1. A Doll’s House
By Henrik Ibsen
By PresenterMedia.com

2. Meet the Author In Skein, Norway on March 20, 1828.
Born
In Skein, Norway on March 20, 1828.
Early Years
Grew up in poverty. Lived and worked primarily in Italy and Germany.
Became
One of the most respected playwrights of all time. Often called “the father of modern drama” because he helped popularize REALISM. He dealt objectively with the problems confronting everyday people and looked at these problems without the distortions of romanticism.

3. Norway during the 1800s
Underdeveloped country with almost no culture of its own.
Denmark had ruled Norway for more than 400 years until 1814 when it gained independence.
However, almost immediately it came under Swedish rule, but Sweden exerted little power over the Norwegians.
Culturally, Norwegians remained under the influence of Denmark. During Ibsen’s early childhood, Norwegians were on the search for their own identity.
The tension between Danish and Norwegian cultures impacted Ibsen’s early life and work.

4. Ibsen’s Life
After losing interest in studying medicine, Ibsen became interested in theater so he began writing plays.
In 1857, he became director of the Norwegian Theater of Christiana.
It went bankrupt in 1864, which helped Ibsen decide to leave Norway. (He would not return for 27 years, at the end of his life)
Even though he was frustrated with Norwegians and perceived them as unenlightened, he constantly wrote about Norway and always set his plays there.
He attacked political conservatism, insincere religiosity, and bourgeois values.
His plays describe a struggle against the dark forces within one’s own soul, which Ibsen felt was one of life’s overarching themes.

5. Ibsen’s Life Continued
His plays, however successful they were with audiences, never met with unanimous admiration.
He was reviled and defamed throughout his life for his bold ideas and scandalous characters.
He returned to Norway near the end of his life.
He died in Oslo on May 23, 1906.

6. About the play
“To a generation of students raised on liberated dolls such as Barbies and Bratz, Henrik Ibsen’s A Dolls’ House uncovers a shocking secret: some dolls don’t get to play the roles they really want. Ibsen’s Nora Helmer is a doll trapped in her house, a condition underscored by the fact that all the play’s action takes place in her own living room. Repressed by a husband who expects her to fulfill her wifely and motherly roles under strict guidelines of morality and appearance, Nora discovers she has a will of her own. Ultimately, Nora realizes there is only one path that leads to her true identity, and that path begins outside the doll house.”

7. Controversy Behind A Doll’s House
During the Victorian Era, it was considered scandalous to suggest that a woman might have something other to do than keep house and raise children.
Ibsen was criticized for challenging societal norms and for undermining society’s most sacred institution: marriage.

8. Continue Controversy
Ibsen, however, denied the work as a feminist piece.
When honored by the Norwegian Society for Women’s Rights he said, “I’m not even quite sure what women’s rights really are. To me it has been a question of human rights.”

9. Themes/Topics to Consider While Reading
Gender Roles
Appearance vs. Reality
The Individual vs. Society
Deception & Morality
Money and Inheritance

10. Homework
Bring in an object that symbolizes individualism, identity, or reality vs. appearance and be prepared to explain your object tomorrow in class.