During the early 1800s, Norway was dominated by aristocracy. However, a new class was emerging as affluent. They were the middle class. Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is a didactic play that critiques ideologies prominent in the middle class. He explores the middle class desire to be seen as impeccable through the meaning created by the stage directions and setting of the stage. The playwright reveals the stage as an extension of society and as the drama unfolds, the audience is aware of the role deception plays in the rigid class structure of the Victorian Era.
The play’s title foreshadows the symbolic importance of the stage. As the audience is introduced to the living room of the Helmers’ home, it becomes apparent that it is a metaphorical …show more content…
As Nora is confined to this setting throughout the play, references to “a door (that) leads to the hall… (with) another door (that) leads to Helmer’s study” (Ibsen, Act 1, P2) is indicative of her restriction not just in this setting but as the audience soon sees, within the social fabric of society. Socially, families had to appear normal and functional in the eyes of society; in Victorian times, dysfunctional marriages and families were considered scandalous. When Nora “tip-toe(s) to her husband’s door and listens” as she “sneakily eats a macaroon…” (Ibsen, Act 2, P3) the audience receives the first hint of deception that underpins the play. Ibsen further carries this deception over when Nora “hides the bag of macaroons” (Ibsen, Act 1, P3). As the play progresses this deception is amplified while dramatic irony privileges the …show more content…
The playwright criticizes the fact that individuals try to hide the natural order of things such as darkness with man-made facades. The light dims as the play progresses and more of Nora’s real self is shown to the audience. As “Rank stands outside… it grows dark” (Ibsen, Act 1, P62) the metaphorical darkness supports the eventual revelations by Rank that he is in love with Nora. As neither of these confessions support the ideal of middle class morality they are tossed aside as though they were not mentioned and “Ellen enters with the lamp” (Ibsen, Act 2, P68). The lamp symbolically implies that the protagonist is not willing to confront the reality of the situation. The playwright juxtaposes the use of light and dark; the warmth of the light creates an appearance that everything was functioning normally, blinding society to
The play’s title foreshadows the symbolic importance of the stage. As the audience is introduced to the living room of the Helmers’ home, it becomes apparent that it is a metaphorical …show more content…
As Nora is confined to this setting throughout the play, references to “a door (that) leads to the hall… (with) another door (that) leads to Helmer’s study” (Ibsen, Act 1, P2) is indicative of her restriction not just in this setting but as the audience soon sees, within the social fabric of society. Socially, families had to appear normal and functional in the eyes of society; in Victorian times, dysfunctional marriages and families were considered scandalous. When Nora “tip-toe(s) to her husband’s door and listens” as she “sneakily eats a macaroon…” (Ibsen, Act 2, P3) the audience receives the first hint of deception that underpins the play. Ibsen further carries this deception over when Nora “hides the bag of macaroons” (Ibsen, Act 1, P3). As the play progresses this deception is amplified while dramatic irony privileges the …show more content…
The playwright criticizes the fact that individuals try to hide the natural order of things such as darkness with man-made facades. The light dims as the play progresses and more of Nora’s real self is shown to the audience. As “Rank stands outside… it grows dark” (Ibsen, Act 1, P62) the metaphorical darkness supports the eventual revelations by Rank that he is in love with Nora. As neither of these confessions support the ideal of middle class morality they are tossed aside as though they were not mentioned and “Ellen enters with the lamp” (Ibsen, Act 2, P68). The lamp symbolically implies that the protagonist is not willing to confront the reality of the situation. The playwright juxtaposes the use of light and dark; the warmth of the light creates an appearance that everything was functioning normally, blinding society to