Henrik Ibsen's A DOLL'S HOUSE

Anyone else love this scathing, angry play?

Absolutely love it.

It's deservedly a masterpiece, but I wouldn't characterize it as "scathing" or "angry." It's always struck me as being tragic and deeply heartfelt. I recall that at the end of the acclaimed production of it from a decade ago starring Janet McTeer (who won the Tony), the ending was so emotionally shattering that several people were weeping around me. I don't remember much anger in that production or in any of the others I've seen (though I suppose that Torvald isn't exactly a happy camper -- but then he's an ass so who cares?).

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One of my favorite plays!

My first role in a straight play was when I was in 7th grade...I played the messenger boy that delivers the Christmas Tree. I had three lines.

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I had to read this play last semester and really liked it. The class discussion that followed tainted it for me, however. I was the only person in the class of 30 that felt that she was justified in leaving in the end, while everyone else thought she was being selfish. It was just really sad to see how little society has changed since this was originally written.

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I also enjoyed it. My entire AP English class constantly referred to it as "A Dollhouse," but even the title is brilliant. It's both interesting and somewhat sad that the message still greatly resonates with today's society.

bit of trivia....(i had to study this play for a.s level drama, which is yr 12 in UK, im not sure what year that is in america) anyway, when this play was first showed to audience, Ibsen was forced to change the ending from Nora leaving, to Torvald forcing Nora down beside her childrens beds and her deciding to stay for the sake of the children. i think this play really does demonstrate many social factors and gender roles from when the play was set, i think it would go well on broadway for a few months

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I saw a video of a German production of this show and it ended with Nora killing Torvald. It was an interesting take on the play!

Alright here is a question:

Would you consider Torvald to be an abusive husband of the emotional variety (He never physically harms her) or merely a "product of his time"?

They are all a product of their time.

The most important thing to them is honor - Nora begins to ruin that.

What's interesting is that Krogstad is the antagonist but not the enemy.

Anyway, I don't really like this play. Probably because I have studied it so much - just finished studying it for the 100th time.

But, to think - it has one of the most popular sound effects. The door slamming at the end.

If done wrong, it would sound like Nora shooting herself.

The thing I most dislike about it is that Nora is so damn annoying.

P.S. I think she is justified for leaving at the end.
To people who say she is selfish and wasn't thinking about the children, I say this: A woman like Nora, with children, alone, would not survive. She was better off leaving them with Torvald and the nurse.

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Updated On: 2/24/06 at 03:49 PM

I studied this play last year in AP English and loved it. We also had a heated debate, but it turned out that it was split (I sat through two different classes of it, I just loved English). The thing that really surprised me was that two or three males thouoght the ending was appropriate, while in the second class I sat though, all the males were completely against it.

I actually ended up using this play for an essay on the AP test. So I am glad I read it. I would love to see it on stage or screen.

Hate this play, with a passion.

I love this play--I've studied it twice and got something different out of it each time. The character of Nora is very annoying, but I feel (and a surprising amount of my classmates agreed) that she ws completely justified in leaving. She shouldn't have married him in the first place.

But as far as studying Ibsen goes, I think my favorite play of his is "Ghosts." We studied it my senior year and I remember being struck by how powerful it is.

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