The Lady from the Sea: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Lady from the Sea" is a play by Henrik Ibsen that explores complex character dynamics and themes of choice, freedom, and identity. The central character, Ellida Wangel, is a woman deeply connected to the sea but feels trapped in her new life in the mountains after marrying Dr. Wangel. Her past resurfaces with the reappearance of a sailor who claims a psychological hold over her, evoking memories of a betrothal that complicates her loyalties. Dr. Wangel, her husband, displays a compassionate understanding of Ellida's struggles, even granting her the freedom to choose between him and her former suitor. The couple's daughters, Boletta and Hilda, struggle to connect with their stepmother, adding tension to the family dynamic. Additionally, the character Arnholm, a former tutor and Ellida's past love interest, reflects the complexity of her decisions. Ultimately, Ellida chooses to remain with her husband, asserting her autonomy and breaking the hold of her past. This play presents a nuanced examination of personal agency against the backdrop of societal expectations and the psychological impacts of love and commitment.
The Lady from the Sea: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Henrik Ibsen
First published: Fruen fra havet, 1888 (English translation, 1890)
Genre: Play
Locale: A small town in northern Norway
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: Nineteenth century
Ellida Wangel, a woman dominated by the sea. She feels stifled in her new home after she marries and goes away from the sea to live in the mountains. She feels strangely drawn to a sailor who had known and loved her years earlier. When he appears again, she feels his hold over her, as well as feeling the conflicting hold of her husband. Left to her own choice, she stays with her husband. She feels that she has retained her sanity by being able to make a choice for herself.
Dr. Wangel, Ellida's husband, a physician. He tries to understand the strains on his wife's mind and gives her a verbal release from her vows so that she can decide for herself whether to go with her former suitor or remain with her husband.
Boletta and Hilda Wangel, Dr. Wangel's daughters by his first wife. They find their stepmother a difficult person with whom to make friends.
Arnholm, Boletta's former tutor and another early sweetheart of Ellida. She refused in the past to marry Arnholm because, she said, she already was betrothed.
The stranger, a sailor who has a powerful psychological hold over Ellida because he makes her think she has been betrothed to him in a strange ceremony by the sea. He has murdered a man and is a fugitive from justice. Ellida finally decides to stay with her husband and breaks the hold the stranger has over her mind.
Lyngstrand, a traveling sculptor who stops at the Wangels' house. His story of a sailor and his wife reawakens in Ellida's mind memory of the sailor who had betrothed himself to her years earlier.