Lecture on Realism and Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House"

Introduction

• Difference between play and theater: Relevance of text vs. performance.
• Henrik Ibsen: Key dramatist who established realism in theater.
• Focus of lecture: Biography of Ibsen, context of A Doll's House, summary of the play.

Historical Context: Europe in 1848

• Series of revolutions destabilized monarchies.
• Driven by democracy, liberalism, and nationalism;
• Shift from Romanticism to Realism:
  • Rapid industrialization & urbanization.
  • Charles Darwin's Origin of Species: challenged biblical genesis.
  • August Comte's Positivism: close observation in nature.

Realism in Drama

• Drama reflects societal changes:
  • Real life struggles depicted (middle, working classes).
  • Ordinary settings, plausible plots, natural dialogue.
  • Characters are more complex with shades of gray, not black and white.
  • Realism emphasizes identification over larger-than-life personas.
• Empiricism & Symbolism: Observing the world through senses and symbolic elements.

Henrik Ibsen's Biography

• Born 1828 in a remote town in Norway to a wealthy family.
• Family went bankrupt; worked as a pharmacist apprentice.
• Wrote Catalina in 1850, began career as a playwright.
• Marriage to Suzannah characterized by mutual equality.
• Moved to Italy in 1864, significant career evolution.
• Phases of Ibsen’s work: Early, Social Problem Plays, and later Idealism.

A Doll’s House

• Written in 1879, a significant work in the realism movement.
• Context of Norwegian society in the late 1800s:
  • Women's rights advancements in higher education, property, and voting.
• Plot revolves around Norah and Torvald Helmer, her friend Christine, Dr. Rank, and Krogstad.
• Breaks away from the well-made play with its artifice and exaggerated sentiments.
• Realistic representation of middle-class domestic life.
• Core themes: gender roles, individual vs. societal expectations, personal freedom.

Plot Summary of A Doll’s House

Act 1

• Introduction to characters: Norah, Torvald, Christine, Dr. Rank, and Krogstad.
• Norah's seemingly frivolous spending and reliance on Torvald.
• Christine's independence and widowhood.
• Krogstad’s blackmail of Norah over a fraudulent loan she took.

Act 2

• Norah's increasing anxiety and the revelation of Dr. Rank’s romantic feelings toward her.
• Krogstad's threat to reveal Norah’s forgery to Torvald.
• Party preparations, Norah’s efforts to delay Torvald from discovering the truth.

Act 3

• Costume party as backdrop for tensions.
• Christine and Krogstad’s past relationship revealed, potential redemption for Krogstad.
• Torvald’s discovery of the forgery, his harsh reaction toward Norah.
• Climactic realization and Norah’s decision to leave Torvald, seeking personal freedom

Impact and Relevance

• Ibsen’s staging and dialogue: Detailed directions for realism.
• Audience response: controversy over Norah's departure as shocking and unconventional.
• Alternative ending in Germany: Norah reconciles, was not popular.
• Longevity of the play: The core issue of gender equality and marriage still resonates.
• Ibsen’s focus on human rights over specifically women’s rights.

Conclusion

• A Doll’s House continues to be a relevant exploration of gender roles, marriage, and personal freedom.
• Encouragement to study and appreciate nuanced realism in Ibsen's works

Further Study: Articles on the portrayal of Norah and themes of realism on the website.