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Articles

Vol. 5 No. 2 (2026): Volume 5, Issue 2

An Examination of Henrik Ibsen’s The Wild Duck in the context of Ecodramaturgy

Submitted
May 11, 2026
Published
2026-06-20

Abstract

This study examines Henrik Ibsen’s “The Wild Duck” within the framework of ecodramaturgy. Beginning with an inquiry into how anthropocentric thought took root in Western philosophy and culture, the study traces the development of ecocriticism as a literary and cultural strategy for destabilizing the centrality of the dominant subject, and subsequently addresses the convergence of ecological narrative with performance art and the emergence of ecodramaturgy as a theoretical and practical framework for theatre. Drawing on the theoretical contributions of scholars including Theresa J. May, Timothy Morton, Graham Harman, Rosi Braidotti, and Una Chaudhuri, the study proposes that the Wild Duck in Ibsen’s play functions as a hyperobject in Morton’s sense, in that its shadow and viscosity extend across nearly every character in the play, weaving them into an interobjective network. The study further argues that the attic constructed within the play can be read as an aestheticized, picturesque reproduction of wildlife shaped by anthropocentric and Capitalocentric impulses, concealing the destruction wrought by industrial capitalism upon nature. The hierarchical value system attributed to the animals in the attic is examined as a reflection of anthropomorphism and speciesism. Through this ecodramaturgical reading of The Wild Duck, the study aims to demonstrate the breadth of interpretive and narrative possibilities that ecodramaturgy opens up when applied to canonical dramatic texts, and to contribute to the broader project of constructing a non-hierarchical, egalitarian, and ecologically just theatrical language.