Mr Punch's Pocket Ibsen - A Collection of Some of the Master's Best Known Dramas

In Short

This volume is a spirited, satirical romp through the dramatic works of Henrik Ibsen. By condensing, mocking, and slightly rearranging the plotlines of plays like Hedda Gabler and The Wild Duck, the text targets the somber symbolism, hereditary anxieties, and "emancipated enigmas" that characterized Ibsen’s writing. Rather than a dry literary critique, it acts as a comic reduction, highlighting the absurdity of characters who are constantly haunted by ghosts, mill-races, and incurable illnesses. It has endured as a classic of English parody, capturing the specific cultural moment when the "Master’s" work first provoked both awe and bewilderment.

The Story

The collection opens at Rosmershoelm, where the inhabitants are preoccupied with "white horses" and the crushing weight of ancestral legacy. Rebecca West and Mr. Rosmer navigate a house filled with ominous symbolism, debating their own "ennobled" missions while burdened by a past that refuses to stay buried. The arc turns on their existential hand-wringing until, in a final act of anti-climax, they decide not to jump into a mill-race, choosing instead to remain in their own recognizances—a droll refusal to participate in the tragic endings expected of them.

Nora; or, The Bird-cage follows, presenting a domestic sphere cluttered with cheap art-furniture and chenille monkeys. Nora, the "lark," is entangled in a web of macaroons and financial secrets, dancing around the self-important Torvald. As the drama unfolds, the house becomes a stage for hereditary grievances and heavy-handed moralizing, culminating in a confrontation where Torvald is more concerned with his reputation than his wife's plight, leaving Nora to ponder her escape from the "dolls' house" of their marriage.

In Hedda Gabler, the focus shifts to a protagonist who is bored by her husband George’s obsession with his old slippers and Aunt Julie’s constant presence. Hedda moves through the plot with a cold, aristocratic disdain, manipulating the "reformed" Ejlert Loevborg and the frightened rabbit of a woman, Mrs. Elvsted. The story builds toward a supposed act of "beautiful courage"—a suicide meant to be poetic—which turns out to be a messy, vulgar affair that leaves Hedda trapped by her own lack of foresight and the watchful eye of a judge.

The Wild Duck introduces the Ekdal family, living in a studio filled with photographic equipment and a literal wild duck kept in a garret. Gregers Werle arrives with a mission to bring "truth" to their home, an intrusion that threatens the fragile, comfortable illusions the family has built. The climax centers on a pistol, a "fatal Norwegian weapon" that predictably fails to shoot straight, resulting in a farcical resolution where the family reunites in tears rather than tragedy.

Finally, Pill-Doctor Herdal serves as a concluding, original pastiche. A "pill-doctor" is visited by the enigmatic Hilda Wangel, who brings with her the spirit of past disasters and a demand for "deadly, wholesome" poisons. The play concludes in a whirl of misunderstood identities and melodramatic declarations, with the doctor and his wife navigating the absurdity of their existence as if they were characters in a play they haven't quite mastered.

How It Unfolds

The stage is set The characters are introduced within rooms heavy with props—stoves, antimacassars, and ancestral portraits—that signal their inevitable entrapment. Each scene begins with an atmosphere of stifling domesticity that sets the stage for the coming absurdity.

The burden of heredity A recurring, heavy-handed theme emerges as characters attribute their every mood, ailment, or sin to their parents. This obsession serves as the primary engine for conflict, driving the characters toward their "fated" downfalls.

The intrusion of the idealist An outsider, often acting as a catalyst for "truth," arrives to disrupt the status quo. These figures attempt to force the protagonist into a confrontation with their own reality, usually with disastrously funny consequences.

The climactic failure The high-stakes moments—a leap into a mill-race, a dramatic suicide, or a life-changing revelation—are undercut by the characters' own incompetence. The tension dissipates as the gravity of the situation is punctured by a sudden, sharp observation or a mundane interruption.

The final tableau The stories resolve not with catharsis, but with a return to the status quo or a realization of the character's own ridiculousness. The curtain falls on characters who are often left exactly where they started, albeit slightly more aware of their own absurdity.

The People

The characters are constructed as archetypes of the "Ibsenian" style, designed to be teased. Nora acts as the quintessential "lark," a character who hides macaroons and plays the babyish wife while masking a deeper, more manipulative intelligence. Torvald is her foil, a man whose primary traits are self-importance and a desperate, fragile concern for his professional reputation. Hedda Gabler stands apart as the bored aristocrat who craves beauty and drama, only to find herself surrounded by the "vulgar" reality of her surroundings. Hialmar Ekdal and his family are the embodiment of domestic illusion, preferring the safety of their garret and their pet duck to the uncomfortable demands of the outside world. Dr. Herdal serves as the skeptic, a "pill-doctor" who attempts to maintain his professional distance until he is swept away by the bizarre demands of his visitor, Hilda Wangel. Hilda is the ultimate catalyst, a figure of chaotic energy who uses high-minded, poetic language to manipulate those around her, effectively mocking the seriousness with which Ibsen’s own heroines take their "missions."

In Its Own Voice

"No, indeed. Nobody makes fun at Rosmershoelm."

The narrator highlights the oppressive lack of humor inherent in the household.

"The worst of being so babyish is--one does have to tell such a lot of taradiddles!"

Nora rationalizes her constant dishonesty as a necessary consequence of her marital role.

"Yes, we're realistic types of human nature, and all that--but a trifle squalid, perhaps."

The Judge offers a blunt summary of the characters' lives after a moment of high drama collapses into the mundane.

What It's Really About

The central argument of the book is that the perceived profundity of Ibsen’s work often rests upon a foundation of thin symbolism and self-serious posturing. By stripping away the "mysterious obscurity" that the author admits he lacks, the text exposes how easily the "tragic" can be rendered ridiculous through repetition and exaggeration. It asks whether the modern obsession with hereditary fate and existential "truth" is, in practice, merely a way for people to avoid taking responsibility for their own lives. Ultimately, the work serves as a skeptical look at the era's intellectual fashions, questioning the value of a dramatic philosophy that finds beauty in despair and dignity in self-destruction.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the biting, quick-witted style of Punch magazine will find this collection particularly engaging. It acts as a mirror to the late 19th-century obsession with "earnestness," capturing a period when theatergoers were often asked to treat every whisper of a "white horse" as a profound revelation. While the reader may need a passing familiarity with Ibsen’s famous plays to fully appreciate the jokes, the author’s precision ensures that the parody works even as a standalone comic experience.

Reading this book feels like sitting in the front row of a play where the actors have decided to stop pretending that the scenery is anything more than painted canvas. The prose is light and rhythmic, though it does carry the occasional mark of its time, such as the period’s casual dismissals of "feminine" hysteria or the specific, dated cultural references that pepper the dialogue. However, these period attitudes are themselves part of the satire, mocking the very social conventions that the original plays were trying to navigate. What stays with you is the sheer joy of watching a master satirist deflate the balloon of high-minded drama, leaving the reader with a more grounded, and far funnier, view of the human condition.