Module B Flashcards
Concept 1
A Doll’s House dramatizes the constricting nature of unchallenged patriarchy and the constrained role of women in 19th century Norwegian milieu which diminishes personal autonomy to critique a society in need of change. Through Ibsen’s skilful use of setting and form, the entire play is set in their upper-class home, a domestic sphere constructed on the system of family and marriage to dramatize the façade of a family enjoying domestic bliss and harmony.
C1: At the … The diminutive … underscores Torvald’s stereotypically European perspective which presents
Zoomorphic imagery
Beginning of the play Nora is presented as a submissive and compliant housewife, objectified by her husband Torvald
“little songbird” and “little squirrel”
Ibsen’s social commentary critiques men as dominant and empowered breadwinners and protectors but also suggests Nora’s entrapment, female dependency and denied individualism.
C1: Furthermore, Torvald demeans Nora’s …
and (technique) in the quote … reveals… exposes…
intelligence and business acumen despite her managing a household and caring for 3 children
His derogatory remarks
“What a sweet little featherbrain”
mindset that assigns intellectual superiority to men while attributing women’s perceived moral deficiencies to biological inheritance
C1: However, …
The tone of supplication emphasises how …
The play also dramatises Nora’s complicit acceptance of her status as a mere ‘doll’ despite her acts of self-sacrifice and cleverness, such as securing a loan to save her husband’s life out of love.
“I’ll do whatever you want, I’ll sing for you, dance for you.”
Nora is subjugated under the control of Torvald where her main purpose is to entertain and remain obedient to her husband which portrays her status as the dutiful and acquiescent possession of men.
Concept 2
Ibsen’s play examines the interplay between concealment and Nora’s burgeoning awareness of self, trapped in a confining marriage in which her survival sits at the mercy of a secret.
C2: Torvald acts as the …He considers those to have been dishonest in any circumstance as creating … where the olfactory imagery was supposedly …
upholder of traditional moral views who is seemingly rigid in what is right or wrong.
“a stench of lies and deceit, poisons the whole household”
directed at Krogstad, Torvald has unknowingly condemned his wife with the metaphor of ‘poison’ repeatedly through the text forcing Nora to consider the prospect that she has only ‘31 hours left to live’
C2: However, it is the symbolic representation of the … that parallels the …
Torvald’s dismissive comment unequivocally and ironically offers
decaying Christmas tree
decaying marriage built on a lie and the illusion of perfection that drives Nora’s climactic Tarantella dance.
“You think your life depended on it”
Nora’s challenge to his role as patriarchal giant in the household reveals a man whose masculinity is about to be threatened.
C3: Dramatically underscoring the magnitude
of Nora’s quest for self-realization, Torvald’s blissful unawareness of the depth of Nora’s discontent is revealed.
She tells him “…” to highlight a … creating a sense of …
“but I am done being your doll. I must explore my own self and my own truth.”
character’s inner turmoil
of anticipation as Nora’s transformation unfolds. This dramatic technique heightens the emotional impact of Nora’s decision to leave, as audiences await the revelation of her true strength and autonomy.
Concept 3
The play dramatizes the awakening of Nora’s character to her titular identity as ‘the doll’ a subservient possession of the male gaze. Her consequent rejection of “mother and wife’ archetype assigned by Torvald and her “sacred duties” to pursue a journey of self-actualisation reflects Ibsen’s personal advocacy of rejection of societal structures which confine the individual to oppose self- knowledge.
C3: Encapsulating Nora’s longing for freedom, in a poignant exchange with Toravald, Nora declares … to powerfully convey Nora’s
“I have existed merely to perform tricks for you, Torvald…”
epiphany regarding her objectification within their marriage, while emphasizing her unwavering determination to transcend societal expectations and reclaim her individuality.
C3: Nora abandoning her ‘sacred duties’ is made evident through the tone of confrontation in …
affirms
“I can’t bring them (the children) up.”
Nora’s new-found awareness and need for agency and emancipation by rejecting societal expectations.
Conclusion
As an exploration of the modernist conflict of patriarchy and relational power dynamics “A doll’s House” is a play of its time and a text for all times. Rich in textual integrity the drama resonates with audiences in raising questions, perhaps unanswerable questions about the self, out duty to acquire self knowledge, no matter the cost and to critique as Ibsen does, societal values and gender expectations which conflict with human potential, freedom and agency
Introduction
Henrik Ibsen was intent on departing from the Romantic era which predated his writing to compose, in 1879, a three- act realist drama in an attempt to recreate real life on stage. “A Doll’s House” examined patriarchy which prevented women’s autonomy hindering self- actualization.
C2: Nora’s decision tp take out a loan to take her husband to Italy as he was suffering from a medical episode. This leads to …
prosperoity and promotion which sees Nora proud as “the person who saved torvald- it was me” where the tone of pride is evident as she has found the independence and success in her patriarchal context despite the fact that “a wife can’t borrow without her husband” which engages audiences to make a more nuanced consideration around morality
