A Doll’s House: annotated edition

One of the best-known, most frequently performed of modern plays, A Doll’s House richly displays the genius with which Henrik Ibsen pioneered modern, realistic prose drama. In the central character of Nora, Ibsen epitomized the human struggle against the humiliating constraints of social conformity. Nora’s ultimate rejection of a smothering marriage and life in “”a doll’s house”” shocked theatergoers of the late 1800s and opened new horizons for playwrights and their audiences. But daring social themes are only one aspect of Ibsen’s power as a dramatist. A Doll’s House shows as well his gifts for creating realistic dialogue, a suspenseful flow of events and, above all, psychologically penetrating characterizations that make the struggles of his dramatic personages utterly convincing. A Doll’s House is a three-act play by Henrik Ibsen, that premiered in 1879. Set in a Norwegian town, it tells the story of Nora Helmer and her husband Torvald. Amidst secrets and lies, and threats to reputation, Nora comes to see her husband for what he really is, and their marriage as something she no longer wants a part of. The play is significant for its critical attitude toward 19th century marriage norms, and although it comes across as a feminist play, Ibsen denies that that was his intent. The play is based on the life of a friend of Ibsen’s – Laura Kieler, whose married life had similarities of those of Nora and Torvald. Laura had signed an illegal loan to find a cure for her husband’s illness. When he found out, he had her committed to an insane asylum. It was at this point that Ibsen, shaken by what had happened to his friend, wrote A Doll’s House. For her part, Laura went on to become a well known author, and was originally published in 1879. This is a translation by R. Farquharson Sharp, first published in 1923. —- ISBN: 9798750904884