A Doll’S House. By Henrik Ibsen. Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906),

A Doll’s House By Henrik Ibsen Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906), Norway’s major playwright and poet during the 19th century, was a pioneer of Western modernism (Wikipedia). His plays founded the realist school of Western theatre and some literary critics even consider him as â€Å"the father of realism† or refer to the rise of â€Å"Ibsenism† (iii) when discussing his work. A Doll’s House (1879) is one of the most influential plays in European literature because it created a new, realist style of staging plays, moving away from epic theatrical conventions. Play’s characters are living a regular life and belong to the middle or upper middle class. A Doll’s House presents the moral conflicts of its protagonists, Torvald and Nora Helmer, by mixing between†¦show more content†¦Helmer shows his real face. He is a selfish and thankless man which urges Nora to leave the family. The play represents a normal middle class family that functions according to the common gender roles of the time. Ibsen uses symbols and images to show the contrast between interrelationship between moral issues and their external manifestation in the play. Torvald dominates his wife, who is servile and resembles a bird in the cage. Torvald frequently refers to her as â€Å"skylark† (4), squirrel, or doll. All of these names belittle her and make her look subservient to him. The antagonists, Mrs. Linde, Mr. Krogstad, and Dr. Rank, the family friend who is in secret love with Nora and suffering from a terminal illness, play a crucial role in the play’s dramatic development. These characters are insincere and mirror the moral conflicts between Nora and Torvald. Moreover, Ibsen uses particular symbols to show the moral weakness of Torvald and Nora’s marriage. For example, the Christmas tree symbolizes the family. The tree is dead, has no roots to support it, and is put in a place where visitors can see it for ostentation. Torvald and Nora are interested in decorating it with artificial objects rather than enjoying its natural beauty. Thus, the tree represents the disintegration of Nora and Torvald’s marriage, its lacking foundation of truth, understanding and honesty, and its artificial rules ofShow MoreRelatedPerfect Domestic Wives1069 Words   |  4 Pagespolite exterior. Gender roles and freedom of women in the 19th century are the main themes in Henrik Ibsen’s â€Å"A Doll’s House.† The movement for women’s rights succeeded in Norway shortly after this time period. However, during the 19th century, Norway experienced peace which led to a concentration on the arts and theatre. New makeup and sets were brought into the theatre. Plays like â€Å"A Doll’s House† by Henrik Ibsen epitomized the new age of theatre, realism, in the 19th century. During the 19th centuryRead MoreA Doll s House By Henrik Ibsen1717 Words   |  7 Pageswhich the society has not figured out yet, even women themselves. 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