Reality Matters: Relevance of Ibsen’s The Wild Duck and Chekhov’s The Seagull to Daily Life

Yıl 2022, , 181 - 191, 30.12.2022

Mahmut Kayaaltı

https://doi.org/10.26650/CONS2022-1148156

Öz

Described as the pioneers of modern drama, Henrik Ibsen and Anton Chekhov shed light on the realities of daily life. Two of them, Ibsen’s The Wild Duck (1884) and Chekhov’s The Seagull (1895), defined as realistic dramas, are constantly compared with one another due to their shared and contrasting qualities. Even though these comparative studies contribute to clarifying areas such as plot, character analysis, themes, and symbols to establish a link between the two works, they do not explain the degree of their relevance to real life. Indeed, the problem is that Ibsen is regarded as the father of modern drama, and Chekhov’s implied to be inspired by Ibsen’s The Wild Duck while writing his The Seagull; because of that, the general conception is inclined to first’s literary supremacy over latter. Therefore, this study analyzes the relevance of these plays to daily life and examines which one is more realistic than the other. For such a comparison, it has been paid attention to the plots’ developments and the dialogues between the characters in both plays. 

Anahtar Kelimeler

The Wild Duck, The Seagull, realism

Gerçeklik Meselesi: Ibsen'ın Yaban Ördeği ile Çehov’un Martı'sının Gerçek Hayata Uygunluğu

Öz

Modern dramanın öncüleri olarak nitelendirilen Henrik Ibsen ve Anton Çehov, ürettikleri oyunlarla gündelik hayatın gerçeklerine ışık tutmuşlardır. Bunlardan ikisi olan ve gerçekçi drama olarak tanımlanan, Ibsen'in Yaban Ördeği (1884) ve Çehov'un Martısı (1895), ortak ve zıt nitelikleri nedeniyle sürekli birbirleriyle karşılaştırılır. Bu karşılaştırmalı çalışmalar olay örgüsü, karakter analizi, temalar ve semboller gibi alanların iki eser arasındaki bağlantının güçlenmesine katkı sağlasa da bu eserlerin gerçek hayatla ne derece alakalı olduklarını açıklamamaktadırlar. Aslında sorun, Ibsen'in modern dramanın babası olarak görülmesi ve Çehov'un Martıyı yazarken Ibsen'in Yaban Ördeğinden esinlendiğinin ima edilmesidir; bu nedenle, genel kanı, birincinin ikinciye edebi olarak üstün olduğu yönündedir. Buna bağlı olarak bu çalışma, bahsi geçen bu oyunların günlük yaşamla ilişkisini incelemek ve hangisinin diğerinden daha gerçekçi olduğunu çözümlemek amacıyla hazırlanmıştır. Böyle bir karşılaştırma için her iki oyundaki olay örgüsü gelişmelerine ve karakterler arası diyaloglara dikkat edilmiştir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Yaban Ördeği, Martı, modernizm, problem oyun

Kaynakça

• Adler, J. H. (1970-1971). Two “Hamlet” Plays: “The Wild Duck” and “The Sea Gull.” Journal of Modern Literature , 1 (2), 226-248. google scholar
• Ahmed, S., & Abdillah, N. (2018). A Mini Review on Realist Perception in Early Drama. Arts and Social Sciences Journal, 9(04). https://doi.org/10.4172/2151-6200.1000379 google scholar
• Beyad, M., & Moradpour, M. (2009). Ibsen’s The Wild Duck and Chekhov’s The Seagull: Classical Tragedy in Modern Perspectives. Pazhuhesh-e Zabanha-Ye Khareji, 49, 5-22. google scholar
• Borny, G. (2006). The Seagull: From Disaster to Triumph. In Interpreting Chekhov (pp. 127-168). Canberra: ANU Press. google scholar
• Chekhov, A. (1964). Chekhov: The Major Plays (A. Dunnigan, Trans.; 1st ed.). New York: New American Library of World Literature. google scholar
• Friedland, L. S., & Simmons, E. J. (Eds.). (1964). Letters on the Short Story, the Drama, and Other Literary Topics by Anton Chekhov. Benjamin Blom Inc. google scholar
• Glytzouris, A. (2012). Henrik Ibsen, the Quest for Realism and the Rise of Greek Theatrical Modernism. Ibsen Studies, 12(1), 3-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/15021866.2012.687158 google scholar
• Ibsen, H. (1978). Henrik Ibsen The Complete Major Prose Plays (R. Fjelde, Trans.). New York: Penguin Group. google scholar
• Jameson, F. (2012). Antinomies of the Realism-Modernism Debate. Modern Language Quarterly, 73(3), 475-485. https://doi.org/10.1215/00267929-1631487 google scholar
• Miller, J. W. (1964). Stark Young, Chekhov and the Method of Indirect Action. The Georgia Review, 18(1), 98-115. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41395992 google scholar
• Oppenheimer, M. M. (1975, May). An Analysis ofForm and Vision in Chekhov’s Major Plays (Master’s dissertation). University of Richmond. google scholar
• Rredhi, G. (2015). Henrik Ibsen and Modern Drama. International Journal ofScience and Research, 4(2), 1480-1482. google scholar
• Rubenstein, R. (2009). Chekhov: “An astonishing sense of freedom.” In Virginia Woolf and the Russian Point of View (pp. 59-96). Palgrave Macmillan. google scholar
• Seyler, D. U. (1965). The Sea Gull and The Wild Duck: Birds of a Feather? Modern Drama, 8(2), 167-173. https:// doi.org/10.1353/mdr.1965.0019 google scholar
• Simmons, E. J. (1970). Chekhov: A Biography. London: University of Chicago Press. google scholar
• Sprinchorn, E. (2021). Ibsen’s Kingdom: The Man and His Works. New Haven: Yale University Press. google scholar
• Steiner, G. (1980). The Death of Tragedy. Oxford: Oxford University Press. google scholar
• Valency, M. (1966). The Breaking String: The Plays ofAnton Chekhov (First Edition). Oxford University Press. google scholar