Essays on A Doll's House

Question 3

In the play, A Doll’s House, different characters present varying characteristics that define their roles in the play. However, one of the key most impeccable characters from the play that creates some form of intrigue in terms of true identity is Nora Helmer. A review of the character projected by Nora indicates a significant shift in terms of character during the course of the play thereby highlighting some of the admirable qualities that one ought to expect from a woman in her status. In my view, the shift in terms of character projected by Nora during the course ...

Everyone desires to understand the significance of life, to unveil the importance of human beings and reconcile that importance to the surroundings. Many philosophers, alive and dead, from Descartes to Eve Cole, have indulged in the question of the significance of a human life, and the relationships that people form. In real life situations, many leaders; religious, political and academic, push forwards thoughts about life. Professional counselors and psychologists make a lot of money by telling people how they can achieve their full potential. In the literal works; Doll House by Ibsen, The Plague by Albert Camus, Ikiru by ...

Introduction

The significance of life is an existential question that many people find troubling through the course of their lives. People engage in different activities in the pursuit of what is significant in their lives; the meaning of life; the one thing that surpasses all. The subject has been explored extensively in many scholarly and works of film. The subject of the significant in one’s life has been explored extensively in the Woman in the Dunes, a film directed by Teshigahara, The Plague, a novel authored by Camus, Ikiru, a film by Kurosawa, and A Doll House, a play ...

Literature review: Nora Helmer in the play Dollhouse by Henrik Ibsen

Nora Helmer is one if not the most interesting character in the three-act play prose written by the great writer Henrik Ibsen. Many of the literally critics me included argue that such an immature, incredibly ignorant person can never have attained the kind of understanding or the revolutionary, amazing qualities that are represented by Nora by the time she leaves her home. While analyzing the play I noticed the creative and careful construction of the character Nora take place in the play. Ibsen has created Nora in such a way that her far sightedness and show of independence can ...

Feminism is defined as a particular movement that is organized to achieve the rights of women. The use of it is etched throughout literature. Two works where feminism is heavily illustrated are Henrik Ibsen's play, A Doll's House and Kate Chopin's The Awakening. Both works present prime examples of feminism in their display of breaking away from the traditional roles, and the consequences of moving away from masculine conventions. These works from the perspective of the writer, highlight the importance of women in society, and their respective roles and functions being different from the conventional viewpoints by the masculine ...

1.0 Observation Having gone through “A Doll House”, there was a personal observation to the effect that the author relies on literary methods to elaborate the broader status of human life in a society. In perspective, these elements of the story seem to either be the traits of the characters, their experiences, or the setting of the story. These experiences are brought out using literal methods to paint a picture in the mind of the reader. 2.0 Premises For instance, the play A Doll's House, the author majorly focuses on the use of secondary characters to dramatically contrast with ...

Introduction

Following paper compares and contrasts Hedda Gabler and Nora Helmer. Both are the main characters from Doll’s House and Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen. Hedda is the main character in Henrik Ibsen's play Hedda Gabler. She called when Hedda Tesman by her husband, Jorgen Tesman. Ibsen has probably decided to name the piece after her pikenvn, Gabler, for the reason that Hedda has a problem with men. In the drama, it also acts as if she has a desire to be alone and to do without man. Another reason Hedda's problems is her fear of intimacy and sexual ...

Classic English Literature

Source 4C Mazur, Ann M. “Victorian Women, The Home Theatre, And The Cultural Potency Of A Doll’s House.” Victorians Institute Journal 41. (2013): 10-34. “In this, as in other parlour plays, female characters act to reveal the unsatisfying nature of a woman's position in marriage and take up a hysteric but also simultaneously rational type of acting to get others to behave as they want. In fact, as I will suggest, the popular practice of home theatre —through its original use and awareness of realistic domestic setting, and in its characteristically strong female roles—influenced the reception of ...

‘Instructor’s name’

‘Subject’ Literary analysis of A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen As Meyer says, A Doll’s House is a play about, “the need of every individual to find out the kind of person he or she really is and to strive to become that person”. The play revolves around the life of the protagonist Nora, who breaks away from the shackles imposed on her by the gender roles devised by the patriarchal society, and sets out to discover her true potential as an individual. The play fits the genre of a social tragedy, whereby the protagonist falls prey ...

In the late 1800’s, Europe was experiencing rapid industrialization and women were beginning to work outside the home. This sociological development led to a public debate on the role and rights of women in society (Pinchbeck 11). At this time a woman was generally legally under the control of her husband or father due to societal norms which were based on antiquated ideas that women were physically and mentally inferior to men and needed to be “looked after” (Pinchbeck 12). However, this hierarchical view of gender roles in families and society were beginning to change around the time A Doll’ ...

The domination of men as the superior gender is evident in Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and Ibsen’s “A Doll's House.” As depictions of the existing societal norms around which the authors write their work, the different perceptions of the sexes emerge. Each plot concentrates on its female lead character, thus, informing readers about the effects of their husbands’ dominance. The authors approach the issue from different angles and in turn, provide diverse perceptions of the roles of men and women in their homes. Consequently, this paper seeks to provide evidence of male bigotry in the two novels ...

For centuries, various societies have always defined the role of women and men. These roles continue to change and evolve as time pass. However, it is only in recent times that women began to break away from the roles that defined them. Nowadays, there is more of a demand throughout many societies for women to be seen and treated as equal to a man. In Susan Glaspell's "Trifles" and Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House", both writers' uses female protagonists in situations that many would think of as being male dominate. Glaspell and Ibsen use the female characters point of view ...

Similarities between Torvald Helmer and Nils Krogstad

Torvald is an executive who has received a promotion at his bank where he works with Krogstad. Over the storyline, Torvald admits to have studied with Krogstad in his childhood but they this does not make them friends (Ibsen 2010). In fact, in the play they are portrayed as different identities of men in the society. However, they do have similarities. The first similarity is that the two men have a very shallow view of the society. All their efforts in the play are dictated by how they are viewed in the society. Torvald is a proud representative of the middle-class ...

The doll house is a play that was written by Henri Ibsen and played for the first time in December 1879 at the Royal theatre in Denmark. The play manifests the intuitions of Henri Ibsen about the dominance of the male society over the female gender.

Thesis statement

The choice of the production name as Doll house will be symbolic and, therefore, instill a sense of anxiety in the audience about the contextual nature of the doll as a puppet. Arguably, the play will consider the outreach of the audience through costume design element as an approach to entice the audience and instill the ...

Organization

Abstract The world of literature encompasses numerous feelings and emotions in its wide array of literary works. As readers, we are not unknown to use of centralized themes in the works of literature which vary according to many factors, like the type of work, the author and the plot of the work. In this paper we will compare a few renowned works of literature based on their usage of the central theme of love. This paper will be an analysis of the concept of theme which can be found in both prose and poetry. For our reference, we have ...

The doll’s house is a short story that was developed by Katherine Mansfield in the year 1922. It mainly addresses the issue of discrimination in the society based on the class that someone belongs to. The story begins by the introduction that the Burnell children had been given a doll house by Mrs. Hay, which happens to please and excite everybody that knew it or even dared to see it. There is a very high hope that the discrimination in the small town will soon be avoided and everybody is treated equal without being subjected to these discriminations. The lamp ...

Symbolism has been used in a dolls house to bring out the theme of feminism in the play. Women have been displayed to be part of a man’s property who do not necessarily have their own rights. Women delight in having men who are able to provide for them as they believe they are to remain dependant on the man. The man is a symbol of strength and provision in the play which has been displayed by their need to have adequate resources. The title of the paper, ‘a doll’s house’ is a symbol that has been used to refer to Nora ...

A doll House is a play written by Henrik Ibsen in 1879 and is considered as one of the first feminist play ever written exposing, among other social commentary, women’s oppression and subordination. The play deals with the lives and anxieties of the bourgeoisie and it is an example of a problem play. A problem play displays these concepts; first of all, it creates issues in the society with the subject of discussion in the play. Secondly, a problem play has a social critical perspective whereby certain things or people in the society are criticized and third, its setting is contemporary. Lastly, a ...

Transformation is a theme that has come out strongly in the three novels ‘a lesson before dying’, ‘A Doll's House’ and ‘A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier’. Through the stories, the characters are encountered by uncomfortable situations where they have to fight their way out. The hardships that they went through proved to be significant not only to them but also served the purpose of delivering the others around them. Despite what they had to go, at the end they appreciated the fact that it was in fact through their crisis that the others who were looking unto them ...

Introduction

Disease brings the abrupt end of Helmer’s marriage in the play ‘A Doll’s House’. The play has various characters. It has Mr. Helmer, Nora, Mrs. Linda, Dr. Rank and Krogstad as the main characters. The play contains three separate parts. In the first part, the stage conveys a positive and happy living home. Mr. Helmer’s marriage seems to be nice in the first part with limited challenges despite some hidden secrets emerging. It shows the Christmas joyous mood and buying of presents by Nina . In the second part of the play, Mr. Helmer successfully secures the ...

A Doll’s house is a novel by Henrik Ibsen that centers on the life of women and how they manage the affairs around them. The theme of sexuality has been prominently presented as the characters display themselves in the best way they know how. The story shows different kind of men and women who are exposed to unique circumstances. Each of them has to survive and behave, as the situation requires them. Depending on how a person looks at it, it is both beneficial and detrimental to their life. Even though they are living in a similar environment, their situations are ...

Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House has been the subject of discussion for many authors and critics. It has been praised for “embracing women’s equality” (Metzger) and for the theme of freedom that derives from restricting social, situations of life that is depicted (Goonetilleke). However, it has also been attacked for portraying women as unlovable, ill-favored, and loathsome beings without a single instance of depicting them as modest and noble (Styan 55). Most of these authors and critics have emphasized on the actions, persona, and relationship of the protagonist, Mrs. Nora Helmer in the play. Subsequently, to support their ...

In “A Doll House” written by Henrik Ibsen is a play about women’s roles in society in the 19th century. The book examines the exploitation of the poor and the weak by the rich. It is a mirror image of what Marxists wrote about the capitalistic class exploiting the poor. It is therefore worth noting that the Marxist’s believes have been spread throughout the play. It is important to note that Nora’s thinking and her outlook is dominated completely by her material wealth and financial conditions. For instance, at the beginning of the play, we can see ...

A problem play is a play in which the characters discuss some problem of modern life and the plot works out this problem. A Doll’s House (1879), which is one of Henrik Ibsen’s most prominent realistic prose dramas, is recognized as the pioneer of the genre of realism in theatre. Since this play focuses on controversial issues and social problems, it is often referred to as a problem play. Ghosts, An Enemy of the People and The Wild Duck are some of Ibsen’s other problem plays. There are also certain characteristics that are displayed by a play, namely the ...

In Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, a doomed marriage (the marriage of Nora and Torvald) comes apart both from the inside and outside, thanks to the machinations of Nils Krogstad. However, the two couples (Nora/Torvald, Nils/his lover Christine) demonstrate opposing perspectives on love. Nora serves the cultural function of the battered woman who finds new purpose in her life, Torvald the insecure man attempting to control his wife to maintain power in his own life. Meanwhile, Nils is the heartless, greedy beast who is soothed by Christine's love for him; while they are brought together, Nora and Torvald are torn ...

Henrik Ibsen was a 19th century Norwegian playwright who is considered to be one of the pioneers of Modernist theater, inserting some of the more harsh realities of family life into his works. After a grueling childhood that involved a depressive father, an oppressively religious mother, and an extremely poor family in general, he picked up writing, beginning to write his own plays and work at the Det norske Theater in Bergen. His real masterpieces came after his move to Germany, where he wrote the 1873 play Emperor and Galilean and A Doll’s House. He wrote realistic, contemporary dramas with a tragic ...

Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House explores the dilemma of being a woman in late 19th century Norway. At the start of the play it is arguable that the Helmers appear to have a perfect marriage. However, this is only because Nora appears to conform to male patriarchal stereotypes about the role of women. As the play proceeds secrets from the past are revealed as are the other characters’ perceptions of Nora and this culminates in the final scene of the play in which Nora experiences an epiphany which reveals to herself her true identity, and the lies and misconceptions ...

Henrik Ibsen was a 19th century Norwegian playwright who is considered to be one of the pioneers of Modernist theater, inserting some of the more harsh realities of family life into his works. After a grueling childhood that involved a depressive father, an oppressively religious mother, and an extremely poor family in general, he picked up writing, beginning to write his own plays and work at the Det norske Theater in Bergen. His real masterpieces came after his move to Germany, where he wrote the 1873 play Emperor and Galilean and A Doll’s House. He wrote realistic, contemporary dramas with a tragic ...

In recent decades feminist critics have attempted to appropriate A Doll’s House as a feminist text, but they have been met with a barrage of criticism from some critics who prefer to stress other aspects of the play. In one sense to call it a feminist play is, of course, an anachronism, since the feminist movement did not begin until the late 1960s and early 70s, but, nonetheless, Nora’s abandonment of Torvald and her children at the end of the play can still be seen as a rebellion against the prevailing patriarchal values of European society.

In this research paper on ...

In this research paper on Ibsen’s A Doll’s House I will examine the play’s plot, central characters and themes and then provide an analysis of its production history and reception. It is a play that continues, through new productions, to engage audiences all over the world and the social dynamic between theater productions and social values is one that is full of interest and not without controversy. The very first production aroused controversy: Jaeger (p. 259) claims that “The close of A Doll’s House gave rise to dissentient criticism”. But even one of the first reviews ...

A marriage is a life time commitment between two people to share their lives and experiences as companions. In the least sense, this is what most people hope would happen when they commit to spent the rest of their lives together. It is a commitment and efforts between two people to be true to each other and support and love each other without any conditions whether in good times or bad times. Though, there are many characteristics associated to marriage, I feel, three are most important and define what a good marriage is, and are, trust, respect, and communication. These characteristics lay ...