A Dolls House, Drama Analysis, Realism and Naturalism

A Dolls House, Drama Analysis, Realism and Naturalism Topic B: Character Nora Helmer frolics about in the first act, behaves desperately in the second, and gains a stark sense of reality during the finale of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. Ibsen was one of a few pioneers of the new theatrical movement of realism, and accordingly he is often called the father of modern drama. The character of Nora lives in a dream world, a childlike fantasy, where everything is perfect, and everything makes sense, but as the play develops, Nora transforms and finds the strength to leave her home and her children in order to find out who she is and what she wants out of life. Nora leaves the role of the doll child and doll wife and becomes an independent†¦show more content†¦She seems to lose all grasp of reality as she declares, â€Å"Never, never. Oh, that black icy water. Oh, that bottomless†¦! If only it were all over! He’s got it now. Now he’s reading it† (Ibsen 1727). Yet, it remains debatable as to whether or not she wo uld truly follow through and jump in the icy river. During the climactic scene in Act III, Nora seems to stall before running out into the night to end her life. Nora is frantic and changing into an adult by confronting the inevitable future that faces her. She realizes that it is always darkest before the dawn. Nora’s epiphany occurs when the truth is finally revealed. As Torvald unleashes his disgust towards Nora and her crime of forgery, the protagonist realizes that her husband is a very different person than she once believed. Torvald declairs, â€Å"I’m done for, a miserable failure, and it’s all the fault of a feather-brained woman† (Ibsen 1727). Torvald has no intention of taking the blame for Nora’s crime. She thought for certain that he would selflessly give up everything for her. When he fails to do this, she accepts the fact that their marriage has been an illusion. Their false devotion has been merely play acting. She has been his â€Å"child-wife† and his â€Å"doll.† The monologue in which she calmly confronts Torvald serves as one of Ibsen’s finest moments. Some argue that Nora leaves her home purely because she is selfish. She does not want to forgive Torvald. She would rather start another life thanShow MoreRelatedThe Movements Of Dada And Futurism1600 Words   |  7 Pages In this essay, I will be discussing the two movements ‘Dada’ and ‘Futurism’, with reference to their conceptual contexts and representative plays, there will also be analysis to how these two movements contrast to realism/ naturalism. Links will also be made to the plays, with the use of scholarly sources to back up the argument and then coming to a final conclusion at the end of the essay. Dada was an artistic and literary movement, this arose as a reaction to World War one. Many citizens believedRead MoreA Doll House by Henrik Ibsen7379 Words   |  30 PagesMa. Jennifer S. Yap Dr. Sherwin Perlas World Literature January 14, 2012 A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen Translated by Rolf Fjelde I. Introduction During the late nineteenth century, women were enslaved in their gender roles and certain restrictions were enforced on them by a male dominant culture. Every woman was raised believing that they had neither self-control nor self-government but that they must yield to the control of a stronger gender. John Stuart Mill wrote in his essay, â€Å"The SubjectionRead MoreEssay on Wild Duck - Naturalistic Symbolic2205 Words   |  9 Pages The Wild Duck one of Ibsens latter plays not only shows his great talent for mimesis writing, with it social depth and distinguished realism it offers a psychologically framed exploration into human nature. Even the plays structure, such as the juxtaposing of the Werles wealthy, over indulgent, powerful status with that of the Ekdals menial, disgraced, impoverished existence. By opening the play in the lavish, `elegant social space belonging to Werle then introducing the space on which theRead MoreIbsen11859 Words   |  48 PagesCommittee Member ______________________________ Kenneth Cleaver, Ph.D. Committee Member ______________________________ James Nutter, D.A. Honors Director ______________________________ Date Forshey 3 Abstract In Henrik Ibsen’s plays, A Doll’s House, The Wild Duck, The Lady from the Sea, and Hedda Gabler, the theme of captivity is demonstrated in the female protagonists Nora, Hedvig, Ellida, and Hedda. The theme of captivity also serves as a performance guide for the portrayal of these characters