Aim: How does Solness perceive himself?
Do Now: Journal-- What are some things that people sacrifice in order to achieve their goals or dreams?

Procedures:
Study Questions:

1.What feelings does Solness have toward the fire?

2.How do Hilda and Solness relate with one another? Who has the power in this relationship?
 

3.What is the significance of imagery used (vikings, trolls, bird of prey) in the discussion between Hilda and Solness?

4.How would you characterize Solness in these pages? What paradoxes or contradictions exist in his character?

5.Compare Hilda's "robust conscience" to Solness's "sickly conscience" in order to see who has the power.

6. How does Hilda goad Solness into ideas of his own greatness, pushing him to conceive of the impossible (overcoming his fear of heights)

7. Think about the two different kinds of conscience that exit in Solness and Hilda. Are they really different? How is their different conscience reflected in the decisions they make or simply, their actions and speech?


8. What does "troll" in their conversation? Do you think we all have a "troll" in us? But then why don't we always act viciously? What controls our troll?
9. Can we blame our fault on the troll that is in us as Solness did on the top of page146"I suppose that is the troll within one that is responsible for it"?
10. At the end of Act II, how has Hilda seemed to have control over Solness? Give the example.
11. How does Hilda manipulate Solness to do what seems impossible for him?

Notes:

1.The contradictions in Solness' character-the idea that he has a romanticized image of himself as "powerful" and "special" but that he suffers greatly from-- as Hilda puts it "a sickly conscience".
  k the question of who has the power-- Hilda or Solness.
2. In many Ibsen's plays, one of the themes that permeates is that how we perceive other people is really the projection of our own conscience.

Homework:
Finish reading any pages unread (139-149) Write a letter to Solness from you, based on your opinion of him. What do you think about his self-image? Let him know what you predict for his future. What do you think is going to happen to him?