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A Doll House
Henrik Ibsen’s
A Doll House
Henrik Ibsen
"It was a long time before I realized that to be a poet means
essentially to see, but mark well, to see in such a way that
whatever is seen is perceived by the audience just as the
poet saw it. But only what has been lived through can be
seen in that way and accepted in that way. And the secret of
modern literature lies precisely in this matter of experiences
that are lived through. All that I have written these last ten
years, I have lived through spiritually." ('Speech to the
Norwegian Students, September 10, 1874, from Speeces and
New Letters, 1910).
Realism: A Doll House
 Realism: Literary technique that
attempts to create the appearance of
life as it is actually experienced
– Common Language, NOT Highly poetic
language formal declarations, asides, or
soliloquies
– Everyday people and events, NO heroes or
the saving a kingdom.
– Opening of the eyes and the minds of an
audience, NOT melodrama with happy
endings.
Henrik Ibsen 1828-1906
Biographical Influences
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Born in Skien, a tiny coastal town in the
south of Norway
Merchant father went bankrupt – raised in
poverty.
Mother was a painter and loved theatre.
Age 18 – fathered and supported his
illegitimate child through journalism
Failed his entrance exam to the university
where he had hoped to become a physician.
Playwright
Historical Influences
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Catiline, a tragedy, which reflected the atmosphere of the
revolutionary year of 1848 which sold only a few copies.
The Burial Mound was performed three times in 1850.
The first performance of Cataline did not take place until
1881. After successfully performing a poem glorifying
Norway's past, Ibsen was appointed in 1851 by Ole Bull as
"stage poet" of Den Nationale Scene, a small theater in
Bergen.
During this period Ibsen staged more than 150 plays,
becoming thoroughly acquainted with the techniques of
professional theatrical performances.
In addition to his managerial work he also wrote four plays
based on Norwegian folklore and history, notably Lady Inger
of Ostrat (1855), dealing with the liberation of medieval
Norway. In 1852 his theater sent him on a study tour to
Denmark and Germany.
Ibsen’s best-known works were structured as
social commentary and written in Rome, Munich
and Dresden:
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Brand (1866), inspired by Kierkegaard's idea of subjectivity as
truth. The symbolic tragedy tells about a priest, who follows
his high principles at the cost of the lives of his child and his
wife.
Peer Gynt (1867) was a satiric fantasy about a boastful egoist,
irresponsible young man, an Ulyssean figure from Norwegian
folklore.
The Emperor and the Galilean (1873) Ibsen believed this to be
his most important play - heavy drama about Christianity and
paganism.
Pillars of Society (1877) dealt with a wealthy and hypocritical
businessman, whose perilous course almost results in the
death of his son.
A Doll House (1879) was a social drama, which caused a
sensation and toured Europe and America.
“Is A Doll House a Feminist Text?”
(Joan Templeton 1641-1641)
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Templeton’s critique uses strident quotations and a
sarcastic tone to imply that Ibsen has been “saved
from feminism” by many contemporary male critics.
Templeton, in truth, calls for feminist a reexamination of the character of Nora.
– What does a feminist reading reveal about the
character of Nora whose life was circumscribed
by a patriarchal society?
– Could Ibsen have written a play with this theme
about a man? Who might have been controlling
him?
“A Psychoanalytic Reading of Nora”
(Carol Strongin Tufts 1641-1641)
Tufts asserts an alternative character analysis of Nora.
Rather than viewing Nora as a victim, Tufts frames the
psychoanalytic argument of Nora as narcissistic: Can
you find textual evidence that reveals:
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Grandiose sense of self-importance and uniqueness – exaggerates
achievements and talents, focuses on how special one’s problems are.
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Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance,
beauty, or ideal love.
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Exhibitionistic: requires constant attention and admiration.
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Responds to criticism, indifference of others, or defeat with either cool
indifference, or with marked feelings of rage, inferiority, shame,
humiliation, or emptiness.
Relationship dysfunctions: Lack of empathy, Entitlement, Interpersonal
exploitiveness or vacillating between the extremes of over-idealization
and devaluation.
Critical Perspective:
A Doll House
Henrik Ibsen's plays anticipate major
developments of the twentieth and
twenty-first centuries:
 the individual's feelings of alienation and
actual alienation from society,
 the pressures by which society insures
conformity to its values and suppresses
individuality,
 the barriers which modern life sets up
against living heroically.
A Doll House
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A Doll´s House (1879) was a social drama, which
caused a sensation and toured Europe and
America.
A Doll´House is about a woman who refuses to
obey her husband and walks out from her
apparently perfect marriage, her life in the "doll's
house."
At the turn-of-the-century physicians used Nora,
whose mood changes from joy to depression in
short cycles of time, as an example of "female
hysteria."
Later, critic, Havelock Ellis, inspired by Nora's
character, saw in her "the promise of a new social
order."
A Doll’ House:
Discussion Questions
1. How does the character of Nora illustrate the
alienation of women from the 19th century
patriarchal society?
2. How does the character of Torvald Helmer illustrate
Torvald’s struggle to conform to the 19th century
patriarchal society?
3. How does the relationship between Mrs. Lunde and
Krogstad serve to emphasize certain characteristics
of the Helmer’s marriage?
4. How would Dr. Rank’s relationship with Nora, his
illness, and his death serve a symbolic function in
the play?
A Doll’ House:
Discussion Questions
1. How does the character of Nora
illustrate the alienation of women from
the 19th century patriarchal society?
A Doll’ House:
Discussion Questions
2. How does the character of Torvald
Helmer illustrate Torvald’s struggle to
conform to the 19th century patriarchal
society?
A Doll’ House:
Discussion Questions
3. How does the relationship between
Mrs. Lunde and Krogstad serve to
emphasize certain characteristics of
the Helmer’s marriage?
A Doll’ House:
Discussion Questions
4. How would Dr. Rank’s relationship
with Nora, his illness, and his death
serve a symbolic function in the play?
Works Cited
A Doll House. Production Pictures. Online Posting. 7 Oct. 2004. West
Virginia U. 24 Aug. 2006. <http:www.wvu.edu/theatre/>
A Doll’s House. Dir. Patrick Garland. Perf. Claire Bloom, Anthony Hopkins,
Ralph Richardson, Edith Evans, and Denholm Eliott. Videocassette.
Metro Goldwin Mayer, 2000.
A Doll’s House. Advertisement. Amazon.com. 24 Aug. 2006
<amazon.com>.
Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll House. The Bedford Introduction to Literature, 7th.
Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford St. Martins, 2005. 1584-1633.
Templeton, Joan. “Is A Doll House a Feminist Text?” The Bedford
Introduction to Literature, 7th. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford
St. Martins, 2005. 1644-1645.
Tufts, Carol Strongin. “A Psychoanalytic Reading of Nora.”The Bedford
Introduction to Literature, 7th ed. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford
St. Martins, 2005. 1641-1641.
White, Samantha. “Symbolism in Ibsen’s A Doll House.” Journal of
World Literature 34 (2000):443-454. Academic Search Premier.
EBSCOhost. Lake-Sumter Community Coll. Lib., Leesburg, FL. 24
Aug. 2006 <http://www.linccweb.org/eresources.asp>.