...In the play A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, the story follows Nora Helmer and the life she has with her husband Torvald Helmer, who treats her as if she is his doll. The play was written in 1879 and the play takes place in the same decade. Throughout the whole play, Henrik Ibsen demonstrates the importance that social class had in the nineteenth century. In addition to the importance of social class, Ibsen also reveals the role that people were expected to live up to during the nineteenth century. To express and show how it was during this time, Henrik Ibsen’s play shows how Nora and Torvald struggle to live in a society where you expected to act a certain way to uphold your social standing. The time that the play takes place is when there...
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...Ibsen’s Play, “A Doll’s House” Henrick Ibsen has outdone himself in his play “A Doll’s House”. Ibsen has refined and fine-tuned the taste and view of his plays with the use of different techniques, among them being Symbolism. Symbolism is among the most common techniques used in drama. Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas and qualities, in an artistic and poetic style. It uses images, and indirect suggestions to express mystical ideas, emotions, suggestions and states of mind. Symbolism adds another layer of meaning to the meaning of script writing. While the clear, obvious meaning lies on the surface, symbolism is mostly hidden from the “front row” and it usually lies deeper than it seems. Ibsen utilizes symbolism in the play “A Doll’s House” with the purpose of revealing a certain character. In Nora’s character, Ibsen says that he used symbolism to develop her character and in the end the character’s qualities were incredibly outstanding that even the critics said it was an outstanding move. The play, “A Doll’s House,” revolves around the life of the two Main characters; TorvaldHelmer and his wife, Nora Helmer. They live in a “Doll looking House”, as it is symbolically represented by Ibsen. The play’ tittle, “A Doll’s House,” also symbolizes that all the people that live in Torvalds residence are “dolls.” Torvald plays with them when he pleases and ignores them when he has work to do or something else in his mind("Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House"). Torvald also...
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...A Doll’s House is a play written by Henrik Ibsen in 1879 presenting the marriage between Nora and Torvald Helmer. Ibsen describes Nora, the main character as being young, naive and confused, who is in the process of transforming as the story is revealed to the reader, and she becomes independent towards the end. The author describes their marriage as a traditional one during that period of time. This drama illustrates the role of women in society during that time, pointing out how patriarchy placed an important limitation on what women could do. Patriarchy is the system in which the male race governs societal views, and this practice has been in existence since the dawn of time. Ibsen’s drama can be analyzed from a psychoanalytical point of view, that makes the reader question the character’s motives, beliefs and desired both conscious and unconscious. A Doll’s House gets the reader involved in a direct way, because it sends strong emotions thru the language that he uses. The reader gains a deep understanding about the author’s direction, the character’s actions and plot. It seems rather easy for the reader to interpret the message that Ibsen is portraying. The elements of drama presented in the story are theme, plot, rising action, climax, falling action, exposition, unknotting, and characterization. The theme is the underlining idea. At the beginning Nora seems playful and lacks knowledge, her life is dictated by her husband. Nora does have some life experience, however, the...
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...2013 Metaphors A Doll’s House is a play that is significant for its attitude toward the 19th Century Marriage norms. There is lots of controversy that talks about protagonist, Nora, Leaving her husband and children because she wanted to find out who she is as a person. Metaphors are use all the time in writing. The Pet name that torvald uses for Nora are metaphors for how women were treated during the Victorian era. I feel that the main idea of the author Ibsen’s work is all about metaphor that he uses in this drama The Doll’s House. In the begging Nora follows her childlike or housewife role that she plays. After sometime Nora speaks to Torvalds and realizes that he feels that Nora should only be the housewife and mother of his children. She should not be able to know or find out who she is as a person. Nora goes from a very immature person or just went along with what she was told to a very dependent, and very self-sufficient person. She now shows the idealized “doll” role of a woman but also keeps away from the limitations and social constraints of that time period. In the beginning of this drama Nora is a house wife and very childish person that she feels she needs to be. Growing up she had a father that was very dominant. She then married Torvalds who was also very dominant towards Nora. With the way Torvalds was it showed Nora’s Physical growth but her immaturity and emotional dependence hasn’t changed of a small child. For example, While Nora puts up the Christmas...
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...Mitchell Rose Cross Cultural Drama 11/7/15 Ms.Whipple In both Trifles and A Doll House both all the men in the story feel like they dominate the girls and make the women do things they don't want to do, The women do things like want to kill themselves or leave the family because they don't love the men anymore. In both A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, and Trifles, by Susan Glaspell, the focus is on women as they exist within the confines of a man-dominated society, and how they respond to the problems that are presented in their marriages.Both stories have a common theme of women who have been controlled by the husband and how the women have no say in the social class. The women in the plays are very similar but they both take different steps to show what they are going to do. And in both plays, there are women that understand that they are getting controlled which they had not understood...
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...Explore the ways in which Ibsen presents romantic relationships in the play “A Doll’s House,” and how this affects your understanding of the play. Compare the ways in which romantic relationships are presented by Wilde in the novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” and by Ibsen in the play “A Doll’s House,” in light of the opinion that “all Victorian romantic relationships were superficial.” There are strong arguments that suggest that all Victorian romantic relationships were superficial in numerous ways, as presented by Ibsen in the play “A Doll’s House,” and Wilde in the novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” In Ibsen’s play, all relationships are tainted by the theme of superficiality via the stereotypical roles of the sexes and appearances. In Wilde’s novel, superficiality is similarly portrayed through appearances and art, however more through physical aesthetics, rather than social appearances. A strong example of this idea is the marriage between Nora and Torvald in “A Doll’s House.” A major theme that runs throughout the play, is the idea of performance in marriage. Both Nora and Torvald put on a facade, to present themselves as an ideal husband/wife. One example is Torvald’s shallow role as a stereotypical male following the revelation of Nora’s secret; that she withdrew a loan from Krogstad in order to pay for a trip to heal Torvald’s illness. At the initial exposé he exclaims “you have ruined all my future,” establishing himself as the dominant man, as this expression is...
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...Struggle for Identity in A Doll's House A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, is a play that was written ahead of its time. In this play Ibsen tackles women's rights as a matter of importance. Throughout this time period it was neglected. A Doll's House was written during the movement of Naturalism, which commonly reflected society. Ibsen acknowledges the fact that in 19th century life the role of the woman was to stay at home, raise the children and attend to her husband. Nora Helmer is the character in A Doll House who plays the 19th woman and is portrayed as a victim. Michael Meyers said of Henrik Ibsen's plays: "The common denominator in many of Ibsen's dramas is his interest in individuals struggling for and authentic identity in the face of tyrannical social conventions. This conflict often results in his characters' being divided between a sense of duty to themselves and their responsibility to others."(1563) All of the aspects of this quote can be applied to the play A Doll House, in Nora Helmer's character, who throughout much of the play is oppressed, presents an inauthentic identity to the audience and throughout the play attempts to discovery her authentic identity. The inferior role of Nora is extremely important to her character. Nora is oppressed by a variety of "tyrannical social conventions." Ibsen in his "A Doll's House" depicts the role of women as subordinate in order to emphasize their role in society. Nora is oppressed by the manipulation...
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...In the play, A Doll’s House, by Henrick Ibsen, the author begins by cleverly painting a picture of a beautiful couple who seem to be very much in love, and very happy. Throughout the first act, the reader is kept in the dark about the fact that Nora is being controlled, if not physically, but mentally, by her husband. Torvald, her husband, often refers to her as his “little skylark,” (1.6), and reminds her that she must not “droop her wings” (1.6) if she does not get exactly what she wants, when she wants it. By the middle of Act 1, the reader is enlightened to the fact that Torvald is a bit more controlling than one might think, as he asks of Nora “what are little people called that are always wasting money?” (1.8) This implies to the reader that he looks down on Nora, and tries to control what she spends of his money. Torvald’s control of Nora becomes even more evident, when the reader realizes that Nora lies, and hides things from him. The fact that Nora lies about going to “…pay a visit to the confectioners” (1.10), is proof that she feels the need to hide things from her husband that goes against his wishes. While the play does not necessarily paint a picture that a woman must leave an oppressive husband to gain her own independence, it does a good job of showing, through Nora’s eyes, the reasons she felt that the only way she could be herself, was to leave her family. In today’s society, a woman leaving her husband isn’t that strange of an idea, however in the...
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...In A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, a woman named Nora is facing a life altering situation that stands to both ruin her social and private life. In dealing with the potential outcomes of the scenario, Nora comes to find that she has been living a convenient mistruth. Nora’s greatest and most damaging lies are lies she tells to herself. As is seen numerous times throughout the play, Nora hides, withholds, and distorts the truth in order to please everyone around her, including herself. Nora is presented almost immediately as a person of questionable character, wherein the first scene she conceals from Torvald having eaten macaroons. Torvald says to Nora “Not even a bite at a macaroon?” after suggesting she had been to the confectionaries’ (I.11). Nora replies by saying “No, Torvald, I assure you really” (I.11). Forward points out in her critical essay “It becomes clear that she is humouring Torvald, and we soon gather that she is capable of deceitful behavior when she eats macaroons surreptitiously, despite knowing that he would disapprove.” (2009) Nora further compounds this same lie by telling Dr. Rank that she was given macaroons by Ms. Linde. Dr. Rank states “what, macaroons? I thought they were forbidden here” (I.35). Nora replies “yes, but these are some Christine gave me” (I.35). Again, when presented with the opportunity to be a genuine person, Nora chooses the opposite. When she initially greets Ms. Linde and is catching up on old times, Ms. Linde asks Nora “You spent...
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...In past times, women were not seeing as suppliers of the household. In “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen the two female roles are Nora Helmer and Mrs. Kristine Linde; these two ladies have to deal with the struggle of being a woman during these times. In many ways both are very sexual and dominant, but at the same time very different. And given the twist to this story, Nora is definitely the more heroic female character. In the beginning of the play, Nora is powerless. Her husband Torvald Helmer treats her as if she is a brainless doll, Ibsen writes: “Has my little spendthrift been out squandering money again?” (1259). This quote shows how terrible view Torvald has of his wife. Just like Nora, Mrs. Linde begins the play in a place of just about no power, and no control over things. She has no money, no job, and is a widow. Is when she shows up at the Helmers, that Nora realizes she has power in her household, because she was able to talk her husband into, perhaps giving Mrs. Linde a job at Torvald’s place of work: the bank. This power sensation persists when she realizes the effect she has on Doctor Rank. Her eternal beauty has a bigger effect in men that she ever thought. His confession “Now you know it, Nora. And now you know that you can trust me more than you can trust anyone else” (1149). On the other hand Mrs. Linde never had that amount of power. At the beginning, in Act I, Nora is presented, as if she is a child. This comes off as not sexual or appealing way. Same...
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...Compare and contrast how gender roles are presented in The Importance of Being Earnest and a Doll’s House in light of Ibsen’s statement that “there are two kinds of moral laws, two kinds of conscience, one for men and one quite different, for women.” According to Ibsen’s statement, he states that moral laws are divided into two, one for women and the other for men. He’s claiming that the “moral laws” that society has implanted has double standards. Ibsen and Wilde present gender roles through morality, marriage, food delicacies, dance and wealth. These four factors affect how the characters in both plays are viewed by society. Both writers present the expectations society has for both genders. They highlight the obscurity, the society they lived in, had. This method was to leave the audience questioning about the society they lived in. Ibsen displays the realness of a typical marriage and he doesn’t follow the conventions of a Well-Made play, he presents the hardcore facts of marriage and family life; he does this by giving both genders unequal power, which contradicts the meaning of marriage, “the joining of two equals”. Whereas Wilde switches the gender roles, this method is very effective as it emphasises and reveals clearly how ridiculous the social class behaves. Even though Ibsen uses highly respected jobs to portray the archetype of men, Wilde uses the absence of occupation to concentrate on the other aspects of Victorian life. In the first Act, Ibsen outlines the stereotypical...
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...1102 Frank Inscoe October 6th, 2013 Character Analysis Essay A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen twists through three acts to peel back the layers of each character to show who and what they really are at the core. Each of the characters makes drastic changes over the course of the story. Nils Krogstad makes changes from a mysterious untrusted antagonist to a jilted lover and devoted father. The author sets the audience up for role reversals by all of the characters but I find that Krogstad’s change to be the most interesting and the most essential to the story. The play is set during a time where honor and respect are held in high regard, even more so than the duty to family or love. Although the audience doesn’t know it, Krogstad has done some vile things in the past. He receives no respect from any of the main characters and Nora is even warned by Dr. Rank that he is not to be trusted saying Krogstad “suffers from diseased moral character”. (Pg. 19 line 16) This is a very strong description coming from the trusted doctor. As the character is developed further we see that is just as vulnerable and human as Nora. In the opening act Krogstad is revealed as a villain. After waiting for Torvald to leave he returns to the home to speak to Nora. On page 23 he enters the home without notice and stands in the hallway. To the audience, his intentions are unknown, and as he silently watches Nora play with the children. Nora has already been warned that he is not to be trusted. It leaves...
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...How does Nora’s interpretation of freedom change as her character develops over the course of the novel? Henrik Ibsen once said, “There are two kinds of moral laws, two kinds of conscience, one for men and one quite different for women… woman is judged by masculine law.” Back in the mid 1800s, Ibsen’s view of men and women being treated by society as equals was not looked highly upon by the rest of society. However, through A Doll’s House, Ibsen portrays his views of women’s rights mainly through his leading protagonist, Nora, a woman whose character grows and develops over the course of the play, to the point that she is eventually empowered enough to leave her husband in her personal quest for independence and her own sense of freedom. In this essay, I will examine how Nora’s interpretation of “freedom” changes as her character develops over the course of the novel; and in doing so examine how Ibsen has created this character in order to convey his own views of society. Ibsen has created a complex character in Nora. In the beginning of the play, she is introduced to be naïve and very submissive to her husband; it seems as though everything she does is simply to please him. In the opening scene the audience’s first impression of her is that she is very financially dependent on him and obeys his commands. She is more like a pet than a wife- she performs tricks to please him and he rewards her with childish praises and nicknames, such as “little songbird” and “little...
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...The Concept of the Outsider Literature often persecutes the most vulnerable, a person who lacks support and therefore power within society. Described by Terry Eagleton for The Guardian as the “literary mainstream”; these characters are often referred to as the Outsider due to their exclusion from the community in which the text is set. The characters who are referred to as Outsiders can be portrayed in different ways; their initial exclusion from society can ultimately lead to a narrative of their acquisition of power throughout the text but similarly, can portray a story of their maintenance of the minimal power they have over the course of the text’s plot. However, this is not to argue that some Outsiders presented within literature do not have power over the course of the development of the text so, as a consequence, remain excluded from the society. In this case, the text would then be considered an exposition of the character’s experience from their position in society rather than the author’s attempt of trying to integrate their character into society through their work. Furthermore, the author themselves may be considered an Outsider through their own status in society; they command their readers to be Outsiders themselves within the novel. As well as to read and observe the narrative in order to emulate the same feeling within themselves, within the reader or to have a specific impact on the issues surrounding humanity at the time. The contrast in the ways in which...
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...characters perfectly represented their roles in that the audience felt as if the characters were real. For example, those characters representing HIV patients appeared weak and sad; the sounds were full of sympathy as they spoke. Every scene had its own sounds that paralleled the theme and purpose of the act (Meyer, 2011, p111). There were cries, mourns and even sounds of desperation. Throughout the drama, the audience was full of sad mood. HIV/AIDs infection was presented as something that people should be afraid of. The audience was also filled with pity and sympathy for the infected characters. Since it was my first encounter to see a live stage drama, the theme, scenes and characters were a great impact to my life and my understanding of what entails a drama. For a elongated time I had wished to be involved in a dramatic act until one day, my literature teacher appointed me and other colleagues to practice for a drama known as 'A Doll's House' that would be presented during the school’s parents day. My character was Nora, I was the protagonist. At first, I felt excited. However, I got to understand that it was not simple to read and memorize every word from a script. During the practice, I spent days and nights studying scripts in...
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