Henrik Ibsen

The Master Builder Henrik Ibsen

The exact meaning of Henrik Ibsen's The Master Builder has eluded critics, readers, and spectators for over a century, though male power (Harvard Solness, the master builder of the play's title, is building a tall phallic tower) has been suggested as a theme because Solness made advances towards a young woman, Hilda, when she was a girl. But Henrik Ibsen never really offered a clear meaning for the symbolism and illusion allured to in The Master Builder, which seems to be why it is considered one of his greatest plays. It remains highly suggestive, ambiguous and leaves the reader to formulate their own opinion of its meaning.