Summary Henrik Ibsen: A Doll's House for A-Level English
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Course
Drama and poetry pre-1900
Institution
OCR
This document contains a collation of themes, different interpretations (past productions + critics), context and summaries from lectures that are sure to help with the assessment objectives for the OCR A-level specification.
,
, A Doll’s House: A Snapshot
*Throughout A Doll’s House, we learn about a a character’s nancial
situation, their tastes and their access to the wider world through their
choice of garments
Themes
The Individual and Society:
Nora’s outburst that she is ‘ rst and foremost a human being’ can be
linked to the philosophical theory of ‘Existentialism’, which is the idea
that we are not born with innate characteristics, but create them
ourselves through the choices we make. For Nora, she is a pet, a sexual
partner, a mother and housekeeper. Nora spends most of her time
putting others before herself, mentioning how her ‘poor little angels!’
can’t go without the money set aside for them, or even considering to
commit suicide so Torvald will not have to carry her blame. Similarly,
Mrs. Linde laments not having anyone to live for, being ‘unspeakably
empty’ suggesting that women of the time were not their own individual
but rather assets in society.
Morality
In Act Two, it dawns on Nora that her actions have moral implications.
She realises that Dr Rank can save her, but upon learning that he loves
her, she becomes aware of the fact that it would be using him, and
would change the course of they friendship. Torvald on the other hand,
juxtaposes this, as he is not honest enough to make a moral choice.
While Nora expects society to forgive her because she was “doing the
right thing”, Torvald is less naive and understands the cruelty of society,
ready to appease Krogstad with however much money he desires.
Theatricality (link to context):
Ibsen often told his actors to copy the world around them, rather than
other actors, highlighting the naturalism aspect of the play.
It is when Nora and Torvald are consciously involved with performance
that they reveal themselves most clearly. Torvald’s choice of the
costume (Nora’s capri dress) is a clear symbol of what he wants her to
be, his pet. Nora on the other hand uses the dance to free herself,
declaring that she “must” dance so violently, because “her life depends
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