1. Henrik Ibsen
"Are you accusing the world or is the world accusing you? ".
DOGEN.
Henrik Ibsen (1828 - 1906) was a Norwegian writer whose work is .
primarily dramatic. In the entire history of literature, there are very few who .
have measured up to Ibsen's standard. Recognized as the father of modern .
drama for his realistic portrayal of all types of psycho-sociological problems, .
Ibsen was considered the Shakespeare of the modern era. His plays made the .
everyday man confront himself and evaluate the society and himself with a .
different perspective.
Born on March 20th, 1828 in Skien, Norway, Henrik was the second of .
the six children. "His early experiences with small-town life and genteel poverty .
sensitized him to the problems that he subsequently dramatized in a number of .
his plays." Poverty's interruption of Ibsen's education invoked in him a strong .
distrust towards society and Ibsen became stubborn, rebellious and highly .
unsociable.
It was during the time young Ibsen "briefly assisted an apothecary and .
began medical studies before beginning a lifetime association with the theatre" .
that he began writing satire and elegant poems according to the style prevalent .
during that period. Ibsen's miscellaneous writings soon led him to a position of .
theatre poet and stage manager at the theatre in Bergen and then in Kristiania .
(Oslo). His energy was now directed towards theatre and his plays soon changed .
the history of the stage. Ibsen paid much attention to stagecraft because it was .
part of the dramatic design, which was to drive home the message most .
effectively. "Ibsen's most characteristic works, his social dramas, cannot be fully .
explained without reference to his particular experience of the stage in his early .
days." .
Ibsen once remarked "with pleasure I will torpedo the ark." Unable to .
find himself identifying with the style of the period, he set out to create his own .
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. ...
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. ...
The play was seen as so controversial that Ibsen was forced to write a second ending that he called ''a barbaric outrage'' to be used only when necessary. ... The most direct historical comparison that can be made with A Doll's House is with the woman it is based on, Laura Kieler; who Ibsen based Nora on. ... Although Ibsen's depiction of Nora realistically illustrates the issues facing women in 1800's Norway. ... Ibsen, though, saw political freedom and personal freedom as two very different things; "I shall never agree to identify Freedom with political fre...
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. ...
Criminals of society's morals created a driving force for Ibsen. ... Ibsen has established familiar characters in familiar settings placed in tragic circumstances. ... Ibsen creates a societal background and forces an ordinary person against it. From the audience, Ibsen demands sympathy for his heroes. ... It is a paradox that none of Ibsen's characters manage to escape. ...
Ibsen shows the exploitation of woman through the interactions of Nora and Torvald. ... In the analysis of Ibsen's play, feminist Julia Kristeva analyzes Ibsen's play and uses his lines to draw conclusions about the exploitation of women. ... " (Ibsen, 786). ... Nora states "I've been your wife-doll here, just at home I was papa's doll child" (Ibsen, 817). ... Ibsen's entire play revolves around Nora's character. ...
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. ... Throughout the novel, Ibsen shows how undoubting Nora is of Torvald. ... Within Henrik Ibsen's play, A Doll's House, Ibsen uses the symbolism of clothing to illustrate freedom....