<p dir="ltr">DaveGargi-TCP3</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Henrik Ibsen’s <em>A Doll’s House</em></strong></p>
<p dir="ltr"><b id="docs-internal-guid--aa653e6-26a6-c3e7-12b1-f28efc6466d9"><img class="aligncenter" alt="" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/EZdFiWjfOtQWx2I_1AuRbCKfXFJNvnMYxnz-WjhygsMl27UB5h3WWuB0w3rbEyZhtIZP5Oh_X1Kq9wYsZEfO1Souw4Ym4twix4VGqnJHIPyhl-G4UhG5iO-9oQ" width="330px;" height="475px;" />
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<p dir="ltr">                                      <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069987/">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069987/</a></p>
<p dir="ltr">Henrick Ibsen (1828-1906) was a magnificent playwright, whose post drama’s lead him to be famous for many of his plays such as Ghosts in 1881, An Enemy of the People in 1882, and most importantly, one of his most paramount works, A Doll’s House in 1879. The scandalous 3-act play was one of his most significant works due to that fact that it resembled his own private marriage life. His opinion on having complete equality and freedom between husband and wife reflected entirely upon this dramatic play. Ibsen’s clever ideas about the typical wife during the 1800’s is very on point, until the turns of her lies and deceit bring her into trouble with her husband, knowing the crime she had committed would be a disgrace to her husband and the people closest to her. Throughout the play, Ibsen takes the viewer into the mind of a woman who is “trapped in a man’s world” and tries to hide the crime she has committed, which her untrustworthy manner leads her to the most sacrificial, and ironic decision changing the lives of her family forever. The tasteful twist at the end of this suspenseful play leaves viewers with shock and complete understanding on Ibsen’s views of equality and freedom when Nora (the main character and wife) leaves her husband and family. A Doll’s House is an outrageous and scandalous masterpiece is, “widely considered a landmark in the development of what soon became a highly prevalent genre of theater—realism, which strives to portray life accurately and shuns idealized visions of it” (web.sourceSparkNotes). Ibsen’s realistic style portraying an ordinary family during the 1800’s, and the struggles in everyday life that families have to face sparked a new generation of realism. Ibsen, known as the “father of post drama”, creatively writing about day to day reality in the life of families during this time period. A Doll’s House shows the importance of equality among men and women, and equal rights Ibsen feels the need to express. Ibsen’s many works during this time such as Peer Gynt, and Brand were two of his successful works that helped shape his reputation after the scandalous, A Doll’s House. Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is a classic that turned many heads and was written as a leap of faith, turning the play into a masterpiece showing society equality among man and woman in marriage and civilization, and should be preserved for future generations for it’s bold, daring, and magnificent storyline and magnifying equal rights.</p>
<p dir="ltr">A Doll’s House is definitely not typical of its era. During the 1800’s, families were seen to have a wife playing her role subject to the dominant figure, her husband. A typical family is a wife under the control and authority of her husband, while taking care of her family, supporting her husband in all of many ways such as Nora did in A Doll’s House. In contrast, the play showed the hardships and the low moral values some families face such as Nora and the lies she’s kept between herself and her husband. During this time, society was seen as something different than it actually played out to be, which Ibsen showed the actual reality that families face. Many reasons this play was a disgrace is because of the true honesty came to light from Nora’s deception, that people during this time couldn’t accept the fact that a woman could commit such a crime and also Nora and her discovery that her gender role was an obstacle to her personal fulfillment causing her to commit a shameful act of leaving her own family. The only thing typical in this play similar to real life during this time was the very beginning of the play; filled with joy of a wife taking care of her husband and home with her children, a joy that most families have during this time. Not considering that, the rest of the drama was scandalous and mouth-dropping to viewers after this play was first performed.</p>
<p dir="ltr">This prize perfection drama, was more than unusual of its time. Families and society during the 1800’s (the time this play was performed) were nothing more than families facing personal hardships that were kept in personal privacy and to society known as a normal happy family. Ibsen brought out the light from the dark when he wrote this tragedy about a woman refusing to play her “role” as a perfect housewife and mother, showing viewers the real life problems unexceptional people face within their personal lives. Although society refused and did not accept the play very well, it still doesn’t take out the fact of Ibsen’s need for equal rights. Women, especially, during this time were subjected to vanity and obedience under the authority of their husbands, refusing to face their inner unhappiness, just like Nora in A Doll’s House. The crime Nora commits of forgery and the shameful act of leaving her family is completely offensive to families during this time. Ibsen definitely went out of the box and tapped into realism used in his play, and was not afraid to voice his strong opinion of equal rights between men and women.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Unfortunately, during this time of the 1800’s, the play was fiercely seen to sabotage the “true” meaning of a marriage and critics and viewers took offense to the drama. Ibsen’s, A Doll’s House, was frowned upon in the Norwegian society and caused much controversy. “In the Victorian age many women were thought of as mere objects. Most woman has no real social status and were not allowed to express themselves freely” (Holmes). Due to this social standard, A Doll’s House was not received well. In fact, it was such a disgrace to the Norwegian society, that Ibsen and his family was forced to move out of town where he wasn’t so much of frowned upon by writing this imaginative and real play. People were not used to the fact of a untrustworthy housewife, and a criminal of a person who’s merely a common woman of society. Viewers during this century were shocked and annoyed at the fact that a regular, working man of society can have such an imagination and concrete views of society, even though Ibsen only brought out what’s real that actually happen within families regardless if society is accepting of his views. Even though A Doll’s House wasn’t received as a piece of work to be praised of during this time and age, it opened a new world of realism and post drama for people who were accepting of it’s reality.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The perception of this scandalous play is perceived quite well today. “A Doll House brings forth the notion that even if love can be found and marriage ultimately unites both people, there is still a chance that the perception of love in the relationship can be altered or it may never have existed in the first place” (web source). Critics today are shocked that a man during this time had even a thought on equality between men and women, but are accepting of the fact that Ibsen’s bold actions of writing this post dramatic play helped generations during our time mold into what it is today. The only controversy is if Nora really loved Torvald (her husband) in the first place, seeing as that she quickly made the decision to live and fulfill her own happiness. The difference between the perception of the play today as compared to back during the 1800’s, is that most men and women are equal today, as for back then, people perceived women to be objects of vanity to their men, therefore the play consisting of a woman committing a crime and leaving her husband was frowned upon and shameful in society. Although these perceptions are two completely different views, A Doll’s House is considered a timeless classic changing society into what it is today.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I absolutely love this play. Every single scene is interesting. I am definitely strongly opinionated on the equal rights of women, being a woman myself. This drama shows women not just being a perfect image of being a wife and mother, but it shows how women also during the time period of the 1800’s made mistakes and needed to voice their own opinions and seek to fulfill their own personal happiness. I would watch this play over many times and never it would never get too old. It’s completely remarkable that Ibsen, a man of the 1800’s, had a thought about equality and freedom among society of men and women. I feel that men and women should have control over their own happiness and freedom, and both genders should feel empowered. Nora’s husband was controlling and empowering over her until Nora herself, stood up for herself regardless of society’s input, and left her unhappiness for her personal fulfillment. This play completely shocked me, but was utterly satisfying towards the ending and was intense during the entire production.</p>
<p dir="ltr">This play specifically compares to the book Flowers in the Mirror by Li Ruzhen. “Throughout his novel, he attempted to reconcile classical Confucianism with Neo-Confucianism and meld traditional values and aesthetics with modern ideas. Li Ruzhen is remembered today as an erudite social critic and early feminist” (web. source eNotes). Ruzhen’s novel is made up of fascinating and imaginative and creative worlds for men and women playing each other’s roles in society. This compares to Ibsen’s play because both author and playwright strive to voice their opinion on freedom and equality among men and women. Unfortunately, also both Ruzhen and Ibsen were criticized for their opinions. Although Ibsen made his opinion more detailed by writing a play about a woman trapped in her misery and marriage, and Ruzhen fantasizing about perfect and equal worlds, both opinions collide and are similar to each other because of the fact that both opinions of both men are equal.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In contrast, Ruzhen voiced his opinion in a more creative and imaginative way, not showing much realism in his book. Ibsen, however, used a real life scenario and everyday life problems into his play, so the audience can relate to his opinion on equal rights. There isn’t much to contrast, other than what is stated, because both men are strongly opinionated about their views on equal rights among men and women.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Ibsen’s, A Doll’s House, is a complete masterpiece and its originality and scandalous story defined a generation as we have today. Wonders like Ibsen helped mold a more equal and free society as the society we live in today. The bold, daring, and charismatic journey in this play is a piece of work that should be of preservation for our future generations, and for them to know the importance of the steps taken to have such an open and equal society compared to the 1800’s. This crazy and ironic play should be allowed for our future people to understand Ibsen’s thoughts and ideas for a perfect and equal civilization for today and for forever.</p>
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<p dir="ltr"><strong>Works Cited</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">A Doll's House. Spark Notes, n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2013.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>This is where I found a lot of information about the author and his background. Also, I found a lot of information about the play.</strong></p>
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<p dir="ltr">Urban, William L. Parallel's in A Doll's House. Ed. Thomas J. Sienkewics and James E. Betts. Monmouth, Illinois: Monmouth College, 1997. N. pag. Web. 4 Nov. 2013.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>This is where I found a lot of information about the play. I also found how it was perceived back then.</strong></p>
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<p dir="ltr">"A Doll's House: Nora Perceived by Other Characters" StudyMode.com. 10 1999. 1999. 10 1999</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>I found a lot of today’s perception. I also found contrasts of today’s perception, and back then.</strong></p>
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<p dir="ltr">The Perception of Lovers- William Shakespeare’s "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" and Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll House. N.p., n.d.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>I again, found a lot of today’s perception. And back then.</strong></p>
<b><b> </b></b>
<p dir="ltr">"Introduction" Nineteenth-Century Literary Criticism Ed. Lynn M. Zott. Vol. 134. Gale Cengage 2004 eNotes.com 14 Oct, 2013</p>
<b id="docs-internal-guid--aa653e6-26a5-f4bf-3496-2615a550973c">I found information on the compare and contrasts I did. And also about Ruzhen.</b>