| The slamming of the front door at the end of ‘A Doll’s House’ shatters the romantic masquerade of the Helmers’ marriage. In their stultifying and infantilised relationship, Nora and Torvald have deceived themselves and each other both consciously and subconsciously, until Nora acknowledges the need for individual freedom. Ibsen’s 1879 play shocked its first audiences with its radical insights into the social roles of husband and wife. His portrayal of the caged ‘songbird’, his flawed heroine, Nora, remains one of the most striking dramatic depictions of late nineteenth-century woman. Methuen Student Editions are expertly annotated texts of a wide range of plays from the modern and classic repertoires. As well as the complete text of the play itself, the volume contains a chronology of the playwright’s life and work; an introduction giving the background to the play; a discussion of the various interpretations; notes on individual words and phrases in the text; photographs from stage productions. The book contains a few notes from the previous owner. |
