Individual vs Society in A Doll's House and Hedda Gabler
George Brandes once insisted that the only way literature could be made into a vital and living piece of art would be by "subjecting problems to debate" Indeed, it was the `problem' at the heart of Henrik Ibsen's plays that caused most of the controversy that surrounded them. Whereas other theatrical productions of Ibsen's time adhered to a standard plot and set of characters, Ibsen chose to break free of conventions by introducing topical issues into his drama, challenging contemporary assumptions about the role of women, the institution of marriage and the state of society.
A close friend of George Brandes, Ibsen shared his view that only free individuals could create a free society, and that without truth there could be no genuine freedom. Ibsen believed that the morality of Victorian society was simply a façade and that "this kind of society could not satisfy the natural need of the individual for freedom." This concept of the individual in opposition to society is inherent in both `A Doll's House' and `Hedda Gabler'. In both plays, Ibsen focuses on the individual but, as is typical of realist drama, uses these individuals to "embody contemporary social problems."
In the case of `A Doll's House', the marriage of Nora and Torvald is clearly representative of the struggle between individualism and the expectations of society. At the beginning of the play Nora is almost completely immersed in the roles that are set out for her by society - that of a dutiful wife and mother. In her dialogue with Mrs Linde, Nora illustrates how a woman was valued according to how well she fulfilled those two roles. Her sympathy is evident ...
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...ra is happy as an individual, and so there is at least some truth in his claim that "I do but ask, my call is not to answer."
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Text
Arup, J. and McFarlane, J. (ed.), Henrik Ibsen: Four Major Plays. Oxford World's Classics (Oxford University Press, 1981)
Critical Studies
Finney, G., `Ibsen and Feminism'. In The Cambridge Companion to Ibsen (ed. James McFarlane) (Cambridge, 1994)
Garton, J., `The Middle Plays'. In The Cambridge Companion to Ibsen (ed. James McFarlane) (Cambridge, 1994)
Hemmer, B., `Ibsen and the Realistic Problem Drama'. In The Cambridge Companion to Ibsen (ed. James McFarlane) (Cambridge, 1994)
Internet Resources
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Goldman/Writings/Drama/doll.html
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Goldman/Writings/Drama/ibsen.html
http://www.mnc.net/norway/Ibsen.htm
As a result of Henrik Ibsen’s controversial play, A Doll’s House, published in 1879, many critics were outraged that Ibsen’s conclusion challenged gender roles within society. Due to certain exterior pressures, where men were in fear that their “traditional” male dominant marriages were being threatened, Ibsen drafted an alternative ending to appease their concerns. However, his original ending shed light on the idea of a woman becoming self-sufficient in a nineteenth century society. In Ibsen’s well-crafted play, the protagonist, Nora Helmer, is treated inferior in the eyes of her husband, Torvald. Ibsen depicts how gender inequalities amongst the two spouse’s incurred detrimental consequences
Henrik Ibsen, who was born in Norway but made his name internationally, was a painter as well as the one of most famous playwrights during the period of Realism. Ibsen’s plays are well-known by the themes of domestic and political issues and conflict in nineteenth century. Scholars call it “Ibsen’s problems play” (Henrik Ibsen, 650). In addition, in Ibsen’s plays, the general topics that are usually discussed are hypocrisy of the society, restriction of women, and the self-sacrifice.
Time can have a way of changing people sometimes. It can cause people to forget, learn new things and even change views on topics. Such was the case in my own life over the course of two years. When I was a junior in high school, I read A Doll’s House (1879) by Henrik Ibsen for a literature class. The play is about a woman who illegally borrows money to save her demeaning husbands life. Later being blackmailed by a banker, she reveals what she did to her husband who is horrified. In the end, she decides to leave the family to further find herself. After reading and analyzing it as a class, I came to the conclusion that Nora was right in what she did. She was a pioneer of her time in that she spoke her mind and was able to voice her independence. However, two years later after rereading it for this class, my view has changed of Nora. Instead of being strong and independent, I am now viewing her as childish and a poor mother. By using a Readers-Response approach to analyzing literature, I will compare my views between each time of reading the play. Just as I have viewed Nora differently, other readers can create their own take on the play based on their knowledge and life experiences. Due to many views on the play’s ending, Nora can be viewed as either a strong, independent woman or a childish woman that does not realize the impact of her actions.
confines his story to the middle class. He writes of a society that is limited not only by its means of livelihood but also its outlook. Ibsen portrays his characters
Simonds, W. E. "Henrik Ibsen." Dial 10.119 (Mar. 1890): 301-303. Rpt. in Literature Resource Center. Detroit: Gale, 2011. Literature Resource Center. Web. 25 Mar. 2011.
Saari, Sandra. In James McFarlane (ed.): The Cambridge Companion to Ibsen. Cambridge University Press. 1994
4. Meyer, Michael. Ibsen's on file. London and New York : Methuen London Ltd., 1985.
Yet why does one care if they can prove if a work is by Henrik Ibsen or not? It is simply so that one can better analyze his writing. If the similarities between dramas by Ibsen can be proven, then it is legitimate to say that one could not only explore why those threads are common between the works, but also to discover other play writes that were influenced by Ibsen and picked up this commonality and implemented it similarly in their own works. This is adequate reason to examine what makes an Ibsen drama unique, or at least similar to his other works, and to expound upon such.
A Doll 's house is one of the modern works that Henrik Ibsen wrote. He was called the father of modern drama .He was famous for writing plays that related to real life. A Doll 's House is a three-act play that discusses the marriage in the 19th century. It is a well-made play that used the first act as an exposition. The extract that will be analyzed in the following paragraphs is a dialogue between Nora and the nurse that takes care of her children. This extract shows how she was afraid not only of Krogstad blackmail, but also of Torvald 's point of view about those who committed any mistake. Torvald says that the mothers who tell lies should not bring up children as they are not honest . Nora is also lying to her family and to Torvald. So she is afraid because she thinks she maybe 'poisoning ' her own children. The analysis of this extract will be about of Nora 's character, the theme, and the language in A Doll 's House.
A Doll’s House illustrates two types of women. Christine is without a husband and independent at the start of the play whereas Nora is married to Torvald and dependent on him and his position at the bank. Both begin at different ends of the spectrum. In the course of the play their paths cross and by the end of the play each woman is where the other started. It appears that a woman has two choices in society; to be married and dependent on a man or unmarried and struggle in the world because she does not have a man.
Northam, John. 1965. "Ibsen's Search for the Hero." Ibsen. A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.
In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, Nora Helmer is a traditional “angel in the house” she is a human being, but first and foremost a wife and a mother who is devoted to the care of her children, and the happiness of her husband. The play is influenced by the Victorian time period when the division of men and women was evident, and each gender had their own role to conform to. Ibsen’s views on these entrenched values is what lead to the A Doll’s House becoming so controversial as the main overarching theme of A Doll’s House is the fight for independence in an otherwise patriarchal society. This theme draws attention to how women are capable in their own rights, yet do not govern their own lives due to the lack of legal entitlement and independence. Although Ibsen’s play can be thought to focus on the theme of materialism vs. people, many critics argue that Ibsen challenges the traditional gender roles through his portrayal of Nora and Torvald. Throughout the play Nora faces an internal struggle for self-discovery, which Ibsen creates to show that women are not merely objects, but intelligent beings who form independent thoughts.
...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.
2. Setterquist, Jan. Ibsen and the Beginnings of Anglo-Irish Drama. New York: Gordian Press, 1974. 46 - 49, 58 - 59, 82 - 93, 154 - 166.
how it was but rather how it should be. Ibsen has set up an environment where women cannot decide on their own, but presents two female characters in the bok that go beyond this thinking