Many scholars have spent their entire lifetime to unearth the meaning of complex Henrik Ibsen's play . The unfathomable depths of the human mind and the working of the complex human psychology which is a trademark of his plays , really startles and amazes a person .
I am novice in the appreciation of plays , very unbecoming of the strong Bengali culture where association to the theatres is an integral part of the society . However better late than never , I had started to read " A Dolls House" and was amazed to see how could Nora and Torvald , whose marriage seemed to be smooth and perfect which one can only dream of , is such a grand illusion . Everything which is so calm and beautiful outside may not be the same inside . Nora was treated by her husband just like an identity-less woman ; more like a doll and how she fluttered like a caged bird to appease her husband . We are introduced to a variety of characters , some of them are strong and some very subtle . A character worth mentioning is Nils Krogstag , a bank clerk , who slowly works on the mind of Nora , creating a strong undercurrent and in a way helps out to bring the real woman in her , a woman of strength and reality . This way a whole world of deep introspection in the heart of a simple Bengali girl of twenty first century was opened by the Father of Modern Plays , Henrik Ibsen, whose life coincided with the latter half of the nineteenth century . I was anxiously waiting for the Delhi Ibsen Festival where the world production of the Ibsen's play will be staged .
Dec 1st , the festival opened with The Master Builder and I felt ashamed that even though having the book with the , I am going to watch the play without reading , how could this possibly happen ? As I thought, I started reading the play a day before with the challenge that I am going to finish off before 7.00 PM December 1st no matter what it take ,yes , that it is the time when the play would start off !
But as I started reading , I could feel a certain pull , a mesmerising world of ambition , love and hatred started to appear before me . The strength of his words were such that I could hardly put my book down and went on reading with the possible risk that I would have to apply for a leave the next day and have to feign that I am ill so that I am spared by my seniors . But anything is acceptable as long as I am a part of what unfolds in the life of THE MASTER BUILDER Halvard Solness , his wife Aline , two women of his ineterest and a particular humorous Dr Herdal . The fiery young Hilda Wangel ;one of the woman of interest of Halvard , who is easily dismissed to be a happy go lucky girl , manages to carve out for herself a kingdom in the mind of the THE MASTER BUILDER . It is particularly remarkable to see how the shift of the weight takes place from the arrogant Master Builder to this Hilda Wangel who starts appearing to be a central figure in the play . The wife of Halvard Solness to whom we sympathise for surviving a misfortune turns that she was more by the burning of the nine dolls whom she carried in her heart like unborn babies than the death of her twin sons barely two weeks old . This way one gets a peek into the depth of the psychology of the women in Ibsens's play . Someone could hardly dismiss that the want to "Build the loveliest thing in the world ~ The castle in the air , with solid foundation in the ground " is too much to construct even for the THE MASTER BUILDER himself . He had easily fallen prey to the young Miss Hilda , the same youth which he feared he would be overpowered with . I daresay it happened , and he had a mighty fall , a fall from the dizzying heights and with a vulnerable conscience.
The production of THE MASTER BUILDER was by Padatik from Kolkata . Curiously the most amazing thing about this production is that , the play is written by a Norwegian , directed by Wlodzimierz Staniweski , a Polish by birth and produced by Indians . The universality of Henrik Ibsen's play could not be defined in much better way than this . It was simply an overwhelming experience to watch the play . The props created such a beautiful illusion , on top of that Chopin's music simply played with the mind of the audience too and left an indelible mark in the heart . A note of thank even to the Norwegian Ambassador for his beautiful speech , his graceful way of acceptance of the same , his charming and warm smile with a wish that I enjoy the rest of the festival, a chance to see Ila Arun from such close proximity , all culminated into an unforgettable experience which I would cherish for a lifetime !
I am novice in the appreciation of plays , very unbecoming of the strong Bengali culture where association to the theatres is an integral part of the society . However better late than never , I had started to read " A Dolls House" and was amazed to see how could Nora and Torvald , whose marriage seemed to be smooth and perfect which one can only dream of , is such a grand illusion . Everything which is so calm and beautiful outside may not be the same inside . Nora was treated by her husband just like an identity-less woman ; more like a doll and how she fluttered like a caged bird to appease her husband . We are introduced to a variety of characters , some of them are strong and some very subtle . A character worth mentioning is Nils Krogstag , a bank clerk , who slowly works on the mind of Nora , creating a strong undercurrent and in a way helps out to bring the real woman in her , a woman of strength and reality . This way a whole world of deep introspection in the heart of a simple Bengali girl of twenty first century was opened by the Father of Modern Plays , Henrik Ibsen, whose life coincided with the latter half of the nineteenth century . I was anxiously waiting for the Delhi Ibsen Festival where the world production of the Ibsen's play will be staged .
Dec 1st , the festival opened with The Master Builder and I felt ashamed that even though having the book with the , I am going to watch the play without reading , how could this possibly happen ? As I thought, I started reading the play a day before with the challenge that I am going to finish off before 7.00 PM December 1st no matter what it take ,yes , that it is the time when the play would start off !
But as I started reading , I could feel a certain pull , a mesmerising world of ambition , love and hatred started to appear before me . The strength of his words were such that I could hardly put my book down and went on reading with the possible risk that I would have to apply for a leave the next day and have to feign that I am ill so that I am spared by my seniors . But anything is acceptable as long as I am a part of what unfolds in the life of THE MASTER BUILDER Halvard Solness , his wife Aline , two women of his ineterest and a particular humorous Dr Herdal . The fiery young Hilda Wangel ;one of the woman of interest of Halvard , who is easily dismissed to be a happy go lucky girl , manages to carve out for herself a kingdom in the mind of the THE MASTER BUILDER . It is particularly remarkable to see how the shift of the weight takes place from the arrogant Master Builder to this Hilda Wangel who starts appearing to be a central figure in the play . The wife of Halvard Solness to whom we sympathise for surviving a misfortune turns that she was more by the burning of the nine dolls whom she carried in her heart like unborn babies than the death of her twin sons barely two weeks old . This way one gets a peek into the depth of the psychology of the women in Ibsens's play . Someone could hardly dismiss that the want to "Build the loveliest thing in the world ~ The castle in the air , with solid foundation in the ground " is too much to construct even for the THE MASTER BUILDER himself . He had easily fallen prey to the young Miss Hilda , the same youth which he feared he would be overpowered with . I daresay it happened , and he had a mighty fall , a fall from the dizzying heights and with a vulnerable conscience.
The production of THE MASTER BUILDER was by Padatik from Kolkata . Curiously the most amazing thing about this production is that , the play is written by a Norwegian , directed by Wlodzimierz Staniweski , a Polish by birth and produced by Indians . The universality of Henrik Ibsen's play could not be defined in much better way than this . It was simply an overwhelming experience to watch the play . The props created such a beautiful illusion , on top of that Chopin's music simply played with the mind of the audience too and left an indelible mark in the heart . A note of thank even to the Norwegian Ambassador for his beautiful speech , his graceful way of acceptance of the same , his charming and warm smile with a wish that I enjoy the rest of the festival, a chance to see Ila Arun from such close proximity , all culminated into an unforgettable experience which I would cherish for a lifetime !
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| Delhi Ibsen Festival , Ila Arun lightening the lamp |
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