A Doll's House - Henrik Ibsen

A Doll'’s House was written in 1879, and is often described as the ‘first '‘feminist'’ play’., Ibsen'’s this masterpiece by world-renowned Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen is a distinctive exploration ofexplores some of the stereotypes and prejudices inherent within aof nineteenth- century middle-classNorwegian European society in a way that is immediately relevant to contemporary Zimbabwe.

. For eight years Nora has been a wonderful wife, she does everything expected of a good wife and mother: she looks beautiful, manages the home and entertains her husband., including sacrificing her own happiness Torvald, her husband, appears to have a perfect life, especially after his recent promotion at the bank.

in a society that would have it no other way. Women are excluded from decision-making and both within the financial, domestic and social spheres are dependent on their husbands. and iIbsen challenges the It is such injustices and hypocrisy of this situation by ex[posing the secretsies that Ibsen seeks to challenge and exposethreaten to undermine it. For Nora, and many like her, the only permissible preoccupation is to look beautiful, manage the home and entertain her husband. But for Torvald, her husband, his is a perfect life, apart from his recent new appointment asespecially after his recent appointment as the new bank manager, Torvald'’s. Hhe has the ideal wife ; not only is she beautiful, she is also the perfect homemaker. Bbut unknown to him something ‘unfathomably hideous’ threatens to change all this. While when Nora makes the dreadful discoversy that despite her extraordinary commitment to her husband’shis welfare, she has been nothing little more than a doll in a doll’s house.

And For the intelligent few that might fail to make the connection, one only has to read the play to realise that this is a play beyond its timeA Doll’s House is about love, friendship, marriage, loyalty, betrayal and blackmail, as well asand centres around Nora'’s odyssey of self-discovery.. Its analysis of repressive social conformity raises timeless issues, whose applicability and relevance to contemporary Zimbabwean life ican be immediately understoods overwhelming. Hence iIt will undoubtedly play a vital role in helping promotinging gender awareness both withinin schools and society. But, more importantly, A doll’s house it also illustrates the importance of self-discovery and self actualisation in an individual’s pursuit of happiness as opposed to repressive social conformity. It is a play about the true meaning of love, friendship, marriage, happiness, loyalty, betrayal, secrecy and blackmail.

ISBN 978-1-77922-067-7