Peer Gynt

For a 21st-century audience, the portrayal of women in Peer Gynt, as well as Peer’s treatment of them, raises some issues. What critiques do you have of the play’s representation of women? What are positive aspects of the representations? How might you “fix” it to make the play more palatable to today’s audiences?

Throughout the play, Peer seeks to understand what it means to be true to oneself. What do you think the play ultimately says about identification and the concept of the self? Use evidence from the text to back your claims.

Religion is a major theme in the play. What religions are broached? How are they represented? What do you think the play is saying about religion or spirituality in general or about specific religions?

By the end of his career, Ibsen became known as the Father of Realism, the theatrical movement that endeavored to accurately reflect life onstage in an effort to depict truth. However, Peer Gynt incorporates supernatural elements and has components that more closely resemble absurdism or surrealism. How does fantasy and folklore function in the play? Does it seem realistic? Metaphorical? Why might Ibsen have chosen to use these elements to tell this story?

Ibsen originally wrote Peer Gynt as a closet drama—a play meant to be read rather than performed. Although it was revised and produced ten years after it was written, there are still legitimate issues that make it very difficult to stage. What specific elements do you think would be hard to realize in the theatre? How might you solve them?

What is the role of animals and nature in the play? How does Peer interact with nature? How do you think this contributes to the play’s overall themes and messages?

Consider the character of the Great Bøyg. Trace his appearance and mentions throughout the play. What do you think he represents? How does he fit into the play’s themes of religion and selfhood? What is his purpose? Use evidence from the text to make your argument.

Analyze Peer’s visit to the madhouse. What do you think Ibsen is saying about common sense, madness, and enlightenment? What does it mean for Peer to be the “emperor of self” (157)? What do you think Begriffenfeldt is saying when Peer faints and he announces that Peer is beside himself at last?