(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Henrik Ibsen

            Henrik Ibsen was born in Norway on March 20, 1828. He was the eldest of five children, and the son of a prominent merchant and his wife. He married Suzannah Thoresen in 1858 and they had a child, Sigurd Ibsen. Ibsen felt strongly about marriage and that man and women should be equal. They should each be free to develop in their own way.
             Ibsen often stated that his work and characters really represented human beings that he knew. In a speech to the Christian students in 1874 he stated. "All I have written. I have mentally lived through. I have also written on the opposite, on that which to introspective contemplation appears as the dregs and sediments of one's own nature" (Gallienne, XXVIII). A Doll's House and Hedda Gabbler both were written with an internal motive to explore personalities within a social context.
             Ibsen consistently denied the accuracy of being labeled a feminist, he was definitely sympathetic to the womens" rights issues.
             In Norway, Ibsen witnessed the development of a woman's movement in the 1880's. It was financially necessary to be middle class and to provide for a daughter who was not married. Women, at that time, were barred from receiving an education or any dignified employment. In 1884, Ibsen petitioned the government to demand that married women be allowed to earnings and property. At the time, the only passions a woman was to have were to love her children, home, and domestic duties. A woman was to teach her daughters to carry on her path and not to try and go above the pecking order.
             Ibsen's plays expressed the struggles of people to bring their lives into harmony with their convictions. It was important to Ibsen that women achieve a balance between self and individuality. One's personal identity as apposed to animality was displayed by overcoming obstacles which prevented the individual's development. Usually that which constitutes individualism causes one to be at odds with what would be expected by society.


Essays Related to Henrik Ibsen

1. A Doll's House - Oppression of Women

Henrik Ibsen sparked an early version of the women's rights movement and a trend toward different marital standards. ... Hjalmar Boyesen, in A Commentary on the Works of Henrik Ibsen, remarks, "As long as women are brought up primarily with a view to pleasing men, their individuality must of necessity be sacrificed. ... " (Ibsen 1). ... (Ibsen 3). ... Henrik Ibsen changed modern literature with A Doll's House. ...

  • Word Count: 1148
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Clothing Symbolksm in A Doll's House

This can be seen through the play A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen. ... Within Henrik Ibsen's play, A Doll's House, Ibsen uses the symbolism of clothing to illustrate freedom. ... " Although Ibsen has Kristine directly referring to the fancy dress, Ibsen also has her indirectly referring to Nora's marriage. ... This can be seen through Henrik Ibsen's play, A Doll's House, when Nora is forced to wear what her husband wants her too which covers up her identity causing her to discover who she is when she leaves him, gaining more freedom as she does so. Within Henr...

  • Word Count: 1443
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Community in Ibsen-the defining element in an Individividual

Henrik Ibsen lived in the Age of Invention and he alone invented the modern drama. One of Ibsen's most important contributions to literature or to drama is the throwing out of the kings and their courtiers. ... We find Pastor Manders, overtly careful of his reputation appearing as another specimen of Ibsen's artificial society. ... In these later works, Ibsen bares the very soul of bourgeois culture. ... The very best art cleanses the soul, and Henrik Ibsen is gentle in doing that as he scrubs you with a brittle brush in the freezing waters of fjords. ...

  • Word Count: 1368
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Feminism and and the Works of Ibsen

This is exactly the case for nineteenth century Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. ... An inarguably feminist icon born of Ibsen's dramatic literature is Hedda Gabler. ... Regardless of whether or not Ibsen and critics considered his work to be feminist, women who attended performances of Ibsen plays were overwhelmingly empowered by what they saw. During the years of 1880 and 1900, all but three of Ibsen's plays were originally produced as matinees. ... When presented with the works of Ibsen, women could immediately identify with the situations being played out in front of them. ...

  • Word Count: 1867
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. Analysis of A Doll's House

The ending to Ibsen's play, is pretty far from happy. ... Henrik Ibsen was one of the first realist writers of the nineteenth century. ... It is these, "essential structural features," that not only reflect human morality, presented by Ibsen, but reflect Ibsen's realist style of writing. ... Ibsen believed that people could realize themselves, by breaking out of society's norms. ... Ibsen also believed that people could form their lives by making the right choices. ...

  • Word Count: 820
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

6. A doll's house

A DOLL"S HOUSE written by, Henrik Ibsen is recognized as a landmark contribution to modern theater. Ibsen was credited with being the origin of a new modern perspective that was beginning to emerge in the literary and dramatic world, challenging the marriage and gender roles in 19th century Europe. ... In Ibsen's play, A DOLL"S HOUSE, he says what can I not say. ... The purpose of the play was to provoke thought and incite revolution which is exactly what Ibsen did. ...

  • Word Count: 328
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Victorian Society in A Doll's House

Set in 19th century Victorian era Norway, Henrik Ibsen's tri-partite play A Doll's House explores the idea that status and wealth influence people's lives. ... Ibsen conveys that wealth can give power over others and their own decisions. ... Similarly, Ibsen uses props to develop this idea. ... Ibsen uses the technique of stage directions to convey this idea. ... Throughout Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, the themes of status and wealth are prevalent throughout and causes the characters that are in control, such as Torvald, to be seen as dominant however without a true ...

  • Word Count: 926
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. Ibsen

" DOGEN Henrik Ibsen (1828 - 1906) was a Norwegian writer whose work is primarily dramatic. ... Born on March 20th, 1828 in Skien, Norway, Henrik was the second of the six children. ... The play caused an uproar throughout Europe and America and Henrik Ibsen continued to suffer severe criticism from his critics. ... "The voice of Henrik Ibsen in Ghosts sounds like the trumpets before the walls of Jericho. ... Ibsen " . ...

  • Word Count: 3365
  • Approx Pages: 13
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Analysis of A Doll House

Henrik Ibsen, "The Father of Modern Drama-, was born on March 20, 1828, in Skien, Norway. ... In 1850, Ibsen applied to medical school, but failed his exams. ... It was during this time that he wrote A Doll House in 1879, which would eventually earn him the title of "father of modern drama,"" (Cassady 257) A Doll House, by Henrik Ibsen was published on December 4, 1879, and was first performed in Copenhagen on December 21, 1879. ... I don't want all this,"" (Ibsen 1534). ... ,"" (Ibsen 1534). ...

  • Word Count: 1518
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question