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* {{Foil}}: Looking for a Foil to the irresponsible, lying jerkass Peer eventually becomes, look no further than to Solveig. She has all the traits Peer Gynt seems to lack, being patient, loyal and determined. The two of them are polar opposites in many respects.
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** For that matter: One of the people he meets when arriving in his home community flatly tells him that he was "hanged many years ago" in a foreign country. One could interpret the entire fifth act as a combination of a DyingDream and a GhostAmnesia. His fellow men clearly doesn`t recognize him.
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* BizarroUniverse: Invoked by the keeper of the Cairo Asylum, as soon as he is presented to Peer. He acts accordingly, by locking up all the guards, and letting all the inmates loose.
---> '''Begriffenfeldt''': The pure common sense succumbed to death last night at eleven o`clock.
And later:
---> All those who were reckoned insane before, became sane last night at eleven.
** Doubles as a ShoutOut to ImmanuelKant, who wrote a "criticism on the common sense".
---> '''Begriffenfeldt''': The pure common sense succumbed to death last night at eleven o`clock.
And later:
---> All those who were reckoned insane before, became sane last night at eleven.
** Doubles as a ShoutOut to ImmanuelKant, who wrote a "criticism on the common sense".
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* GratuitousGerman: Begriffenfeldt, the proprietor of the Cairo Asylum, speaks with a heavy influence from his native language.
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* GratuitousGerman: Begriffenfeldt, the proprietor of the Cairo Asylum, speaks with a heavy influence from his native language. Also his asylum guards.
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** FridgeLogic: How long did he actually stay in there? This part of the play occurs during the Greek rebellion (1820s), and the next thing he tells about, is his adventure as a gold prospector in UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco. That would make Peer an inmate of the madhouse for twenty-odd years!
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* MoralEventHorizon: Peer secures himself by acting in a way that keeps him from crossing it. This is lampshaded heavily in the fourth act, when he explains his philosophy to his friends. This trait gains him a position on the list of the Button Moulder, however, and Peer gets a HeelRealization, making him cross the DespairEventHorizon instead.
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* WhatYouAreInTheDark: The essence of the Button Moulder`s definition of "self" can be boiled down to this trope.
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* AngelsDevilsAndSquid: The Button Moulder (who may be the [[TheGrimReaper Angel of Death]]) turns up as a representative of Heaven, and the Devil himself turns up as a representative of Hell - but there's also a third supernatural realm occupied by [[TheFairFolk the Trolls]] and [[EldritchAbomination the Boyg]]. It is the amoral philosophies of this third realm that Peer comes to embody, and as a result his soul is barred from both Heaven and Hell.
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* BeYourself: The play pulls a DeconReconSwitch on this theme. Peer ''wants'' to be himself, but doesn't know what that actually means, ending up going through various identities over the course of the play and, in the end, not much liking any of them. The trolls tell him that to be yourself is effectively to say "to hell with everyone else", but this philosophy ultimately ruins Peer and nearly costs him his soul. The Boyg suggests that to be yourself is to defy any other definition, but imitating the Boyg causes Peer to feel distressingly unfulfilled - like an onion, with too many layers and no core. Ultimately, the play vindicates the philosophy of the Button Moulder, who claims that to be yourself is to resist all your baser, more cowardly urges, in order that your positive character traits may come to the fore as God intended.
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* TheCasanova: Peer. In addition to his official LoveInterest Solveig, he also seduces Ingrid, three dairy maids, the Troll King's daughter and a tentful of singing Bedouin women.
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** Two other arc symbols is worth mentioning: The cabin Peer built, which ends up as the abode of Solveig, ends up as a symbol of Peer`s soul as well (or his "self"). Also: the reindeer, starting with the tall tale Peer delivers at the very opening of the play. This reindeer can be said to symbolize Peer`s creative and imaginative side.
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** The whole line underscores Solveig`s ultimate choice as SeriousBusiness UpToEleven. Made ''even worse'' for her when Peer ultimately ''leaves'' her there.
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* VerbalBackspace: Solveig tries to tell Peer Gynt which person she meant was the worst to part with, beginning over and over: "Worst, it was to be parted from father, but even worse from the one that bore me, but worser still to be parted from my kid sister..." Ok, Solveig, it was that bad to part with them, starting with the worst case of parting and then winding down to ''even worser'' partings.
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* ChiefsDaughter: Anitra, daughter of a bedouin chieftain in Sahara.
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* ChiefsDaughter: TheChiefsDaughter: Anitra, daughter of a bedouin chieftain in Sahara.
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* ChiefsDaughter: Anitra, daughter of a bedouin chieftain in Sahara.
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* LostInTranslation: The mountain king, because his original name connected him to the mountain area of ''Dovre''. This is actually a PunnyName, giving away associations to the the IntrinsicVow given at the end of the UsefulNotes/NorwegianConstituentAssembly in 1814: "Faithful and united until Dovre falls". Through this character, Ibsen gives a ''heavy'' TakeThat to Norwegian mentality, because Dovre often ends up as a symbol of the very Norwegian bedrock.
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* GenreDeconstruction: The fairy tale on several accounts. Also {{romanticism}} according to some scholars. Taken to the extreme, the play is a deconstruction of the Norwegian national myth. The play becoming a national myth in it´s own right, is a ''heavy'' historical irony on Ibsen´s behalf. Whether the play actually deconstructs romanticism is up to debate, as the structure of the play relies heavily on romantic troping. The "deconstructor" of the plot is Peer himself, as Solveig, invoking the Power Blonde, is there to save him. All the romantic tropes are in fact played straight with Solveig.
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* GenreDeconstruction: The fairy tale on several accounts. Also {{romanticism}} according to some scholars. Taken to the extreme, the play is a deconstruction of the Norwegian national myth. The play becoming a national myth in it´s its own right, is a ''heavy'' historical irony on Ibsen´s behalf. Whether the play actually deconstructs romanticism is up to debate, as the structure of the play relies heavily on romantic troping. The "deconstructor" of the plot is Peer himself, as Solveig, invoking the Power Blonde, is there to save him. All the romantic tropes are in fact played straight with Solveig.
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* DeusExMachina: The button moulder. His task is to reshape squandered souls, and seemingly to give Peer a second chance, when Peer stalls him several times only to meet him at anothee cross-roads. The trope can be read as somewhat averted, as Peer has to find his salvation himself.
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* DeusExMachina: The button moulder. His task is to reshape squandered souls, and seemingly to give Peer a second chance, when Peer stalls him several times only to meet him at anothee another cross-roads. The trope can be read as somewhat averted, as Peer has to find his salvation himself.
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* NapoleonicWars: The historical background, set in the early nineteenth century, as the beginning of the play. Later events shout out to the Greek rebellion (1825) and the {{San Francisco Gold Rush}} in 1848. Peer returns several years after this, sometime before 1865.
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* NapoleonicWars: The historical background, set in the early nineteenth century, as the beginning of the play. Later events shout out to the Greek rebellion (1825) and the {{San San Francisco Gold Rush}} Rush in 1848. Peer returns several years after this, sometime before 1865.
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* WeirdAlEffect: The story Peer tells his mother at the start of the play. He claimed he rode a reindeer buck over a mountain pass, and the buck jumped with him into a nearby lake. His mother is quite savvy on the fact that the story has happened to someone else, because she heard it when she was young. Quite true - it stems from the tales of Creator/AsbjornsenAndMoe. The WeirdAlEffect comes in when the public opinion today associates Peer Gynt with this reindeer trip, not Gudbrand Glesne who was said to ''actually'' have done it. He is even mentioned in-play.
** In the middle of Oslo, you will find a bridge with four statues of fairy tale figures. One of them is Peer Gynt riding the reindeer. The statue is an example of this trope.
** In the middle of Oslo, you will find a bridge with four statues of fairy tale figures. One of them is Peer Gynt riding the reindeer. The statue is an example of this trope.
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* WeirdAlEffect: The story Peer tells his mother at the start of the play. He claimed he rode a reindeer buck over a mountain pass, and the buck jumped with him into a nearby lake. His mother is quite savvy on the fact that the story has happened to someone else, because she heard it when she was young. Quite true - it stems from the tales of Creator/AsbjornsenAndMoe. The WeirdAlEffect comes in when the public opinion today associates Peer Gynt with this reindeer trip, not Gudbrand Glesne who was said to ''actually'' have done it. He is even mentioned in-play.
** In the middle of Oslo, you will find a bridge with four statues of fairy tale figures. One of them is Peer Gynt riding the reindeer. The statue is an example of this trope.
** In the middle of Oslo, you will find a bridge with four statues of fairy tale figures. One of them is Peer Gynt riding the reindeer. The statue is an example of this trope.
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* HopeSpot: Peer Gynt had just taken Solveig inside his cabin, and decided that he wished to live with her. When he is happier than ever before (or since), the greenclad hag shows up, chiding him for betrayal and presenting their half troll brat. Peer freaks out, decides that he is not worthy of Solveig, and takes off WalkingTheEarth. He orders Solveig to wait for him, and she does. For the rest of the play.
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* DaddysGirl: Solveig apparently is, at the very beginning.
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* DaddysGirl: Solveig apparently is, at the very beginning. Ingrid likewise (she runs straight to his father after being dumped by Peer).
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* PapaWolf: Both the Hægstad farmer on behalf of Ingrid, and the Mountain King on behalf of ''his'' daughter.
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* UptownGirl: Ingrid Hægstad, being the daughter of a wealthy landowner, and actually tempting Peer with "goods and honor", if he marries her.
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* NeverAcceptedInHisHometown: When Peer takes on a bedouin attire, and suddenly is hailed as a prophet by a local Saharan tribe, he invokes this splendidly. He was actually a ButtMonkey in his native community, and thus the trope is played straight.
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* DaddysGirl: Solveig apparently is, at the very beginning.
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* BigDamnHeroes: Peer`s mother saves him from the trolls before the literally smash him to pieces, by chiming the church bells. One scene later, Solveig does the same, saving Peer from the Boyg by singing hymns.
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* {{Expy}}: Peer expies the fairy tale figure "Ash lad", lampshaded by his mother, who tells how he, like the Ashlad, "lies at home in the fireplace, messing around in coul and embers". And he is equally "dirty and ragged".
** The "Ashlad" character was defined early on as a kind of "national amalgam" in Norwegian literature. Here, Ibsen goes into GenreDeconstruction territory, by completely deconstructing the character (and by default, the Norwegian amalgam).
** The "Ashlad" character was defined early on as a kind of "national amalgam" in Norwegian literature. Here, Ibsen goes into GenreDeconstruction territory, by completely deconstructing the character (and by default, the Norwegian amalgam).
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* ButtMonkey: Peer Gynt is this in his native community. A possible FreudianExcuse for him to get out, get rich, and come home to "show them all".
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* LoveAtFirstSight: Peer falls for Solveig almost instantly.
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* {{Fingore}}: Peer sees a boy who chops off his index finger (to avoid being drafted - the finger was necessary for pulling the trigger). Peer is seriously {{squick}}ed by this. The boy gets a CallBack in the fifth act, as Peer comes home in time for his funeral.
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* {{Fingore}}: Peer sees a boy who chops off his index finger (to avoid being drafted - the finger was necessary for pulling the trigger). Peer is seriously {{squick}}ed by this. The boy gets a CallBack in the fifth act, as Peer comes home in time for his funeral. funeral.
* FollowTheLeader: ''Literature/TheNeverendingStory'' has Bastian, the titular character. He expies Peer Gynt on several occasions: Bastian is known for his tall tales, is called a liar, and has, like Peer, a gift of fantasy. When slipping away to Fantasia, he piles up several wishes to hide his true self, gradually losing it, and is at the end of the story, about to lose himself completely, ending up in a city of madmen. Oh, and before ''that'', he was about to proclaim himself emperor. Like in the Cairo madhouse, the people of the city of madmen see nothing but themselves. At the end, with his memory of his human life totally gone, Atreju intervenes on behalf of him, doing the part of Solveig (replacing love with ThePowerOfFriendship), giving Bastian the insight he needs to return home.
* FollowTheLeader: ''Literature/TheNeverendingStory'' has Bastian, the titular character. He expies Peer Gynt on several occasions: Bastian is known for his tall tales, is called a liar, and has, like Peer, a gift of fantasy. When slipping away to Fantasia, he piles up several wishes to hide his true self, gradually losing it, and is at the end of the story, about to lose himself completely, ending up in a city of madmen. Oh, and before ''that'', he was about to proclaim himself emperor. Like in the Cairo madhouse, the people of the city of madmen see nothing but themselves. At the end, with his memory of his human life totally gone, Atreju intervenes on behalf of him, doing the part of Solveig (replacing love with ThePowerOfFriendship), giving Bastian the insight he needs to return home.
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* FateWorseThanDeath: Peer Gynt is about to experience his already fragmented soul being "recycled" into several new ones, and thus, he will be denied any kind of afterlife, be it heaven or hell. Consider that Peer Gynt actually considers a place in hell as a better solution than the one offered him.
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* BadassBoast: Peer rips one off while fighting the Boyg, and does a ShoutOut to TheBible in the process:
--> My sword will fall crushing down on you! King Saul slew a hundred, Peer Gynt slew a thousand!
--> My sword will fall crushing down on you! King Saul slew a hundred, Peer Gynt slew a thousand!
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** The BadassNormal farmer also counts, as the loss of his index finger made him unfit to go to war (underscoring the 1864 point). Serves as an even greater TakeThat when one considers that the boy avoided drafting during the crucial fights for Norwegian independence in The NapoleonicWars (possibly [[UsefulNotes/NorwegianConstituentAssembly 1814]]). As a consequence, Ibsen hints of a "common flaw" in the Norwegian national build-up, surfacing in the time of independence.
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** The BadassNormal farmer also counts, as the loss of his index finger made him unfit to go to war (underscoring the 1864 point). Serves as an even greater TakeThat when one considers that the boy avoided drafting during the crucial fights for Norwegian independence in The NapoleonicWars (possibly [[UsefulNotes/NorwegianConstituentAssembly 1814]]). As a consequence, Ibsen hints of a "common flaw" in the Norwegian national build-up, surfacing in the time of independence.independence.
* TeasingCreator: The "unknown passenger". Oh boy. Peer believes himself to be the only passenger on the ship that carries him home at the beginning of the fifth act. Then, a MysteriousWaif pops up from nowhere, and ''everybody else'' is ignorant of him. The passenger states that he is interested in Peer`s body, is rejected on this and quietly leaves. When he shows up again, Peer is hanging on for dear life on a turned life boat. He once again brings up the topic of Peer`s body, and from here on, [[MindScrew the dialogue gets positively weird]]. To this day, scholars have been totally in disarray about who or what this "passenger" is, or what he really means. Knowing Ibsen, he could have pulled TheWalrusWasPaul on us - but he never actually stated it.
* TeasingCreator: The "unknown passenger". Oh boy. Peer believes himself to be the only passenger on the ship that carries him home at the beginning of the fifth act. Then, a MysteriousWaif pops up from nowhere, and ''everybody else'' is ignorant of him. The passenger states that he is interested in Peer`s body, is rejected on this and quietly leaves. When he shows up again, Peer is hanging on for dear life on a turned life boat. He once again brings up the topic of Peer`s body, and from here on, [[MindScrew the dialogue gets positively weird]]. To this day, scholars have been totally in disarray about who or what this "passenger" is, or what he really means. Knowing Ibsen, he could have pulled TheWalrusWasPaul on us - but he never actually stated it.
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* HannibalHasAPoint: The Mountain King knows probably more about the human condition than Peer himself. He spouts wisdom in both scenes he takes part in, and even tries to straighten up Peer at the end of the play. Although he orders Peer smashed against the wall when he is tired of arguing with him, he acts fairly decent for a troll. [[FridgeLogic The troll king has lived long enough to observe a number of human flaws in his lifetime - those creatures live longer than humans, all things considered]].
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* RagsToRiches: Peer Gynt came to America with nothing more than a penny to his name. Ten years later, he was the richest man in Charleston. He made his fortune in slave trade.
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--> '''The Boyg''' (finally defeated): He was to strong - he was backed by women.
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--> '''The Boyg''' (finally defeated): He was to too strong - he was backed by women.
