Ibsen Themes Flashcards
1
Q
Secrecy and Revelation
A
- secrets drive the play
- noras forgery + repayments
- krogstad’s blackmail
- rank + noras flirtation and feelings
- christine + krogstad
- revelation: torvald discovery of letter
- discovery a melodramatic climax and its subversion, expected a miracle but instead get understated image of two at a table
- “Under the ice? Down in the cold, black water? And then, in the spring, to float up again ugly, unrecognisable, hairless?” symbolic of horrible effects of keeping secrets- how they amount/alter.
2
Q
Women’s Rights
A
- Nora rejects notion that she has duty to hubby and kids
- Nora is not interested in women’s collective liberation, solely her own personal experience
- Nora only briefly interested in Anne Marie giving her daughter to ‘strangers’
- Recognises that women regularly sacrifice their ‘honour’ to men, but does not connect this to AM
- Linde calls work ‘greatest joy’ but finds ‘no joy in working jufor oneself’
- Linde begs Krogstad for ‘somone to work for’
- Linde ‘need[s] someone to be a mother to’
- Nora repudiates relational identity, Christine embraces it
3
Q
Money Nora
A
- The need for money overwhelms N, L+K
- Access to money is highly gendered: nora relies on allowances from Torvald
- Wife can’t borrow money without husband’s permission
- Nora’s request from banknotes for Christmas decorations infantilises her
- Nora fantasizes about obtaining money from ‘some rich old gentleman’ however abandons her plan of enlisting Rank after she acknowledges his love
- Nora has gendered conception of appropriate work for women: disguises copying and sees it ‘almost like being a man’
- Nora sacrifices herself for Torvald
- Nora ultimately plans to get a job and refuses allowance from Torvald
- “Only as much as you can afford” Nora has no clue how much they have
- “We’re going to have heaps and heaps of money!” Childish and grating spoilt 19C woman
4
Q
Money Christine Linde
A
- she has more complex understanding of poverty’s psychological effects (‘it makes one so bitter’)
- Act 3: christine sold herself for the sake of others
- Christine sacrifices herself for her family and brothers
- “(Wags her finger) Nora, Nora”, level of self-awareness, very different to Nora
- Anne Marie sacrifices herself as a fallen woman after giving birth
5
Q
Heredity
A
- Teenage Ibsen trained as apothecary’s apprentice + med student
- Darwin’s theory of evolution was during Ibsen’s life
- Darwinism was key to naturalist writers at the end of 19C
- Ibsen: my era is “as a conclusion, and that something new is being born.”
- Dr Rank dying from spinal tuberculosis (critics now think its syphilis from dad)
- Rank’s illness: parental ability to destroy children via heredity, sexual double standard
- Sexual double standard: Rank never condemns father yet Torvald deems Nora as unfit mother
- Torvald: Nora inherits father’s faults, Act 3
6
Q
Disease
A
- Infection is metaphor for sin
- Torvald: Krogstad makes him ‘physically sick’
- Rank: describes Krogstad as ‘moral cripple’
- Torvald: Nora is ‘ill, feverish, almost out of her mind’ when she rejects him
- Rank: blames nora’s behaviour at the tarantella rehearsal on hormones
7
Q
Power
A
- “I’ll lead up to it so delicately… I’ll get him right in the mood.” (Manipulative)
- Rebelling child when torvald isnt there (macaroons, spendthrift)
- Krogstad more powerfully manipulative, gets her to contradict herself about her influence, there arelimits to it, fundamental naivety.
- Krogstad and Christine as an examples of an equal, pragmatic, honest union, “ship-wrecked souls” “A woman who has sold herself once for the sake of others doesnt make that same mistake again”
- “And you know what people think of me here?” (no pretence, n/t overly romanticised and artificial. predatory moment- no such thing as marital rape)
- “this was really horrid of you” towards Rank confessing his love, N “misled” him
8
Q
Tarantella, an amounting of pressure
A
- N asks T to lead her until the end of dance. Symbolic of hoping he will be courageous when secret revealed.
- “You’re dancing as if your life depends on it” “It does” (if dance stops, he’ll check letter)
- Symbolic of positions, N controlled by men, choosing how women present themselves, but N is wild and uncontrollable.
- Breaking free of male dominance (“her hair works loose and falls over her shoulders”)
- Stigma surrounding hair being down
- Nora over-compensating, frenzied
9
Q
Duty
A
- “just unspeakably empty. No one to live for anymore.” Christine living for others
- “My sweet little baby doll” Children as dolls
“Often I wish some terrible danger might threaten you, so that I could offer my life and my blood, everything, for your sake.” Deeply ironic, complete opposite - “Dance and dress up and play the fool for him” characterising her role
10
Q
Society/Class
A
- “What do I care about society? I think it’s a bore” only amused when in a position of authority, “the law must be very stupid” flexible view towards truth”
- Rank talking of moral cripples, “It’s that attitude that’s turning human society into a hospital” “germs of evil” (crime is an infectious disease- ironically proving himself wrong as Nora’s children are fine
- “(sighs with relief) oh, it’s you-?” selfish Nora, hearing about Rank’s illness as she thought it was to do with her crime. Focuses more on his “nasty way” of talking
11
Q
Facade
A
- Costume: “I wish I could tear them into a million pieces!” (representation of her Angel in the house facade”
- “Torvald understands how to make a home look attractive” LOOK, subtle bitterness, using Nora as an ornament
- “You’re simply imagining things” Deeply ironic as N is only one who sees truth
- “(It begins to grow dark)”: highlights unattractive attributes of characters, Dr Rank’s disgusting descriptions, signals the downfall gaining momentum
- “Was I going to let her stay on after that and spoil the impression? No, thank you!” real personality would ruin perfect fake world. Masquerades- putting on a front
12
Q
Denouement scene
A
“now I’m beginning to understand” Cold, calm, responses are silent, brief
“Oh my God!” Sacrilegious, hypocritical as he questioned about her morals/religion/duty
- “nora, I am saved!” Only thinks of himself, has to be reminded of her position, afterthought, only concerned about society
- “Millions of women have [sacrificed their honour]” interpretation of fallen women
“I’ve never felt so sane and sure in my life” door slamming on past life
