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Connotations and Context of A Doll's House

The document provides context and background information about Henrik Ibsen's play "A Doll's House". It discusses the play's groundbreaking nature in addressing women's rights and identity at the time. It also examines the historical and political context of 19th century Norway when women had very few legal rights and were expected to be subordinate to their husbands. The objectives are to understand this context and how Ibsen presents the struggle for identity and women's rights through the play.

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17 views8 pages

Connotations and Context of A Doll's House

The document provides context and background information about Henrik Ibsen's play "A Doll's House". It discusses the play's groundbreaking nature in addressing women's rights and identity at the time. It also examines the historical and political context of 19th century Norway when women had very few legal rights and were expected to be subordinate to their husbands. The objectives are to understand this context and how Ibsen presents the struggle for identity and women's rights through the play.

Uploaded by

api-25916272
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

What connotations does ‘Doll’s House’ create for you?

Divide these into positive and negative connotations.


What associations do you make with the
following statements.

‘exploded like a bomb into


Contemporary modern life’
‘A slice of real-life’
‘naturalism’
‘the rights of women’
You are politely requested not to
discuss Ibsen’s new play!

Helmer: Before everything else, you’re a wife


and mother.’

Nora: I believe that before everything else I’m


a human being – just as much as you are ... Or
at any rate I shall try to become one’
Objectives:
• Understand the historical/political context to
Ibsen’s writing (AO4: context)
• Be able to make connections between this
context and ‘A Doll’s House’ (AO1:
understanding, AO3: connections, AO4:
context)
• Be able, as a result, to start explaining how he
presents the STRUGGLE FOR IDENTITY (AO1:
understanding, AO2: lang/structure)
‘In many ways ‘A Doll’s House’ changed the world.’
• Ibsen was passionately concerned with social issues
• Both the manner and matter of ‘A Doll’s House’ were
groundbreaking.
– Many believed acting had become false and was viewed by many as ill-fitting
especially in a time when science was making such headway (photography
and phonography)
• First performed in the late 19th century
• By the end of the 19th century performed in:
– Germany
– France
– UK
– USA
• Ibsen was forced to write a ‘happy ending’ for the German
production and both the UK and USA staged free adaptation endings.
– Janet Achurch and Charles Charrington self-funded a faithful production
between 1889-1895
Women in Ibsen’s Time
• In the 19th century Britain women were expected to marry and have
children.
• The laws in Britain were based on the idea that women would get
married and that their husbands would take care of them. Before the
passing of the 1882 Married Property Act, when a woman got married
her wealth was passed to her husband. If a woman worked after
marriage, her earnings also belonged to her husband.
• Once married, it was extremely difficult for a woman to obtain a divorce.
The Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857 gave men the right to divorce their
wives on the grounds of adultery. However, married women were not
able to obtain a divorce if they discovered that their husbands had been
unfaithful. Once divorced, the children became the man's property and
the mother could be prevented from seeing her children.
• New Zealand and Australia gave women the right to vote (it came much
later for women in the UK)
Act One
• How do the audience’s perceptions of Nora
change during Act One?
• What differences between male and female
attitudes are evident in Act One?
• What is Nora and Helmer’s relationship like?
• What is significant about the setting?
• What similarities can you draw between ‘A Doll’s
House’ and other texts that you have read as part
of this course?
Who/what
restricts Nora?

What is How does Nora


interesting about react to the
Helmer’s use of restrictions?
language?

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