“General” Front & Back - the Royal Exchange Theatre

Ibsen was criticised by
contemporary feminists
for Solveig’s passivity.
The novelist Camilla
Collet, a pioneer of
women’s independence
in Norway, declared that
a more forceful female
would have shown Peer
the error of his ways
much earlier.
Do you agree?
How can we
account for the
play’s appeal
internationally?
A recent production of Peer Gynt by the
Royal Shakespeare Company cast the
same actress in the roles of Solveig and
of Peer’s mother, Åase. What effect do
you think this might have had?
Discussion Points
Why does
Solveig wait for
Peer to return?
Both Sigmund Freud and
James Joyce were great
admirers of Ibsen’s work.
Does Peer Gynt give us any
clues as to why they might
have held his plays in such
high regard?
Actor David Threlfall has
spoken about the ways in
which characters and scenes
mirror one another
throughout the play. Can you
think of any examples? How
does the production
emphasise these links?
Ibsen
declared
that, of all his
works, he
believed Peer
Gynt to be
“the least
likely to be
understood
outside
Scandinavia”.
Why might
he have
thought this?
Doubling of
some roles is
essential with
any production
of Peer Gynt. Do
you think that
the doubling in
this production
gives any new
perspectives on
the play?
Exchange Education - Peer Gynt Resource Pack.
Written by Kim Greengrass ©1999