On 21st December of 1879, A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen opened at the Det Kongelige Teater in Copenhagen, Denmark.       Other noted productions range from the Young Vic Theatre, in London, England, June of 2012, to multiple productions in the United States across the nation from Florida to California.  ((Hattie Morahan and Dominic Rowan in A Doll’s House at Young Vic Theatre. ))
     In the late nineteenth century a few of the cultural ideals were summed up in two words, Bourgeois Respectability. This referred to an individual being financially successful, the ability to only move upward in the metaphorical status tower, being able to live morally guilt and debt free, and with the traditional ‘cookie cutter’ family of the time. A family stood for patriarchal ideals, where a women had little to no power economically in their family, as displayed in A Doll’s House, in the household of Torvald and Nora. Women also had to rely on men, and we’re only expected to be a wife and a mother, and nothing more. Being a mother were looked at as the best thing that a women could do with her life, after she had become a wife. Unfortunately maternal instincts were consequently fading, since many mothers were relying on someone else to raise their child, since they still had an entire family to take care of, and did not know how to balance both by themselves.        The ideal women of the time was expected to be patient, devoted, financially conservative, and hard working in the household. In the General Baptist Repository and Missionary Observer of 1840, described a women of the time by saying, “…her ardent and unceasing flow of spirits, extreme activity and diligence, her punctuality, uprightness and remarkable frugality, combined with a firm reliance on God…carried her through the severest times of pressure, both with credit and respectability…”      Within the middle class the typical home was meant to be portrayed as comfortable as possible, as clearly displayed through the life-like set of A Doll’s House. The way a women dressed was a reflection of the their homes interior design. This also was a way of solidifying the fact of the home being where a women had belonged. Many books and sort of instruction manuals, such as Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management, bestseller for over fifty years, were published on how to manage a household properly and efficiently. In the Christian Miscellany and Family Visitor of 1890, a housewife was described as, “She is the architect of home, and it depends on her skill, her foresight  her “lodestar to all hearts”, or whether it shall be a house from which husband and children are glad to escape to the street, the theatre, or the tavern.”  “The Victorian Era.” The Victorian Era. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov.      2012. <http://www.victoriaspast.com/FrontPorch/victorianera.htm>.
     Henrik Ibsen, born in Norway, lived from 1828 to 1906. His road to success was a long and treacherous one, leaving his success well earned. Ibsen was also a poet, publishing a collection of his poetic works in 1871. When it came to his theatrical works, he faced many critics who were not fans of his contemporary style of writing and presentation. Ibsen’s writings brought forth the depth and thought provoking questions lacking within the shows of the previous artistic movements. He has twenty-seven recognized works, beginning with Catiline (1850) and finishing with When We Dead Awaken (1899).         When We Dead Awaken is looked at as a reflection of his own life as an artist, not to be confused with Rubek, the main character, being a ‘self portrait’ so to speak. In this drama, Ibsen contrasts art and life, where art is a restraint that is inescapable, but consequently a trap the artist doesn’t desire to free from.       Most of Ibsen’s writings can be put forth as a desire for people to reevaluate how they live with a blind eye to their moral wrongs and not enough appreciation for their moral rights, as well as a lack of appreciation for what one has instead of a focus on what one desires. In 1875, after he has written for twenty-five years he proclaimed that his writing up to this point involved, ”…the contradiction between ability and aspiration, between will and possibility…” Ibsen has also been quoted saying, “My main goal has been to depict people, human moods and human fates, on the basis of certain predominant social conditions and perceptions.”       Ibsen had already been recognized outside Norway with Pillars of Society, butA Doll’s House and Ghost brought him to the fore front of the new age movement happening across Europe. His works were questioning the status quo that had been so very well established, and defended by those who resided on top, but he managed to stand his ground and found more and more people supporting his plays, who were relating, on a personal level, to the characters he has created.  Hemmer, Bjorn. The Dramatist: HENRIK IBSEN. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov.      2012 <http://www.mnc.net/norway/Ibsen.htm>.
The Language of A Doll’s House.

The Language of A Doll’s House.

Sources Billington, Michael. “A Doll’s House – Review.” The Guardian. Guardian      News and   Media, 10 July 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2012.      <http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2012/jul/10/dolls-house-young-vic-review>. “The Dramatist: HENRIK IBSEN.” Henrik Ibsen Biography. N.p., n.d. Web.      10 Nov. 2012. <http://www.mnc.net/norway/Ibsen.htm>. “Lecture on Ibsen, A Doll’s House.” Lecture on Ibsen, A Doll’s House. N.p.,      n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. <http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/introser/ibsen.htm>. “Urban: Doll’s House.” Urban: Doll’s House. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.      <http://department.monm.edu/classics/speel_festschrift/urban.htm>. “The Victorian Era.” The Victorian Era. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2012.      <http://www.victoriaspast.com/FrontPorch/victorianera.htm>.

Sources

Billington, Michael. “A Doll’s House – Review.” The Guardian. Guardian
     News and   Media, 10 July 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2012.
     <http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2012/jul/10/dolls-house-young-vic-review>.
“The Dramatist: HENRIK IBSEN.” Henrik Ibsen Biography. N.p., n.d. Web.
     10 Nov. 2012. <http://www.mnc.net/norway/Ibsen.htm>.
“Lecture on Ibsen, A Doll’s House.” Lecture on Ibsen, A Doll’s House. N.p.,
     n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. <http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/introser/ibsen.htm>.
“Urban: Doll’s House.” Urban: Doll’s House. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.
     <http://department.monm.edu/classics/speel_festschrift/urban.htm>.
“The Victorian Era.” The Victorian Era. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2012.
     <http://www.victoriaspast.com/FrontPorch/victorianera.htm>.