Overview

The slamming of the front door at the end of A Doll's House shatters the romantic masquerade of the Helmers' marriage. In their stultifying and infantilised relationship, Nora and Torvald have deceived themselves and each other both consciously and subconsciously, until Nora acknowledges the need for individual freedom. A Doll's House (1879), is a masterpiece of theatrical craft which, for the first time portrayed the tragic hypocrisy of Victorian middle class marriage on stage. The play ushered in a new social era and ""exploded like a bomb into contemporary life"". ""Meyer's translations of Ibsen are a major fact in one's general sense of post-war drama. Their vital pace, their unforced insistence on the poetic centre of Ibsen's genius, have beaten academic versions from the field"" (George Steiner)

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9781408106020

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Reviews

'Ibsen's great feminist drama' Charles Spencer, Daily Telegraph, 20.5.09 'Many a husband reeled back in horror after the premiere of Ibsen's marriage-shaking play in 1879. The fellow was actually challenging the sacred values of family life by suggesting a woman could break free of the marital gilded cage. What next? They will want the vote.' Paul Callan, Daily Express, 20.5.09 'Ibsen's drama is a powerful statement of his radical beliefs about gender, the folly of idealism and the nature of modern love. In essence, it is the story of woman who wakes up to reality.' Henry Hitchings, Evening Standard, 20.5.09 'Ibsen caused a storm with the notion that women were as entitled as men to think and live for themselves.' John Nathan, Jewish Chronicle, 21.5.09

Author Information

Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) was a Norwegian playwright and poet whose realistic, symbolic and often controversial plays revolutionised European theatre. He is widely regarded as the father of modern drama. His acclaimed plays include A Doll's House, Ghosts, Hedda Gabler, An Enemy of the People and The Pillars of the Community.

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