When A Doll’s House was first performed in 1879, the central character of Nora Helmer caused a sensation. A woman who walked out on her husband and three children seemed so outrageous that many could not accept it. Many people went to see A Doll’s House just to find out what happened next, and when Nora reappeared at the end of the play after tor her husband and children, she explained that it must have been a dream and that she would be staying at home to look after her family.
A few days before A Doll’s House opened, Henrik Ibsen had written in his diary: ‘First performance of A Doll’s House… It went well. ‘ But he did not know how well until three days later when A Doll’s House was performed for an audience consisting mainly of women, who applauded so much that they stopped the action on stage. When A Doll’s House opened in London in 1879, there were both cheers and hisses from different parts of the audience.
The Times critic wrote: ‘The woman who has walked out on her husband and children is a monster, not a heroine. ‘ A few years later, A Doll’s House was the first Ibsen play to be performed in America. A critic wrote: ‘Nora Helmer is every young woman of twenty-two who desires to leave her housekeeping duties for a life of irresponsible pleasure. ‘ In some countries, A Doll’s House caused even more sensation because it was forbidden by law.
A year after an authorized French translation had been printed, A Doll’s House appeared as a serialized story in several issues of the radical newspaper La Fronde. When Henri III read it he said that, despite its literary merit, A Doll’s House must never appear again in France. A Doll’s House was also banned in Russia, but a few years later the ban was removed and A Doll’s House was allowed to be performed there. A translation of A Doll’s House appeared in Russia before it had been translated into any other language.
A Doll’s House became very popular in Italy, even though most Italians could not understand Ibsen’s words because A Doll’s House was not translated into Italian until twenty-five years later. A year after A Doll’s House opened, Ibsen wrote another play called Ghosts. Its main character is a woman called Mrs. Alving who tells her son that she wishes she had never married his father because he has made her life miserable by drinking far too much. A year after A Doll’s House opened, Ibsen wrote another play called Ghosts.
Its main character is a woman called Mrs. Alving who tells her son that she wishes she had never married his father because he has made her life miserable by drinking far too much. A few years later, A Doll’s House was performed in Russia even though A Doll’s House had been banned for fourteen years. A critic said of A Doll’s House: “It must be bad if it could not even please the French. ” A few months later, an Italian journalist wrote about A Doll’s House: ‘It will always remain unforgettable.
A Doll’s House takes place in the 19th century and centers around a nameless protagonist who is referred to as Nora Helmer throughout the majority of the narrative. A Doll’s House was written at a time when many women were known for being self centered, uneducated, and frivolous beings while men were typically thought of as being diligent, educated, and logical individuals. A Doll’s House addresses several issues regarding marriage during this time period including how society viewed women. Nora Helmer is described by the author himself as “not very intelligent” (of A Doll’s House). She has very little knowledge of the world beyond her house.
A Doll’s House takes place in an unspecified town, but Nora is raised in a rural area and only leaves home for the first time when she marries Torvald Helmer. A Doll’s House shows how these different types of women react to both intellectual differences between men and women as well as cultural expectations placed on people who are married during this period in nineteenth century society. Before A Doll’s House begins, it is explained that Nora has returned from vacation with some exciting news for Torvald; she has found out that she is wealthy because her father had hidden money away before his death.
A year later, A Doll’s House picks up again and Nora begins noticing that Torvald has become increasingly dismissive of her. A Doll’s House ends with Nora exiting the stage after revealing to her husband that she borrowed a large sum of money from Krogstad, who was initially blackmailing her because he found out about an old misdeed in order to pay back the debt. A few hours later, Torvald receives a note that says that Nora killed herself by taking rat poison because she could no longer live with the guilt that tormented her after what she had done.
Helmer is self-centered and only cares about himself when A Doll’s House starts off. Helmer doesn’t take into consideration how his wife feels when charging all kinds of expenditures on their bank account without asking for her input. A Doll’s House shows that Helmer does not take into consideration the feelings of his wife when he disregards her wishes about how money is spent; however, A Doll’s House also demonstrates that Nora does model her behavior after Helmer’s even though she tries to convince herself otherwise.
A Doll’s House shows that Helmer didn’t care about Nora as a person and only cared about what was best for him financially. This can be seen through how hard he works in order to maintain their lifestyle despite the fact that it means he has very little time left over to spend with his family. A Doll’s House demonstrates this by explaining how Helmer has to work “day and night” just so they will have enough money to pay the bills and maintain their lifestyle (Ibsen, A Doll’s House).
A Doll’s House also shows that Helmer is uninterested in Nora when he fails to take into consideration her feelings by never asking how she feels about anything. A Doll’s House demonstrates this when Nora asks Torvald if he has read her note and Torvald replies with an “Oh! The note? Let me see. ” (Ibsen, A Doll’s House) This goes back to the fact that Helmer does not care about how his wife feels; instead, he simply wants what is best for him financially.
