A Doll’s House
Henrik Ibsen (trans. Robert Farquaharson Sharp)
2021 (orig. 1879)
Finger Print
pp. 127
The play about the life of Mrs. Nora Helmer is divided into three acts. In the first two plays, Mrs. Helmer goes about preparing for Christmas with the new found richness that is coming into their lives with a new position that Mr. Helmer has been offered in the bank. What followed in the first two acts was a frequent turn of events with the advent of her friend, Mrs. Linde, their family friend Dr. Rank and the bank employee, Mr. Krostad. The lives of all of them seem to intertwine so much that it all seems overdramatic. The play and the characters in themselves are overdramatic. The third Act, particularly towards the end, is beautiful. Mrs. Helmer who has been treated like a frivolous woman, struggling to be taken seriously by her friend or her husband, finally finds a spine and stands up for herself.
The fact that the play was written in 1879 is significant. I am wondering if more than a century later, would many, irrespective of gender, have developed the insight to understand what Nora was looking for. Her identity and what it meant to her, may still be lost on many people, in sight of her duties and responsibilities. It was a pleasant surprise to read the play. I am not fond of reading plays and that hasn’t changed but the content of it made the process worth it.