English:A Doll’s House : Henrik Ibsen

A Doll’s House : Henrik Ibsen-Characters,The Play Summary,Plot,Major Symbols,Major Themes

1. A Doll’s House : Henrik Ibsen Preema Paul Assistant Professor Department of English St. Mary’s College Thrissur

2. A Doll’sHouse,PreemaPaul,St.Mary’s College A DOLL’S HOUSE Author: Henrik Ibsen Year: 1879 Nature: Realistic Drama Major focuses: Middle class life and morality Psychological conflicts https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Theatre/ADollsHouse Background: an exclusively masculine society with laws written by men and with prosecutors and judges who regard feminine conduct from a masculine point of view

3. A Doll’sHouse,PreemaPaul,St.Mary’s College HENRIK IBSEN (1828-1906) A Norwegian playwright and the harbinger of Realistic Drama Theatre poet and stage manager at the National Theatre in Bergen in 1851 The Director of the Noewegian Theatre at Christiana university, during1857-62 First Play: Catillina in 1850 Significant works: The Wild Duck (1884) Ghosts (1881) Little Eyolf (1894) When We Dead Awaken (1899) https://interestingfactsforkids.wordpress.com/2015/03/23/ibsen-henrik/

4. A Doll’sHouse,PreemaPaul,St.Mary’s College CHARACTERS Major Characters: Torvald Helmer – A Lawyer Nora – Torvarld’s Wife Dr. Rank – Torvald’s close friend Mrs. Linde – Nora’s childhood friend Nils Krogstad – A bank Clerk Minor Characters: Ivar , Emmy and Bob – Helmers ’ children Anne mary – Kids’ nurse Helene- Maid

5. A Doll’sHouse,PreemaPaul,St.Mary’s College THE PLAY SUMMARY Torvald supposes himself the ethical member of the family, while his wife assumes the role of the pretty and irresponsible little woman to flatter him Krogstad threatens to expose a fraud that Nora had once committed without her husband’s knowledge in order to obtain a loan needed to save his life When Nora’s act is revealed, Torvald  repudiate her out of concern for his own social reputation Utterly disillusioned about her husband, whom she now sees as a hollow fraud, Nora declares her independence of him and leaves, slamming the door of the house behind her

6. A Doll’sHouse,PreemaPaul,St.Mary’s College PLOT Major conflict : Nora’s struggle with Krogstad , who threatens to tell her husband about her past crime incites Nora’s journey of self-discovery and provides much of the play’s dramatic suspense Nora’s primary struggle, however, is against the selfish, stifling, and oppressive attitudes of her husband, Torvald , and of the society that he represents

7. A Doll’sHouse,PreemaPaul,St.Mary’s College PLOT Rising action:  Nora’s first conversation with mrs. Linde ; Krogstad’s visit and blackmailing of Nora; Krogstad’s delivery of the letter that later exposes Nora Climax: Torvald reads Krogstad’s letter and erupts angrily Falling action: N ora’s realization that Torvald is devoted not to her but to the idea of her as someone who depends on him; her decision to abandon him to find independence

8. A Doll’sHouse,PreemaPaul,St.Mary’s College A REALISTIC DRAMA Realism: Literary technique that attempts to create the appearance of life as it is actually experienced Common Language, no 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

9. A Doll’sHouse,PreemaPaul,St.Mary’s College MAJOR SYMBOLS Black hat and black cross Fisher-girl costume The Tarantella Doll house Macaroons Bird imagery The Christmas Tree Letters and the letter box Italy and Norway

10. A Doll’sHouse,PreemaPaul,St.Mary’s College MAJOR THEMES Parental and filial obligations The unreliability of appearances The sacrificial role of women

11. A Doll’sHouse,PreemaPaul,St.Mary’s College FORESHADOWING   Foreshadows of rebellion against Torvald Nora’s eating of macaroons against Torvald’s wishes Nora’s preparations for the Tarentelle and her performance Foreshadows of Nora’s Cravings for independence Nora’s struggles to earn money out of part time jobs in secret Nora saving her husband’s life from the mouth of death

12. A Doll’sHouse,PreemaPaul,St.Mary’s College REFERNCE Sreerekha , N., ed. Reading Drama. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2015. https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Theatre/ADollsHouse https://www.britannica.com/topic/A-Dolls-House