Community in Ibsen-the defining element in an Individividual

Uniquely among dramatists, he was able to scale the universe down to the size of drawing room, to the size of life itself. Thus giving rise to a drama that was rooted in the society and not outside it. Plays like A Doll’s House, Hadda Gabler and Ghosts are classified under the second phase of his dramatic career. It was during this period that he made the transition from mythical and historical dramas to plays dealing with social problems. A Doll’s House was the first in the series investigating the tensions of family life.

A common and fascinating characteristic of these plays is that they involve small number of characters unlike his earlier plays but in all three we find community personified to play a vital role. A role very much like the Greek gods used to play in

Now Helmer being brought up in the same society is an example of a stereotypical husband. A man who is a strict follower of laws of society but don’t know a thing about the laws of heart. His real self is only restricted to his social state and that is he is a “Bank Manager” Throughout the play there has been sparks, illuminating the character of Helmer but he is totally exposed in the last scene with Nora. Torvald does not immediately offer to help her rather he waits until after he discovers that his social status will suffer no harm.

In these plays we find community acting more or less like an umbrella, engulfing everything under it. It creates an environment, a shadow. What community does is that it partakes the individuality of an individual who is a part of it. Thus it assigns him role making him aware of his social standing and finally providing him with a certain conscience as if limiting his acting space.

Some topics in this essay:
Helmer Nora, Doll’s House, Hadda Gabler, Age Invention, Pastor Manders, Nora Torvald, Gabler Ghosts, Henrik Ibsen, Manager” Throughout, doll’s house, “bank manager”, meeting krogstad, broke law, mere life, rules outside, hadda gabler, plays community, secession society, public opinion,