Henrik Ibsen is considered by many as one of the greatest contributors to modern theatre. However for the majority of his life he lived as a failure. He lived through poverty, scandal and rejection from society. The theatre he had run, the Norwegian Theatre in Bergen had closed, and none of his plays were a success. It was during his time as director there however, that he absorbed techniques that unexpectedly proved vital to his career. His own plays he performed there were failures, and as such he was forced to produce plays he considered mindless and of little importance, such as the comedies of Eugene Scribe. These plays were written using his formula for the “piece-bien faite”. In this essay I will be discussing how Ibsen drew from this formula and adapted it into something far greater than the sum of it’s parts. For the purposes of this essay I will be discussing “A Doll’s House”, probably Ibsen’s best known work.

The term “piece bien faite” was coined by Eugene Scribe to articulate the formula he devised for the writing of a well made play. These manufactured plays were written purely for entertainment and the m

A play that questioned a woman’s place in society was unheard of. Government and church officials were outraged. Ibsen was even blamed by some for the rising divorce rate. Despite the overtly harsh criticism it received “A Doll’s House” became the talk of Europe. Soon it was translated into many languages and performed all over the world. The controversy it caused established Ibsen as an international figure. Ibsen had finally found the acclaim and success he so richly deserved. Ibsen realist period established him as one of the greatest and most lasting contributors to modern drama. And like most great, lasting writers Ibsen was primarily an innovator. His ability to take a stale formula, and adapt it to his own means, to achieve a platform for serious discussion, is a testament to his greatness as a playwright.

It is here where Ibsen’s scuttle genius is most visible, and where he leaves the formula of the “piece-bien faite” behind him. The final scene of a “well-made play” calls for a denouement, a resolution which is entirely logical and hence, clear. It is not supposed to have any unsolved issues or loose ends to puzzle the audience. As with a “well-made play”, here all the secrets are revealed, the letter is read, and Torvald forgives Nora. Following the logic of cause and effect, that should be the end of “A Doll’s House”; if it were a “well-made play”. It is here that Ibsen converts this formula from be

Some topics in this essay:
Doll’s House”, Eugene Scribe, Linde Indeed, Europe Soon, Theatre Bergen, Henrik Ibsen, , doll’s house”, “a doll’s house”, “a doll’s, Structurally Ibsen, Thematically Ibsen’s, “well-made play”, form structure, “piece-bien faite”, Nora Torvald, logic cause effect, modern drama, initial exposition, bien faite”, “piece bien, eugene scribe, formula “piece-bien faite”, “piece bien faite”,