When We Dead Awaken

Ibsen, Henrik, 1828-1906Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.7

Word count: 112K words
Chapters: 12

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.When We Dead Awaken by Henrik IbsenAuthor: Ibsen, Henrik, 1828-1906,Language: English, Class: PT: Language and Literatures: Germanic, Scandinavian, and Icelandic literatures, Release Date: Dec 1, 2003

Editor's review

When We Dead Awaken is a late play by Ibsen, released by Project Gutenberg as an English-language eBook. As a work from the later stage of Ibsen's career, it continues the playwright's attention to inner life and life choices, with a pronounced symbolic quality and a retrospective tone. The value of reading this play lies not in intricate plot but in the conceptual conflicts revealed in dialogue and the tension in character relationships; it rewards slow reading as a script, savoring the subtext behind the lines. The Gutenberg edition is a public-domain English text, convenient for searching, annotating, and comparing different translations, and also suitable as material for read-aloud sessions or small-scale staging by theater enthusiasts. Note that this edition usually contains no production notes or detailed introduction; readers lacking experience with other Ibsen plays may need to supplement background. Overall, this is a late work suited to close reading by readers of dramatic literature and Ibsen scholars, not a plot-driven popular read.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary readers interested in Ibsen's late plays and symbolist drama
English learners studying dramatic texts who need a public-domain script for close reading
Members of theater groups or reading circles looking for short play scripts
Readers and scholars studying the evolution of Ibsen's later thought

Not a good fit for

General fiction readers expecting strong plot conflict and fast-paced narrative
Beginners with no experience reading drama who need detailed annotations and introductions
Professional production teams seeking staging instructions or stage direction

Reading tips

First understand the general tendencies of Ibsen's late work, then enter the symbolic dialogue of this play
Read aloud scene by scene, noting pauses and subtext in the characters' lines
After finishing, revisit key dialogue passages to sort out character relationships and conceptual conflicts
Read alongside other Ibsen plays to observe changes in his late style

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Can I read this play directly without having read other works by Ibsen?

You can read it directly, but this is a late Ibsen work with strong symbolic coloring; without background, understanding character motivation may be difficult. It is advisable to first learn the general tendencies of his later work, or read a plot summary before entering the text.

Does this Gutenberg edition include annotations or an introduction?

Public-domain eBooks from Project Gutenberg usually contain only the play text, generally without detailed annotations, introduction, or production notes. Readers needing background material can consult Ibsen studies or drama literature guide bibliographies separately.

Is this play suitable for theater group staging?

It is feasible as material for read-aloud sessions or small-scale staging; the dialogue is concentrated and the cast small. However, this edition contains no stage directions, so staging requires handling blocking, sets, and symbolic elements independently; it is advisable to have someone with theater experience coordinate.

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About the author

Ibsen, Henrik, 1828-1906 Author

Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906) was a Norwegian playwright best known for his problem plays on social issues. His works often center on marriage, family, gender roles, and individual freedom, exposing the contradictions beneath respectable surfaces through tight dialogue and steadily unfolding plots. The collection holds 51 of his works, including A Doll's House, The Wild Duck, Hedda Gabler, and Rosmersholm, as well as dramatic collections and translations into Finnish and Esperanto. Written in a realistic style, these plays probe their characters' inner lives, with spare dialogue rich in subtext, and helped shape modern European drama; they are still staged worldwide. Because public information is limited, biographical details are omitted here.