A Doll's House (Dover Thrift Editions: Plays)

I have this `weird` thing of preferring to read plays, rather than see them performed. Henrik Ibsen is one of my favorite writers and I enjoyed reading again one of his best plays (accordingly to me), `A Doll's House`. It's a play with a powerful message, presenting strong internal conflicts, but it's still a somewhat easy read.`A Doll's House` for me it's not just a book about women self-fulfillment in a male-dominated world; it's a book about the duality of relationships, about the duality of each individual (which can make big sacrifices and act selfish at the same time).I like the way Henrik Ibsen constructs the external and internal conflicts, stating somethings clear, letting some aspects just as hints to the reader.I prefer not to get too much into details of the book synopsis in reviews, but this is a good book in my opinion for people to enjoy reading plays.I read the book in the Kindle format, which didn't make it too troublesome to read. The lines of the play fit decently even on a smartphone display, although longer lines might be harder to follow.

Interpretation:A doll's house follows Nora, the protagonist and mother of three, through her struggle for realization of an identity that is her own. For eight years with her husband Helmer, and many more with her father, Nora has lived as a possession than a character. The title of the play embodies a social expectation that confines her to inferior roles devoid of true satisfaction, a superficial identity defined by her husband that deserves nothing more than a man's affection. The seemingly perfect marriage is broken by Krogstad the "shipwrecked" lawyer who threatens to reveal secrets associated with Nora that would harm Helmer's social standing. However, among guilt and panic, Nora finds peace by discovering herself. She realizes that true love comes from mutual respect, that a life of satisfaction must have room for independence. These revelations come at the cost of her marriage. From Helmer's point of view, Nora is selfish, deserting her family to satisfy her own fancies. Yet, to Nora, her decision is one of self-liberation, of finding the dignity of being human, and ultimate of saving her life.Thoughts:I was supposed to read this for my AP class, but we ran out of time. On whim I picked it up, having heard great reviews. This play is truly ahead of its time. I have a bit feminist so I have tremendous respect for the protagonist. Bravo to Ibsen for having portrayed such an important yet often muted matter with realism. I think I might have read it too quickly, will definitely read again.

From other reviews, or your own familiarity with Ibsen's famous—and in 1879 scandalous—play, you'll know the basic story and characters of "A Doll's House." It remains a classic, well worth being performed by superior actors. The latter are in abundance in this 1959 production: the incomparable Julie Harris as tormented Nora, Christopher Plummer as her self-preoccupied husband, Hume Cronyn (excellent) as Krogstad the catalyst—not quite a villain, but by his own admission a desperate man who takes desperate, damaging measures—Jason Robards, Jr., as Dr. Rank, Nora's unrequited lover, and Eileen Heckart as Nora's friend Kristine, for whose love Krogstad pines. For 1959—for any year, in fact—this is as fine an ensemble as one could imagine. George Schaefer, from television's golden age, produced and directed.Reluctantly I've deducted one star for primitive production values. Viewers should know that this is a live production, videotaped as a kinescope. As a consequence the lovely set design is visually murky, the audio is indistinct, and various technical glitches mar the illusion: boom mic shadows on the set, intrusive cameras whose timings were off, visual compositions and cuts between cameras that are not as sharp as they could have been had the players been able to retake certain scenes. If you can disregard these things, you'll be rewarded by a splendid performance of a play whose issues continue to resonate strongly to this day.