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2014/01/10

A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen

"A Doll's House", "Ett dockhem" in Swedish, is one of the plays included in "Pjäser 1". Being one of the most talented playwrights in the 19th century, Henrik Ibsen, the Norwegian counterpart to Swedish Strindberg, is the most frequent performed dramatist in the world, second to Shakespeare. It's impossible to describe how influential he was. Ibsen is referred to as "the father of realism". "A Doll's House", premiered in 1879 a few weeks after its publication, became the most performed play in the world. UNESCO has inscribed the autographed manuscripts on the "Memory of the world register" because of it's historical value.

The main theme in the play is women rights in a society of neglect and ignorance, where the only accepted roles for a woman to play were wife and mother. The title is referred to the main theme, comparing women to diminished, helpless and frivolous dolls, in the need of a husband to protect and provide for them. On the surface, the marriage seems happy if seen through the eyes of the 19th century people. The character Nora pretends to be someone she is not. Eventually, though, she refuses to succumb to the conventions of society.  It's a strong play with a strong female character, a feminist of her time.

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