Linguistic structures in Henrik Ibsen’s major plays

Abstract

Many of Henrik Ibsen’s major works are analyzed in great detail by different authors, critics, and translator. However, as Inga-Stina Ewbank in Ibsen’s Language: Literary Text and Theatrical Context argues, no one ever seriously considered the fundamental role played by the language in the expressiveness of his theater. This may partly be due to the fact that the vast majority of his readers only know him through the translated versions of his works. Based on these translations, the critics focus mainly on symbolism or the underlying intentions of the characters. On the contrary, many specifics of his use of language have always been systematically ignored.