Judge, 1918-06-01 · page 25 of 36
Judge — June 1, 1918 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes Broadway's recent embrace of Henrik Ibsen's plays, featuring scenes from three of his works: *Hedda Gabler*, *The Wild Duck*, and an unnamed third play. The humor targets both Ibsen's themes—psychological torment, moral compromise, domestic dysfunction—and the theatrical world's sudden fashionability of his dark, introspective Nordic drama. The captions quote key moments showing Ibsen's characters as neurotic and self-absorbed: Hedda admitting she only enjoys "boring myself to death," a character planning secret drinking, another wallowing in self-pity. The satirical point appears to be that Broadway has discovered Ibsen as trendy entertainment, with the parenthetical "(as he is Nazimovaed)" suggesting the plays are being performed by actress Alla Nazimova, making serious psychological drama into fashionable spectacle for audiences seeking artistic sophistication.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
From “Heppa GaBier” Hedda’s peculiar ideas of play- fulness are at times too much for her scholar husband. Tesman: No! sake! Hedda darling—drop that dan- gerous thing! For Heaven’s Heppa: I often think there is only one thing in the world that I have any turn for. Brack: Andwhatis that, if I may ask? Heppa: Boring myself to death. From “Tue Witp Duck” (Right) Hepvic: Have you been getting some hot water, grandfather? Oxtpv Expat (who has come into pos- session of a bottle of brandy and is planning a secret nip): Yes, hot water; want it for something. Want to write, and the ink got as thick as porridge. Broadway Has at Last Discovered IBSEN (as he is Nazximovaed) From “Tue Witp Duck” (Left) Hepvic: Isn’t there any little thing I could help you with, father? Hiaumar (a self-pitying dawdler): Oh, no. Itis right that Ishould bear the whole burden —so long as my strength holds out. (Above). Hedda’s one-time lover is now her husband's rival for a professor- ship, and has written a great book to es- tablish his claim. Also, he has a new affinity, who has helped him with the book. Then fate delivers the manuscript of this work into Hedda’s hands. Sitting by the cheerful open fire she donates it, shredded, to the flames. Heppa: Now I am burning your child, Thea! — Burning it, curly-locks! Your child and Eilert Lévborg’s. I am burning —I am burning your child! comicbooks.com