Act one scene one from ‘a doll’s house’ by Henrik Ibsen is effective in many ways for enrapturing its audience. Henrik Ibsen successfully manages to introduce many themes and issues alone into the first scene. The scene focuses solely on the two characters Nora and Torvald. Our first impressions are that they are a happily married couple but there are many clues, which hint at the marriage Nora and Torvald have. It appears Torvald controls Nora. Ibsen seems to suggest Nora is a vivacious and cheerful character who is very spirited. Her humming and her smiling all add to the gaiety of her character. In contrast her characterisation to Torvald is very different. Ibsen portrays Torvald as an admirable man who is rigidly honest, a hard worker, and a man of high ethical ideals. He is serious and logical whilst Nora is not; she is made to be very feminine whilst Torvald is conveyed as the representative figure of masculine society.

Their behaviour toward each other is affectionate, there does not seem to be any tension between them, Nora appears to be a submissive and depende

Ibsen raises the issue of truth and deception. Ibsen represents Torvald as honest and hardworking but he has Nora lying. Torvald asks if Nora has been breaking rules and eating macaroons. Nora lies and denies that she has been eating macaroons, declaring that she would never go against Torvald's wishes.

She is Torvald’s ‘skylark’, his ‘squirrel’ and does not object to the terms he uses over her. In fact she plays up to him, she plays the role of a child and does not act the role of a mature married mother. Her role is soon very clear; while he lectures her gently and treats her as a child she uses the child like façade in manipulating him into giving in to her. Though Torvald is in charge, taking the leading male role, adopting a conventionally controlling tone when talking about the rules of money, it is Nora through her cajoling, teasing and asking who gets Torvald without him realizing giving her more money. It is her way of controlling him slyly without causing tension. It is as if Nora is playing a game. The scene is relatively difficult because it appears in some ways both of them have the upper hand, in the end we refer to the title of the play. The title ‘A doll’s house’ lets us employ a metaphor to the play to see what is happening in the Helmer household as to somehow reflecting a child’s game featuring an artificial life of dolls manipulated by the doll, master or mistress. The title helps us reflect at who is the one in power of the situation. Because the scene shows us Torvald being assertive but also Nora controlling Torvald and making him give in to her. Symbolically Nora appears to be the doll living in a doll’s house. However we as an audience do not really know who is in control, and the confusion effectively makes us want to find out by seeing the rest of the play.

Ibsen h

Some topics in this essay:
Quotation Torvald’s, Nora Torvald, Torvald Marriage, Torvald Ibsen, Nora Ibsen, Torvald Nora’s, Symbolically Nora, Henrik Ibsen, , Torvald Nora, nora torvald, nora money, nora lying torvald, henrik ibsen, issues scene, nora ibsen, tension nora, ibsen effective, nora appears, ‘a doll’s house’, torvald believes, control relationship,