Ibsen, "The Dollhouse": a summary, an analysis

Henry Ibsen - one of the most famous European playwrights of the XIX century, famous for the invention of a new drama. Publicist and poet, he had the greatest influence on the theater. Today we would have seen completely different productions, if not for the innovative ideas that Ibsen brought. "Doll House" (the short content of this work will be our main topic) is his most famous play, in which the author's concept was fully reflected.

History of creation

The author began work on the play already in 1878, and then the first sketches appeared. I endeavored to express the problems of modern reality, dressing them in the classical form of tragedy, Ibsen.

"Doll House" (a summary will be presented below) was released in a year. The play was based on real events. Prototypes Norma writer chose Laura Keeler, a Norwegian writer. It was Ibsen who advised her to study literature, and that was the beginning of their friendship. The girl after the death of her father married Victor Keeler, a kind man who had the only drawback - stinginess. After a while he fell ill, and needed treatment abroad. There was no money, and Laura took a secret loan from her husband in a bank. They went to Switzerland, Victor recovered. It was time for the bank payment, but there was still no money, and Laura told the truth to her husband. Under the influence of his friends, he demanded a divorce, which soon took place. The woman was taken away by the children, and she herself was admitted insane. But soon her husband returned to her, the marriage was restored, and Laura began to write. It was the life of this woman that became the starting point for the play.

Ibsen, "Doll House": a brief summary. Start

The action takes place in Norway, in the apartment of Torvald Helmer, who works as an attorney, and his wife Nora. The eve of Christmas Eve. Nora comes back with lots of presents for her children and her husband. Torvald lovingly meets his wife and jokingly says that she is a whorl. Nora protests that this is okay, as the new year heralds a rise.

Torvald retires to his office, courting Nora, who after three births looks great. Frou Linde, an old friend of Mrs. Helmer, enters. Since the last meeting, the girlfriends have been eight years. Linda had time to bury her husband during this time, and she never appeared in her marriage.

Nora's History

It's time for Norah to talk about his life. In the first year of marriage, Thorvald fell ill, and he needed to change the climate. Then Nora took money against a receipt from a certain gentleman, and her husband said that his father had given the trip. Now she always pays interest, and the money for this secretly takes from Helmer.

Norma offers Fr Linda help - the husband can take her to his workplace. Right now he is firing his attorney Krogstad, which means that the place is vacated. It turns out that Frou Linde is a little acquainted with this man.

Forgery

So unaccustomed to the modern reader of realism immediately attracts attention. Moreover, portraying reality is the main task that Henry Ibsen has set himself. "Doll House" (a summary can confirm this) is not just a work that aspires to truth, but a work based on it.

So, Torvald fires his attorney. The reason is once his forgery, connected with money papers. The court acquitted Krogstad, but Helmer does not want anything to do with such a person.

Swiftly twists the intrigue in the play "Doll House" (Ibsen). A brief summary of the actions tells that Krogstad is exactly the person who lent Nora money. Now he asks for intercession before Torvald. In addition, he managed to prove himself well in the bank, and in fact, there are no reasons for dismissal.

Nora fulfills the request, but her husband does not act in any way. Helmer refuses her, because she does not take it seriously at all. Having learned this, Krogstad threatens with exposure. But not only Nora is the victim of his blackmail, the former attorney sends Torvald a letter where he threatens to tell everyone about his wife's misdemeanor, then the bank career will come to an end. Nora does not know how to do it now.

Solution

Very realistic and natural depicts his characters Ibsen. "Doll House", the brief content of which we continue to describe, paints quite natural human reactions. So, Nora, afraid of future exposure and shame, first wants to commit suicide. But the idea that her name will be defiled after death stops her.

The decision turns out to be unexpected, it turns out that Fra Linde and Krogstad once had love connected, but the woman had to marry another to improve the financial situation of the sick mother and little brothers. Now she is free and ready to follow the dictates of the heart. Krogstad is glad, he refuses his blackmail, because he already found true love and happiness in life. The only problem is that Helmer's letter has already been sent and fell into his mailbox, the key to which the owner always carries with him.

Letter

The play, written by G. Ibsen ("Doll House"), is coming to an end. The summary describes the scene of reading the letter Helmer. At first he simply can not believe in what he read, and then he gets angry. Is his dear beauty a criminal? And now because of her, the increase achieved by such works is in jeopardy. Torvald decides to take the children away, Nora is left for decency in the house, but they will live separately.

But here they bring a new letter. It is from Krogstad, which renounces its claims and returns the borrowed papers of Nora. Helman immediately gets excited: everything will be as before. But Nora disagrees with this, she is going to leave the house. Torvald, who always perceived his wife as a toy, is struck by her independence. Nora is disappointed in her husband, he behaved like a coward, and not like a man. Henceforth, they do not have anything to do with anything else.

Despite the surprise, Helman understands the seriousness of Nora's words and intentions. He tries to convince his wife that from now on it will treat her differently, but the woman does not believe him anymore. Nora does not back down from her choice.

Analysis

The main theme of the play is the relation in society to the woman and her social status. It was to this problem that Ibsen sought to attract attention. "Doll House" (a brief summary of the chapters illustrates the problem) is now widely regarded as a hymn to feminism. However, this is not the whole problem of the work. The author wrote about the freedom of man as a person in general. And the main attacks do not sound to men, but, rather, to the very society of the 70s of the XIX century. Dead laws, obdurate attitudes and norms of the bourgeois world - that's what Ibsen wanted to expose.

The image of the doll house

The doll house is the main symbol of the work, and it is connected with the image of the main character. So, the puppetry of Nora's world was well manifested in the scene of a woman's game with her children. Hide and seek are accompanied by laughter and merriment, and Nora is portrayed as the same age as her children. From this idyllic world of toys she is pulled by the arrival of Krogstad, who threatens to tell Helmer about the loan. After this, a woman can not again have a carefree fun, her thoughts are overwhelmed by the threatening troubles.

Gradually, a clash with the brutal real world destroys the doll house in which Nora lives. And thanks to this, a woman acquires independence, the opportunity to see the world as it is. This is the idea that Ibsen ("Doll House") put into the play. Summary, analysis and reader's observations allow us to conclude that this work is about freedom and how to obtain this freedom.