A+Doll's+House

Some further resources which may be of use (I haven't had time to extrapolate from these so it might be a good idea to have a read through). > [] >
 * ** Possible points of comparison for the Paper 2 comparative essay ** ||
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 * **Elements** ||  **A Doll’s House**  ||
 * Background / writer / publication date / social context / genre || Published in **1879** by **Henrik Ibsen** – a Norwegian playwright. The play is based on events in Ibsen’s own life. Socially, the play was performed for a very male dominant society where women had a lesser role than men. For this reason, womans rights were a touchy subject. The character of Nora is heavily based on the life of Laura Kieler, who Ibsen felt was dicriminated agaisnt on the basis of her gender. ||
 * Subject matter / content || The play focuses on the power play between men and women, concerned mainly with the forgery that Nora is found to have committed. ||
 * Themes / ideas / authorial intent || * Appearance versus Reality – Superficiality of a Role-playing society
 * Individualism and Humanism
 * The role of love
 * Collapse of the paternal ideal
 * Hypocrisy
 * Power play ||
 * Characterisation || The epitome of human behaviour, the characters in A Doll’s House may come across as being satirical of society. **Social status** often comes across as an important tool of characterisation. Just about all the characters in the play are bound by their conventional social roles – the whole play is driven by the distortion of these social rules, igniting conflict. **Actions** are another important tool which defines the characters to their traits.


 * Torvald Helmer **
 * Dominant male image of the 19th century.
 * Self-delusional to be the ‘respectable husband’ of the era
 * His character is dependent on social approval. He treats Honour and his own image above all else.
 * Sacks Krogstad partly afraid of people looking down upon him
 * ‘No man can be expected to sacrifice his honour, even for the person he loves.’
 * Patronises his family and shields them from society completely
 * He makes sure they’re well dressed, well presented
 * Treats Nora as a child – forbids her from eating macaroons
 * Refers to Nora by derogatory terms.
 * His security is dependent on the honour and control that he feels he has. His cowardice is displayed brutally to the audience once he loses his sense of honour.


 * Nora Helmer **
 * Central and most complex character – The plot of the play revolves around her.
 * For the majority of the play, she enjoys the role which she plays – a spoilt child to Torvald.
 * She hides her true character from the world. Everyone sees her in a different way – emphasising her doll image for which the play is named.
 * Torvald sees her as a spoilt, wasteful child – and she enjoys being pampered and protected by him.
 * It is debatable as to how much control she has in this play – None of Torvald’s rules is followed by her. As a spoilt child she is entitled to break all the rules and expect her ‘miracle’ – that Torvald will continue to protect her from danger.
 * She places an image of independence towards Mrs Linde. To Christine, Nora desperately places an image as an able, supportive wife to battle the contrast in the responsibility burden that they each have.
 * To Dr. Rank, she is a flirtatious yet youthful companion. To Krogstad, she is helpless, under his threat – even though she herself tries to deny this. The children are her dolls; but to the maid, Anne-Marie, she acts as if she cares for her children dearly.
 * Her actions are governed by her relationship with Torvald. Both Nora and Torvald fall under conventional gender roles, until Nora’s liberation.


 * Nils Krogstad **
 * The antagonist of A Doll’s House – a complex, and thoroughly confused and lost man. Desperate in regaining his image and reputation, he decides to blackmail Nora of the same crime that he himself has committed.
 * Much of Krogstad’s actions in fact have a reverse effect to his intentions. He himself, at the closing of the play, also experiences as much a transformation as Nora has. His character, in a sense, symbolise change – his actions drive Nora’s change, Mrs. Linde’s as well as his own.


 * Dr. Rank **
 * Characterised by tuberculosis of the spine, inherited from his father, Dr. Rank acts much like a catalyst for the breakdown of Torvald and Nora’s marriage.
 * His presence reveals the deterioration of the marriage. Tuberculosis of the spine seems to suggest both that “children inherit the sins of their fathers” – in relation to both Nora and himself – and that the backbone disease also reflects decay in the Helmers’ marriage in itself.
 * His death also reflects the death of the Helmers’ family – his death letter comes in the same letterbox as Krogstad’s blackmail.


 * Christine Linde **
 * An old school friend of Nora’s, Mrs. Linde greatly contrasts with her. She is responsible, she is lonely, she transitions from lack of a family back to the traditional family role as a wife – at the closing of the play. All of these provide direct contrast to Nora’s own life.
 * The responsible manner in which she lives provokes Nora. She consequently tries to attain a similar image – revealing and driving the plot all along. ||
 * Character connections || The relationship between Nora and Torvald highlight the contrast between an innocent appearance and a reality characterised with decadence. This is juxtaposed with the more complex, more realistic relationship between Christine Linde and Nils Krogstad. They, having been through the harsher shade of life, understand its value better than Nora and Torvald.

Nora and Dr. Rank’s relationship reveals the deterioration of the Helmers’ marriage, whilst Nora and Krogstad’s relationship reveals the plot.

Many connections between characters in A Doll’s House reveal important themes, two of which are the distinction between appearance and reality, as well as the power play that underlies the play. ||
 * Narrative structure / technique || Contains three acts.

Many important events – such as the forgery – occur prior to the exposition of the play. In particular, the forgery acts upon Nora in the manner of a haunting memory that drive the plot of the play forward, as well as her own transition and liberation.

All characters speak in prose, and very natural everyday language – reflecting the realism manner taken by Ibsen in this play. Ibsen is often thought of as the founder of realist drama. Realism is similar, but not the same as Naturalism – it does not aim to photographically portray everyday life. Rather, the plot transitions conveniently, albeit unrealistically, to highlight the more important ideas of the play. ||
 * Time scale / sequence || A completely linear timeline with the entire play taken part in 3 days, over Christmas. Many events which underline the play occur in the past and is revealed through dialogue. ||
 * Setting || A Doll's House is predominantly set in the lounge of the Helmers' home – a traditional Norwegian apartment highlighting, again, the realism of the play. The lounge represents the Doll’s House – outside the house, there is the reality which Nora steps out into at the closing of the play.

Every object serves to aid in character development within Torvald and Nora's home – and are highly symbolic in this regard.

The play is also set within a time period of 3 days over Christmas, but is driven by a past event whereby Nora commits the act of forgery ||
 * Lighting || While the play predominantly avoids conventional uses of lighting, sound and asides, a particular use of lighting is evident at Dr Rank’s confession to Nora, who subsequently lights the lamp and remarks, “Aren’t you ashamed of yourself, now that the lamp’s been lit?” – Nora equates Dr Rank’s declaration of love with deeds of darkness, although she was prepared to exploit that darkness just moments ago for her own gain and purpose. ||
 * Sound ||  ||
 * Style of language / techniques || Realism – everyday language.

However, just about every object is symbolic or serves a particular purpose.

Language used is very compact and direct. Every sentence moves the plot forward. ||
 * Symbolism / motifs || **The Christmas Tree ** - symbolises festivity, something bright and colourful and beautiful within the household; an object of appreciation. In relation to Nora she is the same, pleasing to look at and adds charm to the household. The Christmas Tree parallels Nora’s transitions also – it is essentially a projection of Nora; withering as Nora faces her doom, blossoming as she experiences her joy.


 * Macaroons ** - show childish tendencies, and also her ability to hide things/attempts at hiding things from her husband – it is then questionable as to who is in control of the Helmers’ household. The macaroons also represent the conflict between Nora and Torvald.

**Tarantella** - the dance that Nora performs is representative of herself, it is supposed to be performed with precision and elegance, she becomes wildly excited and impassioned/independent which Torvald does not like. Nora’s agitation and struggle is also reflected through the frenzied way in which she dances.

The **lounge**is represents both Nora's entrapment and opportunity to escape. Christine Linde walks freely in an out is testimony to this, as well as Nora walking out at the end. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">On the other hand, Nora often walks agitatedly to and fro in the lounge, highlighting its caging nature.

The **wooden bookshelf**, containing "expensively bound books", is symbolic of Torvald's superficiality. There is no reference to the content of the books but merely the appearance. In many ways, this is also representative of the superficiality of the relationship between Nora and Torvald.

The **ring** represents the Helmers’ marriage. Also suggested is that the ring reflects an inability of shiny objects to prevent lies and deceit from being shielded.

The **stockings** represent the feminine and sexual side of Nora.


 * Norway ** – reality of Nora’s life – the unknown outside the Helmer’s apartment.


 * Italy ** – false image of the Helmers’ family. Torvald’s distorted views on their marriage is reflected through the blissful memories of Italy – masking the forgery committed within – again a hint to the reality of their marriage.

The **animals** which Torvald refers Nora to represent the conventional ways in which men view women at the time. It also highlights the relationship between Torvald and Nora – that of role-playing, illusion and the falsehood of appearances.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The **stove** is Nora’s refuge for warmth and comfort. She goes to it whenever the cold, harsh reality is bestowed upon her. || Torvald on Nora's behavior "//Silly excuses"// Nora questions society - "//Who is right, society or I?"// //"expensively bound books" -// Insinuation that the Helmers have superficial desires as the reference is to the appearance of the books rather than the contents "//I have another duty which is equally important. My duty towards myself" -// Nora about breaking boundaries and restrictions //"To be free - free to play with the children and keep a clean and beautiful house - the way Torvald likes it" -// Speaking of when she has paid her illicit debt to Krogstad //"something wonderful is going to happen" -// Her hidden macaroons and relentless tarantella are representative of her sudden self realisation that is near instantaneous. She is the wonderful thing that happens. //"committing a great sin" -// refers to Nora's actions //"doll wife" -// //"make nothing of (her) lifer" -// Torvald perceives her and what he thinks of her. //"there is no use lying to oneself"// - Dr. Rank says to Nora about their relationship
 * Mood / atmosphere || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A Doll’s House is filled with an air of superficiality – lies and illusions wreak the play. Seemingly playful and airy-fairy, Dr. Rank brings about both his gloom and the truth in the deterioration of the Helmer household. ||
 * Openings || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Intricate details of the positions of items (often with symbols) are given – in particular, the Christmas tree is made mention both at the exposition and the opening of act II. ||
 * Closings || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Highly unconventional, the final closing scene is as open-ended as Nora walking into the unknown in itself, and as direct as the slamming of the front door. Ibsen leaves his audience with many questions to ponder – both in his time in which the role of women is brought to question, and in today’s society, covered in myriads of illusions and appearances. ||
 * Costumes || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Nora’s costumes often depict her mood or situation – significant to the play. Of particular mention is her changing into the dress for the Tarantella Dance, and the final shift in clothing to her everyday clothing in act III. ||
 * Genre / style || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A family tragedy, Ibsen painted A Doll’s House to be a realistic, yet tragic drama – the closing of the play marks the end of the family, end of the marriage, the end of the old selves of both main and subordinate characters of the play. As Nora shatters the corrupt societal expectations which confine her to her gender roles, she must also destroy her marriage, her family and her home in order to discover and liberate herself. ||
 * Quotes and Explanations of Quotes || Nora to Krogstad "//I did it out of love"// he replies to her //"the law is not interested in reasons"//

"//the Christmas tree stands, stripped and dishevelled, its candle burned to their sockets."// - Act 2 opening, p. 55 - Christmas tree directly reflects Nora's distress here. She has just been blackmailed by Krogstad regarding the debt.

"//You know how much Torvald loves me - he'd never hesitate for an instant to lay down his life for me -"// Act 2, p. 68 Ironic, as Torvald fails to do so (dubbed 'the miracle' by Nora) at the end of the play. ||