Teaching Literature in A Doll’s House Drama

In education, teaching literature is an essential way to strengthen students’ character building. A kind of literature to teach character building is drama. Drama is literary work that contains so many characters. It can be used as a tool for character development to students who have been taught with literature. This article aims to discuss the characters of Nora Helmer (a woman lived in Victorian era when women had powerlessness) in A Doll’s House Drama written by Henrik Ibsen. The method used is descriptive qualitative. It concentrated on providing explanation in the form of description about Nora Helmer’s characters that could be taught as students’ character building. The analysis of Nora’s characters results several findings. Woman’s figure represented by Nora’s characters are loyal, love and compassion; obedient; care and helpful; patience and spirited; responsible; brave. The findings show that a woman at that time even though she had a lot of difficulties, she tried to solve the problem, she tried to be the best for her husband and family. But when she was disrespected, she had to be brave to uphold her dignity. This article expects the students can increase their good characters, competence, conscience, and compassion in learning language.

Re-reading Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House: A Modern Feminist Perspective

This article aims to present a re-reading of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House from a feminist perspective. Ibsen’s play is a pioneering feminist play, and he is credited for creating the first real feminist character in the history of theatre. The central female characters are analyzed, and the article also addresses the attitude of society towards women and how they struggle to prove themselves. Feminist literary criticism and feminism constitute the conceptual framework of the paper. In this play, Nora Helmer is under the illusion that her married life is perfect and that she owns what she deserves. Torvald, her husband calls her a ‘twittering lark’, ‘squirrel’, ‘song-bird’, and she is pleased with it. However, her illusion shatters when she faces the reality of finding herself being treated like a doll. As soon as she realizes that there exists an individual self of her, she revolts. She leaves the house, challenging the social institutions which contribute to women’s subjugation. Nora protests against the ill-treatment towards her by society for her willingness to get her right back, for her self-respect, and for finding herself.

Strained Marriage Relationships in Ibsen’s A Doll’s House and Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers: A Critical Analysis

Strained marriage is a traumatic experience which is influenced by complex social, financial, cultural and psychological factors. For this study two European literary couples Nora-Helmer and Gertrude-Mr. Morel from Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House and D.H. Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers are taken and their problems get visible for real life couples to see. This paper is mainly related to the fact that many issues regarding strained marriage are still under-researched. This study attempts to go into the depth of this global issue by providing information through critical textual analysis. In nature, it is an explanatory as well as exploratory research. A qualitative approach will be employed to know about the causes of strained marriage relationship and its consequences on the couples and families.

Robins, Elizabeth (1862–1952)

Born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1862, Elizabeth Robins established herself in the American theater and then relocated to London in 1888. She epitomizes the grasp that the plays of Henrik Ibsen held on performers in the 1890s. Indeed, she outshone other professionals by laying claim to performing and producing the first English-speaking Hedda Gabler (1891) and the first Hilda Wangel (1893, in The Master Builder). She felt that the stage-management system prevented women from having a say in their profession, and therefore she welcomed the Independent Theatre Movement. She formed the Joint Management Company with American actress Marion Lea, her stage partner and co-producer for Hedda Gabler, and she organized several subscription series to mount not only Ibsen’s plays but also other artistic theater. Her feminist play Votes for Women (1907) was at the vanguard of pro-suffrage drama. Performances organized by Robins of Hedda Gabler and The Master Builder were rivaled in impact only by the initial sensation created by Janet Achurch as Nora Helmer in her London production of A Doll’s House in 1889. Robins’ other Ibsen roles included Martha in The Pillars of Society, Asta in Little Eyolf, Agnes in a production of Act 4 of Brand, Ella Reintheim in John Gabriel Borkman, Mrs Linde in A Doll’s House, and Rebecca West in Rosmersholm.

Nora Helmer in Ibsen’s A Doll’s House: A Feminist concern in English Literature

Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is a very controversial work of literature as it provokes the concept of new women and feminism. Nora’s leaving the household for the name of self-respect is widely debated and has been marked as the first mutinous effort of female individuals against male chauvinist mentalities. The article aims to explore Nora’s mentality and the discussion of critics regarding female liberty. It also sets to find out whether Nora’s decision is acceptable under the social conventionality or her boldness throws her into more devastating situations. Textual references are given with the statements of other critics. A short comparative discussion is also presented to elucidate the concept of feminism and Ibsen’s attitude towards womanhood.