Henrik Ibsen's The Wild Duck characters

Appears from the start

The idealistic son of the wealthy Hakon Werle, newly returned home after years at the family works. At his father's dinner he renews his acquaintance with Hjalmar Ekdal and becomes disturbed by the compromises surrounding his old friend's life.

Appears from the start

A prosperous merchant and industrialist whose household hosts the opening dinner. He is Gregers's father and the former employer of Lieutenant Ekdal, and he regards his son's moral scrutiny with wary impatience.

Appears from the start

Gregers's former school friend, now a photographer with a wife and daughter. He presents himself as the thoughtful head of his household and speaks of an invention that will eventually restore the family's fortunes.

Also known as Lieutenant Ekdal

Appears from the start

Hjalmar's elderly father, once Hakon Werle's business associate. A conviction connected with their former enterprise ruined him, and he now performs copying work for Werle while clinging to memories of hunting and military life.

First appears in chapter 2

Hjalmar's capable wife, who runs the practical side of the photography business and keeps the household functioning. She formerly worked in the Werle home and is uneasy when Gregers takes a close interest in her family.

First appears in chapter 2

The Ekdals' warm, imaginative fourteen-year-old daughter. Her eyesight is failing, so her parents try to protect her from strain. She helps in the studio and is devoted to the animals kept in the attic, especially a wounded wild duck.

Appears from the start

Werle's housekeeper and the poised hostess at his dinner. She speaks frankly, manages awkward social situations with ease, and appears to have a more personal place in Werle's future than the guests initially acknowledge.

First appears in chapter 3

A doctor who lives below the Ekdals and is a frequent visitor to their rooms. Sardonic and observant, he distrusts Gregers's mission of complete honesty and believes that ordinary people often need sustaining illusions.

First appears in chapter 3

A former theological student and Relling's companion, given to gloomy or erratic behavior and presented by Relling as a man who imagines himself marked for an exceptional destiny.