The style at the time was Romanticism and melodrama this genre of theatre was known as “The Well Made Play”. The plays in this era consisted of your typical goodies vs. baddies battles which resulted in the goodies winning nearly all the time. A high percentage of the time these types of plays ended up with every thing falling into place nicely for instance, the man gets the women, the goodies win the battle and everyone lives “happily ever after”. As I stated earlier on Ibsen wanted to move away from this style and on to a different on.
Ibsen helped develop a new genre of theatre along with Shaw called Naturalistic. This type of drama was classed as “The new theatre” which dealt with real life situations, morals and social issues. Some critics found this style of drama scandalous which dented its popularity in the early stages. The first play to generate positive remarks from the critics was Ibsen’s play “A Dolls House”. This play put the dilemmas of a women striving for her own freedom and rights. This genre of play shocked the audience because it was so different from the norm (The well made play). The play “A Doll’s House” had a different structure to the well made play. It did not conclude with everything ending up all peachy, because Nora leaves Torvald with the sound of her slamming the front door out onto the street.
In the 1870’s the argument against women voting was dwindling. Taking care of a husband, children and a home was still important but women wanted to be able to make decisions and not feel inferior to men. When Ibsen wrote “A Doll’s House” the suffragette movement was an issue of that era and his main character, a house wife, Nora want to express her independence by borrowing money without her husbands consent even although it was for her husbands benefit. At the end of the play, which was a drastic measure for that time; Nora leaves her home husband and children. Laura Kieller was a friend of Ibsen’s who had borrowed money because he husband was ill. Unfortunately when the forgery was discovered; her husband demanded a divorced and her children were taken away. The strain on her nerves leads her to a nervous breakdown and hospitalization in a mental institute. Ibsen knew about all this while he was writing “A Doll’s House”.
In “A Doll’s House”, the Helmers appear to be quite affluent. They have a nice home, servants and are a happy and friendly family. They are excited about Christmas but more so about Torvald’s promotion, at the bank, as this will make them more acceptable in society. Nora’s laps in moral standards by borrowing money and forging he fathers signature was done for a very good reason but it is pushed to the side with a feeling of “out of sight out of mind”. However it is really the main issue of the play. When eventually the issue comes out in the open, Nora’s initial reaction is to run away and commit suicide, while Torvald thinks about the disgrace and resigning his position at the bank. There is no communication or understanding between husband and wife which was typical for that period.
The hereditary aspect is intertwined into the play through Dr. Rank and Nora. Dr. Rank inherited his spinal tuberculosis from his father because of the way he led his life. Nora’s father was renowned for his ability to spend a lot of money which she seems to have inherited.