you judge in the dark.If you could but lo ok into my very reins,youd find only Peer there, and Peer all through,nothing else in the world, no, nor anything more.Brian Johnston statesPeer finds himself confronting what Jean Paul Sartre stated was the essence of theexistential conditionNot only is man what he conceives himself to be, buthe is only what he wills himself to be after this firstthrust towards existence.Man in nothing else but whathe makes of himself. such(prenominal) is the firstprinciple of existentialism 5This is the dilemma that Peer confronts in his impinge on with the Button Molder, when he is brought up against the realization that he may have no authentic identity at all.(2)Peer has to face the chagrin of his life long struggle when he is confronted with the nothingness of his life and he utters his despair in following words in the playSo unspeakably poor, then, a soul can goback to nothingness, into the rusty of the mist.Henrik Ibsens plays depict characters like Hedvig, Hedda ,Nora,Peer and Brand sho w the problems of human beings who do not want to be defined and want to stand out.Citations1. Lukcs, Georg translated from the German by Henry F. Mins. Existentialism, in Philosophy for the Future The prosecution of Modern Materialism, edited by Roy Wood Sellars, V.J. McGill, Marvin Farber (New York The Macmillan Company, 1949)2. Brain Johnston , Loves Comedy and Peer GyntRetrieved 23th Feburaruy 2004http//www.ibsenvoyages.com