A Doll’s House By Henrik Ibsen Flashcards
What style is A Doll’s House?
A realistic play
How is your it seen that this is a realistic play?
- The set and props have detailed descriptions
- Language is authentic
- Characters psychologically drawn
- Structure is chronological
What is a problem play and what is the problem in A Doll’s House?
A problem is highlighted and addressed.
Social problem: unfair treatment of women portrayed in Torvald’s treatment of Nora. Women can’t make a loan without a man’s consent
What genre is A Doll’s House?
A social tragedy
What is a social tragedy
A tragedy about an individual against societal norms
Why is A Doll’s House a social tragedy?
- divorce was stigmatised but Nora wants to divorce Torvald
- Nora is weary with the facade she has been keeping
- Nora can no longer play house
- Nora is unhappy being Torvald’s doll
- she can no longer pretend that all is well in the Helmer household.
Who is a “doll”?
- Nora was a doll to her father then Torvald.
- the kids are dolls to Nora
- the nanny and Christine are Nora’s dolls
- Nora is Krogstad’s doll
- Everyone is a doll to society
What is the playwrights intention?
To not solve the problem but to address it and he states that “my task has been the description of humanity”
What are the four main themes in A Doll’s House?
- Women’s Liberation
- A women cannot be herself in modern society
- Heredity and environment
- The unreliability of appearances
Discuss the theme of Women’s Liberation.
A Doll’s House sympathetically portrays a woman who refuses to obey her husband and leaves him. She is liberated by leaving and has an internal conflict between natural feelings (being a mother) and belief in authority (socio-political climate)
Discuss the theme A woman cannot be herself in modern society.
There is a male society where laws are made by men and judged by men. Nora committed forgery to save a life. Torvald views her in male eyes and as being weak. Nora cannot be herself and she must obey men’s laws.
Irony: Nora commits fraud out of love
Discuss the theme of Heredity and environment.
- Helmer’s social environment determines his views of heredity.
- Dr Ranks disease is inherited as a result of his fathers decadent lifestyle.
- Helmer thinks Nora has inherited her dishonesty (suspicious behaviour) from her father
- Helmer must think for himself after Nora leaves (inherited responsibilities)
Discuss the theme Unreliability of appearances
In A Doll’s House appearances misleading and deceiving. Nora seems silly, childish woman but later we see she is intelligent, motivated and the the end a strong-willed, independent thinker.
Helmer appears to be strong and kind but we realise but we realise that he is cowardly, petty and selfish when Krogstad May and close him to scandal
What’s the setting of A Doll’s House?
Country: Norway
Day 1: Christmas Eve
Day 2: Christmas
Day 3: Boxing Day
- plays off in one room
- all the actions comes to Nora
Discuss the symbol of light.
Light is used illustrate Nora’s personal journey.
Light turns dark when:
- Torvald claims to take everything upon himself
- Nora speaks to Dr Rank as the manipulates him and when Rank confesses feelings
Nora brings a lamp into the room when Dr Rank reveals his love. She is “enlightenment” and pulled out of her fantasy world
