Love's Comedy
Love's Comedy, written by Henrik Ibsen and first published in 1862, is a satirical play that critiques romantic relationships and societal norms surrounding love and marriage. Set in a contemporary milieu, it features characters like Mrs. Halm and her daughters, Svanhild and Anna, who navigate the complexities of courtship and individual desire. Initially deemed 'immoral' and not staged until 1873, the play showcases Ibsen's shift to a rhymed verse form and vivid imagery, marking it as his first assured masterpiece and a significant work in Norwegian drama.
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“first condition of a happy marriage is the absence of love, and the first condition of an enduring love is the absence of marriage.””
— Henrik Ibsen
“Both agree in repudiating "marriage for love"; but the idealist repudiates it in the name of love, the critic in the name of marriage. Love, for the idealist Ibsen, is a passion which loses its virtue when it reaches its goal, which inspires only while it aspires, and flags bewildered when it attains. Marriage, for the critic Ibsen, is an institution beset with pitfalls into which those are surest to step who enter it blinded with love.””
— Henrik Ibsen
“To "those about to marry," Ibsen therefore says in effect, "Be sure you are not in love!" And to those who are in love he says, "Part!””
— Henrik Ibsen
“And though I have sailed my boat hard aground,O, it was so grand to be sailing!””
— Henrik Ibsen
“About the white and shining milky way? Man may not there the milk of fortune skim, Nor is the butter of it meant for him.””
— Henrik Ibsen
“Let others emulate the eagle's flight, Life in the lowly plains may be as bright.””
— Henrik Ibsen
“The truth is that there are two men in Ibsen”
— Henrik Ibsen
“This Love of ours, ardent and glad and proud,Pure of disease's taint and age's cloud,Shall die the young and glorious thing it is!””
— Henrik Ibsen
“My faith is, Love will never pass away"”
— Henrik Ibsen
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Ibsen, Henrik. Love's Comedy. Lex, lex-books.com/book/love-s-comedy-9f92da25-fa07-4eb7-bc47-346632fb4cf3.Ibsen, H. (n.d.). Love's Comedy. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/love-s-comedy-9f92da25-fa07-4eb7-bc47-346632fb4cf3Ibsen, Henrik. Love's Comedy. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/love-s-comedy-9f92da25-fa07-4eb7-bc47-346632fb4cf3.
