The Wild Duck Lesson Plan

Do you think that Hjalmar overreacts to the revelations about his family life? Why or why not?

It is easy to feel sympathy for Hjalmar in this situation. The lies upon which his family life rests are a lot to process, and the doubts about his daughter’s parentage are an especially difficult blow. But perhaps Hjalmar takes things to far when he decides to leave his family, thereby compounding harm with harm. This is one of the reasons why The Wild Duck is such an effective and emotionally wrenching play: Ibsen paints such a portrait of byzantine hurt and treachery that we feel invested in the fates of all of the characters, including the mother and daughter whom Hjalmar...