Plays have been around for many centuries now, testing not only our view on literature and the authors of it’s times but the ways we may view society as well. Society has been viewed in multiple different ways depending on the author writing about it or the audience who reads the work of literature given. It has been one of the main focal points in different types of literature dating back far into history. Causing things like plays, poems, and many other literature works to be written in multiple different views as society continues to grow every day. Dramatic works of entertainment such as “A Dollhouse” by Henrik Ibsen and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare are prime examples of how literature works work together in similar …show more content…
Society is tested heavily in the theme of “A Dollhouse” written by Henrik Ibsen as he addresses important issues, during the late 1800s and early 1900s, such as marriage ideals and the heavy drive of money on society. Marriage was a big deal to society along with money during this time, families were meant to be well off financially and be the perfect loving families along with it. Ibsen wrote his play about a married couple in 1859, telling the tale of what appears to be a silly, greedy little lady named Mrs. Nora and her hard-working and loving husband that she likes to spend his money on little things not needed at the time. The couple plays the part of a perfectly happy married couple very well until the issues of sacrifice and society challenge Nora into having to make a life changing decision. In the Victorian era, husband and wife would hid behind the illusion of a perfect commitment of marriage and focus on the appearance they set in public towards society and its’ opinions. Ibsen used this time period to focus his play on convincing people that their society needed to be questioned upon and issues that were usually ignored, should be brought to the …show more content…
Linde, seemed to be more free because they were not attached to a manly figure. They had a right to earn their own money and didn’t have to hand it over to the head of the house like a married woman would. Married women would barely know the finances of the household because that was the man’s job whether it be their father or husband. Divorce was available to people that were unhappy, but carried a high social stigma that few saw as an option to escape. It was rarely seen for a woman or even a man to leave their spouse and family behind during this time. Many believed that it was better to suffer and do their part, than to become a social outcast. Women took sacrifices such as these and many more to support themselves and the loved ones that surrounded them, creating what they thought would be a better life. The female characters of this play like Mrs. Nora, her wet nurse, and Mrs. Linde all have to sacrifice themselves to be accepted by society alone. Nora is seen sacrificing herself daily by living in a marriage that appears loving like it is meant to be presented by society yet it is built upon lies and unequal relationships. Her life can really
In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House, a drama written in the midst of an 1879, middle-class, suburban Europe, he boldly depicts a female protagonist. In a culture with concern for fulfilling, or more so portraying a socially acceptable image, Nora faces the restraints of being a doll in her own house and a little helpless bird. She has been said to be the most complex character of drama, and rightfully so, the pressure of strict Victorian values is the spark that ignites the play's central conflicts. Controversy is soon to arise when any social-norm is challenged, which Nora will eventually do. She evolves throughout the play, from submissive housewife to liberated woman. It seems as though what took women in America almost a century to accomplish, Nora does in a three-day drama. Ibsen challenges the stereotypical roles of men and women in a societally-pleasing marriage. He leads his readers through the journey of a woman with emerging strength and self-respect. Nora plays the typical housewife, but reveals many more dimensions that a typical woman would never portray in such a setting.
Upon reading “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen, many readers may find the character Nora to be a rather frivolous spending mother of three who is more concerned about putting up a front to make others think her life is perfect, rather than finding herself. At the beginning of the play, this may be true, but as the play unfolds, you see that Nora is not only trying to pay off a secret debt, but also a woman who is merely acting as her husbands “doll” fulfilling whatever he so asks of her. Nora is not only an independent woman who took a risk, but also a woman whose marriage was more along the lines of a father-child relationship.
The play “A Doll House” by Henrik Ibsen starts in the Helmer’s home on Christmas Eve. At the beginning of the play, the audience is introduced to Nora Helmer, the woman of the household. Nora is completely delighted with her life, and feels favorable for the way her life is coming along. She looks forward to the New Year when her husband starts his new job as a bank manager, where he will “have a big salary and earn lots and lots of money” (Ibsen 1350). Torvald Helmer, her husband, teases her and treats her like a child who is incapable. Nora responds to her husband’s actions with pure affection and does not seem to mind her controlled doll-like life. In the play Ibsen creates the setting in the late 1800s where women took care of the household, family, and children. Men saw women as delicate, innocent, unknowledgeable, and uneducated in the business world. Symbolism plays a large role in comprehending the play. The Christmas tree, the Tarantella, and the New Year are symbols that unveil the life of the characters and what they stand for.
... of equality in marriage. When Nora began to understand Helmer didn’t love her, he loved the idea of her as a pretty woman he was married to, Nora realizes how degrading her role as a woman in the household was. She saw the freedom of Mrs. Linde to be able to obtain a job in her husband’s bank, and the freedom of being a single woman to think, act, and do what she wanted to do, not what her Father wanted her to do, or her husband. Nora realized her identity was solely in her Father, and in Helmer, and the unhealthiness of this reality. Nora wanted to be treated as a human being and not as an object. To be accepted as such would be the struggle of women in the 1800’s and early 1900’s. Nora thought in leaving Helmer she was leaving the problem of feeling like an object all together. Little did she realize she was going to have to face the other Helmers in society.
Weintraub, Stanley. ""Doll's House" Metaphor Foreshadowed in Victorian Fiction." Nineteenth-Century Fiction 13: 67-69. Web. 6 Jan. 2011.
According to Henrik Ibsen, the institution of marriage was secure. Women did not even have the thought of leaving their husbands and the roles within the marriage were clearly defined. In the play, A Doll’s House, it questions certain perspectives as it relates to traditional attitudes, which is highly debatable and provokes intense criticism. Furthermore, in order to fully explain, one must understand characterization, theme, and the use of symbols throughout the play.
When attending a masquerade, a person is expected to wear a mask. In fact, it’s looked down upon if a mask isn’t worn. But, what if for some people that mask never came off? In A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, each character has constructed their own metaphorical mask that they set firmly in place every morning when exiting their bed. Each character: Nora, Torvald, Kristine and Krogstad all have masks that they put in place when speaking to each other. Throughout most of the play, it is clear that all of the aforementioned characters have multiple facades that they use when speaking to one another; often switching quickly as they begin speaking to someone else. Henrik Ibsen’s use of the masquerade serves as an extended metaphor to show the masks that the characters use in their everyday lives.
The enforcement of specific gender roles by societal standards in 19th century married life proved to be suffocating. Women were objects to perform those duties for which their gender was thought to have been created: to remain complacent, readily accept any chore and complete it “gracefully” (Ibsen 213). Contrarily, men were the absolute monarchs over their respective homes and all that dwelled within. In Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House, Nora is subjected to moral degradation through her familial role, the consistent patronization of her husband and her own assumed subordinance. Ibsen belittles the role of the housewife through means of stage direction, diminutive pet names and through Nora’s interaction with her morally ultimate husband, Torvald. Nora parades the façade of being naïve and frivolous, deteriorating her character from being a seemingly ignorant child-wife to a desperate woman in order to preserve her illusion of the security of home and ironically her own sanity. A Doll’s House ‘s depiction of the entrapment of the average 19th century housewife and the societal pressures placed upon her displays a woman’s gradual descent into madness. Ibsen illustrates this descent through Torvald’s progressive infantilization of Nora and the pressure on Nora to adhere to societal norms. Nora is a woman pressured by 19th century societal standards and their oppressive nature result in the gradual degradation of her character that destroys all semblances of family and identity.Nora’s role in her family is initially portrayed as being background, often “laughing quietly and happily to herself” (Ibsen 148) because of her isolation in not only space, but also person. Ibsen’s character rarely ventures from the main set of the drawi...
However, as the story evolves, a different side of Nora emerges. She attempts to conform to society’s views of gender roles in order to keep her “beautiful and happy home” and fears that telling her husband about what she did will “completely upset the balance of [their] relationship” (891). ... ... middle of paper ... ... nd society, and the differences between Nora and Anne Marie, the nursemaid.
Henrik Ibsen paints a sad picture of the sacrificial role of women throughout all social economical classes in his play “A Doll House”. The story is set in the late 19th century and all minor female characters had to overcome adversity to the expense of love, family and self-realization, in order to lead a comfortable life. While the main female protagonist Nora struggles with her increasingly troubled marriage, she soon realizes, she needs to change her life to be happy as the play climaxes. Her journey to self-discovery is achieved by the threat of her past crime and her oppressing husband, Torvald and the society he represents. The minor female characters exemplifying Nora’s ultimate sacrifice.
The theme in the play is widely centered on independence, as Nora shares her experiences with it during the beginning of the play. In Act I, it is Christmas Eve and Nora is decorating the house while Dr.Rank and Mrs. Linde visit the household. Nora and Mrs. Linde began talking, and Nora starts to reminisce about the time when she and Torvald had first gotten married and she was required to work to earn extra money because they were having financial difficulties. Nora looks back on that moment and has fond memories although the working world is seen as a “man’s” world; she reveled in the independence to make...
The characters of this play help to support Ibsen's opinions. Nora's initial characteristics are that of a bubbly, child-like wife who is strictly dependent on her husband. This subordinate role from which Nora progresses emphasizes the need for change in society's view of women. For Nora, her inferior, doll-like nature is a facade for a deeper passion for individuality that begins to surface during the play and eventually fully emerges in the ending. An example of this deep yearning for independence is shown when Nora tells her friend, Kristina Linde about earning her own money by doing copying. Nora explains, "it was tremendous fun sitting [in her room] working and earning money. It was almost like being a man" (A Doll's House, 162). Mrs. Linde is an inspiration to Nora, because Kristina has experienced the independence that Nora longs for.
A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen is a wonderful portrayal of a married women who lacked self-confidence and was in a male dominated world. A Doll’s house was premiered in 1879 in Copenhagen, Denmark. A Doll’s house is a feminist manifesto that portrays a woman named Nora Helmer who is a mother of three living the ideal life of a 19th century wife. At first, the reader gets the impression that she is quite vain, and money driven. As we continue on learning about the characters we see that there is much more to Nora than what meets the eye.
In addition to Nora’s departure, in the beginning of the play, she took it upon herself to handle a financial issue involving her family, lading to her committing a crime. Such independence was unheard of in the nineteenth century. Christine Linde is another example for this perspective. She came to town looking for work so that she could survive without her husband, another thing frowned upon by
...ecting feministic views about women’s independence; although Ibsen was most likely presenting reality, not advocating change. Once again what conclusions modern feminists may draw from the play are shaped by their context.