Ibsen’s Danse Macabre: The importance of auditory elements in Henrik Ibsen’s drama John Gabriel Borkman
Ibsen’s Danse Macabre: The importance of auditory elements in Henrik Ibsen’s drama John Gabriel Borkman

Summary/Abstract: In the drama John Gabriel Borkman Ibsen attributes great importance to sounds. The contrast between presence and absence of sounds, other sound effects and especially the Danse Macabre played on the piano emphasize the drama’s eerie atmosphere. Danse Macabre can be also seen as the drama’s key metaphor, and it connects the fi rst and the second acts and creates unity of time and action. The allegorical meanings of this composition can serve as a paradigm in the interpretation of each character, their relations, and the whole dramatic action even. The focus of this work is on the auditory layer of the drama, emphasizing the important function of the auditory as part of a dramatic work.

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