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A Doll House
A Doll House
General Information
PUBLISHED: Norway, 1879
One of the world’s most frequently performed plays
Forced to write an alternative ending for German audiences
At the time, it was a feminist play
Henrik Ibsen
His most famous plays showed his discomfort with and disapproval of the empty social traditions
that limited mankind’s success
Ibsen believed that women should have equal rights with men and that, in fact, women had the
potential to reform social institutions
Critics often cite Ibsen as the father of modern drama because of his willingness to tackle social
questions from the role of women to the negative role of social conventions
He wanted to bring social problems to stage and for it to be controversial
He didn’t just want to entertain, he wanted to make a point
Ex.: Woman’s role in society
Dramatic Devices
Ibsen emphasized character over plot
Ibsen’s use of psychological tension is amply illustrated in A Doll’s House
Used this play as a mean of questioning the importance – and tyranny- of wealth
Plot
In a Doll’s House, Ibsen presents surface incidents in a straightforward, chronological manner
However, he uses his characters to reveal important information about earlier incidents
Conflicts
EXTERNAL: in a Doll’s House, the central conflict is between two characters, Torvald Helmer and
his wife Nora, so this play revolves around an external conflict
INTERNAL: the play’s ending is based on Nora’s psychological development in the course of the
story. Helmer, who has neither engaged in internal conflict of his own nor observed the changes in
Nora is stunned by the end of the play
Characters
The main characters. May be
PROTAGONIST Nora
heroes or not
Figurative Language
“Little squirrel” “Little songbird” are examples of terms Torvald uses to describe Nora, suggesting
she is busy but not thoughtful in her actions
“doll-child” “doll wife” are terms Nora uses to describe herself, suggesting she is a toy, valued only
for her beauty
Ibsen uses very little imagery in A Doll’s House because it is a realistic play
Symbolism
CHRISTMAS TREE: symbolizes the importance of appearances in the household. It represents Nora,
who is also an ornament in the house
CLOTHING: Nora changes clothing towards the end of the play, her dress for the fancy-dress ball is
all about appearances and unreality, for this is a costume to cover up her worries. When Nora
changes into her everyday clothes at the end of the play, she is symbolizing her new life of
plainness, reality, and work
LETTER BOX: the repeated references to the letter box are important because they remind the
reader that Nora is locked out of the business transactions of the house, having no key to the
mailbox
The Well-Made Play
A term used to describe a play with the following elements:
o A very tight plot that typically revolves around missing element-letters, a lost or stolen
document, and absent person
o Subplots that are related to the missing element and add tension to the work
o These subplots do not have to be substantial, and they often involve revelation of
information, that is, who knows what at any given time in the story
o A climax or scene revelation, in which the missing element is revealed. This scene often
saves the hero of the play from ruin or embarrassment
o A dénouement, or closing scene, in which explanations are supplied to resolve all the earlier
questions or mysteries in the play. This scene, according to Scribe, is to follow very soon
after the climax
Irony
In A Doll’s House, Ibsen relies primarily on situational irony, which occurs when the reality of the
situation is not what it appears on the surface. The gap may be apparent to the audience but not to
the characters, or the irony may be recognized by one character but not by another
Verbal Irony occurs when a character makes a comment that is heard one way but meant another