Wild Duck Journal ABSENT

Both the Wild Duck and Blood Wedding have a theme of a woman's betrayal. In Blood Wedding the bride leaves the bridegroom for Leonardo. Before the Bride and Bridegroom's wedding the Bride and Leonardo were engaged, then seperated. This relationship causes the ultimate destruction of the Bride's relationship's, and the self-sacrafising of the two men who love her. In the Wild Duck Gina has betrayed Hjalmar by lying about her past with Mr. Werle, this leads to the Hjalmar's suspiscion that Hedvig is not his, and the downfall of Hjalmar and Gina's relationship. Because of this Hedvig sacrafices herself so her father will be happy. Both of these plays state that women cause catastrophy by being untrue to themselves and the ones around them. This creates a theme of truth to build of off. In Blood Wedding the theme of truth isn't as evident, but it does appear, mostly when Leonardo and the Bride are speaking, eventually the Bride comes to the conclusion that she will truly listen to her heart and stop lying to herself about what she wants. The Bride often lies to others about her feelings as well, including the Bridegroom and the Maid. In the Wild Duck truth is the driving point of the conflict of the play. Greggers feels that he must reveal the truth in order to give Hjalmar and Gina a happy marriage. Hjalmar's father fell because of lies, and the whole ordeal might not have happened if he hadn't been lied to. Both plays express the idea that "honesty is the best policy"