The Wild Duck-stylistic techniques

Here I will be going over some basic stylistic techniquest that Henrik has used so far in The Wild Duck



One of the stylistic techniques that is most obvious to the reader is Henrik's focus on sensory detail in the play. In contrast to Oedipus the King, Henrik goes into great detail on where each scene is, how it is arranged, who is there, and what is going on. The description at the beginning of Act II reads:

"SCENE: HIALMAR EKDAL'S S studio, a good sized room, evidently at the top stroy of the building. On the right, a sloping roof of large panes of glass, half-covered by a blue curtain. In the right-hand corner, at the back, the entrance door; farther forward, on the same side, a doo leading to the sitting room. Two doors on the opposite side, and between them an iron stove. At the back, a wide double sliding door. The studio is plainly but comfortably fitted and furnished. Between the doors on the right, standing out a little from the wall, a sofa with a table and some chairs; on the table a lighted lamp with a shade; beside the stove an old arm-chair. Photographic instruments and apparatus of different kinds lying about the room. Against the back wall, to the left of the double door, stands a bookcase containing a few books, boxes, and bottles of chemicals, intstruments, tools and other objects. Photographs and small articles, such as camel's hair pencils, paper, and so forth, lie on the table.



This huge amount of detail in the set corresponds wiht theatre's increasing focus on realism and naturalism around this time period. Unlike the greeks and earlier playwrites, Henrik makes the set and scenery a window into the lives of characters that act oblivious to the presence of the audience.

Henrik also makes use of symbolism in the play. The titular wild duck who lives with the Ekdals could symbolize the web of deciet that Werles is trying to maintain. In the play, the duck is said to have wanted to dive to the bottom of the river and never come up, rather like Werles wanting his deception to not be discovered or announced. Gregers, who says he wants to "be a clever dog" wants to be like the dog that dragged the duck to the surface. This symbolizes Gregers drudging up the lies of his father and exposing them for what they are.