Written by
Henrik Ibsen
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Peer gynt was published in 1845
It is loosely based on Fairy Tale
The first U.S. Production was at the
chicago grand opera house
Theatre guild production went on
Broadway
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The title is significant because it is the
main charcter’s name and the story
follows his life
The setting time wise is in the early
1800’s
The peer goes to multiple places
throughout the story so I will list them
in order
He starts in the mountains of norway
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He then enters the Land of the Trolls
Then he goes back to Norway
After that he goes to Morocco
Later he goes to Egypt
Finishing it up he travels back to Norway
This relates to the time period because it talks
about events that happen during the time
period as he travels to those places
The setting is significant because the setting
changes represent the changes in Peer’s life
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Our first theme is lying always catches up. Peer
gets himself into many lies in his adventures
and they all catch up and bite him in the end of
the story.
Our other theme is that you should always be
yourself. In the play a mysterious figure tells
Peer to be himself (in old English), Peer does
not do so and it ends poorly for him
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The central conflict in Peer Gynt is that he
keeps traveling places and making personas,
which create enemies for him.
Protagonist: Peer Gynt
Antagonist: Peer Gynt and the World
This is because his travels progress plot points
but at the same time he gets the better of
himself by always trying to be larger than life.
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In the beginning Peer lives with his mom and is
jealous of his ex and her imminent wedding
date, so he goes to crash her wedding, after
putting his mom on top of a roof. Everyone at
the wedding hates him and the bride back
away from him. He kidnaps the bride and is
banished to the mountains for it. He almost
gets married into Troll royalty, but can’t agree
on the terms. He then builds a hut in the
Norwegian mountains and lives with the
kidnapped Bride
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Towards the middle of the play, his troll almost
bride comes back with Peer’s son, Peer denies
its his and leaves his bride in the hut as he goes
to town and witnesses his mother’s death.
After which, he travels overseas to Morocco.
He becomes a wealthy businessman and one
day he gathers his fellow businessmen and
explain plan to make them all wealthy then
they backstab him and take his ship. He steals
an emperor’s clothes and then pretends to be a
prophet.
as an prophet he falls with the chief’s daughter
who subsequently steals all his valuables.
 Coming to the end of the play Peer becomes a
historian and gains supreme knowledge. After
that he becomes an emperor. He leaves that, on
his way back he shipwrecks and lands on
Norway.
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Peer: a chronic liar, tries to live larger than life,
is obsessed with women, is very fickle. Has an
amazing life but is unable to see that for
himself.
Peer: I can say what I will; and my sword can
smite!
Mind yourself! Hu, hei, now the blow falls
crushing!
King Saul slew hundreds; Peer Gynt slew
thousands!
[Cutting and slashing.]
Who are you?
The Voice: Myself.
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Peer: Forward and back, and it’s just as far;
out and in, and it’s just as strait. —
Time wears away and the river gnaws on.
Go roundabout, the Boyg said; — and here one
must.
Åse: Oh, Lord my God, isn’t he coming?
The time drags so drearily on.
I have no one to send with a message;
and I’ve much, oh so much, to say.
I haven’t a moment to lose now!
So quickly! Who could have foreseen!
Oh me, if I only were certain
I’d not been too strict with him!
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Parish: an ecclesiastical district having its own
church and member of the clergy.
Prate: to talk excessively and pointlessly;
babble
Cantankerous: disagreeable to deal with
Hither: to or toward this place
Counsel: opinion or instruction given in
directing the judgment or conduct of another
My personal reaction to the play is that is was an
interesting comedy, it was very sporadic in places
and had no real connecting factors between the
places that Peer travelled other than Peer just felt
like going there. I find it easiest to relate it to
Forest Gump in modern day terms. Except
without a recurring love interest and instead
many love interests. I also care to mention that I
thoroughly enjoyed Forest Gump just like I
enjoyed Peer Gynt.