Peer Gynt figure quite so exuberant, outrageous, vitalistic as Peer Gynt. He merely "seems" initially to be an unlikely candidate for such eminence: "What is he", we say, "except a kind of Norwegian roaring boy?" – marvelously attractive to women, a kind of bogus poet, a narcissist, absurd self-idolator, a liar, seducer, bombastic self-deceiver. But this is paltry moralizing – all too much like the scholarly chorus that rants against Falstaff. True, Peer, unlike Falstaff, is not a great wit. But in the Yahwistic, biblical sense, Peer the scamp bears the blessing: More life. On 5 January 1867 Ibsen wrote to Frederik
Michael Kahn (theatre director) III", "The Beaux' Stratagem", "Love's Labour's Lost", "Othello", "Lorenzaccio" (world premiere), "Macbeth", "Cyrano", "Five by Tenn", "The Winter's Tale", "The Silent Woman", "The Oedipus Plays", "The Duchess of Malfi", "Timon of Athens", "Don Carlos", "Hedda Gabler", "King Lear", "Coriolanus", "Camino Real", "A Woman of No Importance", "King John", "The Merchant of Venice", "Peer Gynt", "Sweet Bird of Youth", combined "Henry VI, Parts 1, 2 & 3", "Mourning Becomes Electra", "Henry V", "Volpone", combined "Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2", "Richard II", "The Doctor's Dilemma", "Hamlet", "Mother Courage and Her Children", "Much Ado About Nothing", "Measure for Measure", "Richard III", "Twelfth