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A review by kryptowright1984
The Master Builder by Henrik Ibsen
5.0
When I first read this play oh so many years ago, I was frustrated by its lack of specificity. Did our master builder burn down his house or not? Is his young lady friend magical or not? I want answers, Ibsen!
But now, with time, I've come to appreciate the essential weirdness of this play, and how its slipperyness plants in the shoes of its protagonist. We are in as dreamy of a world as he is, with nothing certain, so at the first glimpse of salvation, of course we too will agree with drastic measures that may or may not lead to our doom. Ibsen was a craftsman -- too mechanical for some people -- but in this play and his later Symbolist work, Ibsen proves that knowing what to leave out is just as important as what you put in.
But now, with time, I've come to appreciate the essential weirdness of this play, and how its slipperyness plants in the shoes of its protagonist. We are in as dreamy of a world as he is, with nothing certain, so at the first glimpse of salvation, of course we too will agree with drastic measures that may or may not lead to our doom. Ibsen was a craftsman -- too mechanical for some people -- but in this play and his later Symbolist work, Ibsen proves that knowing what to leave out is just as important as what you put in.