DOLL'S HOUSE BY HENRIK IBSEN DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

DOLL'S HOUSE BY HENRIK IBSEN DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. From the beginning of Act I, Torvald calls Nora several pet names. What do these names suggest about Torvald’s perception of his wife and his marriage?
2. Compare Nora’s and Kristine’s lives since marriage. Who is better off? Explain.
3. What might be the link between Nora’s “contraband” macaroons and her “huge desire to say – to hell and be damned?”
4. What crime has Nora committed?
5. Do Nora’s motives for committing the crime excuse her in some way?
6. What does Nora’s tree decorating and chattering at the end of Act I reveal about her character?
7. When Nora sees the box of masquerade clothes, she wants to “rip them in a million pieces!” What does Ibsen symbolize with this characterization?
8. Discuss the foreshadowing in Nora’s conversation with Anne-Marie.
9. Why does Torvald make such a decisive show of mailing the letter firing Krogstad against Nora’s pleas?
10. After Dr. Rank professes his love, Nora demands the lamp be brought in. Why? Is this light real or artificial? What might Ibsen be suggesting about truth and light in the Helmer’s household?
11. Some histories of the tarantella dance explain that it is used to fight off the venomous effects of a spider bite. Other interpretations suggest it represents a woman’s frustration in oppression. Which of these explanations best fits Nora’s violent practice at the end of Act II? Might both apply? Explain.
12. Why is Kristine willing to “risk everything” for Krogstad?
13. Why does Kristine encourage Krogstad to let Torvald read the letter revealing Nora’s deception?
14. Dr. Rank suggests Nora should go to the next masquerade dressed as “Charmed Life,” and that she should dress “just as she looks every day.” What is the implication about Nora’s daily life? Is it charmed? Or is the charm a masquerade? Explain.
15. Discuss the irony in Torvald’s accusation that Nora has played with him “like a puppet.”
16. Helmer’s pronouncement that “before all else, (Nora is) a wife and mother” is contradicted by Nora’s “before all else, I’m a human being.” Is this issue significant today, or is it only a sign of Ibsen’s time? Explain.
17. Discuss Nora’s decision to leave her family. Is it truly the only way she can reclaim her identity and humanity?
18. The last sound the audience hears is the door slamming shut after Nora’s departure. Examine the theatrical, literary, and historical significance of this stage device.
19. “Woman characters in the play are selfless.” Justify the validity of this statement using “A Doll’s House”  by  Henrik Ibsen.        (20  Marks)
20. Discuss the use of symbolism in A Doll’s house by Henrik Ibsen. (20 Marks)
21. Is Nora the only “doll” in A Doll’s House?
22. Defend or support Torvald’s beliefs about moral corruption and heredity.
23. Is Nora’s decision to leave her husband and children acceptable? Explain.
24. Pretend you are Nora in Act One. Explain to Torvald why he would be wise in hiring Mrs. Linde at the bank. Instead of playing on Torvald’s ego with “she’s terribly eager to come under a capable man’s supervision,” depict Nora as honest and straightforward.
25. Put yourself in Krogstad’s shoes in Act Two. Elaborate on what you mean when you tell Nora “You can drop those thoughts. . . . Most of us think about that at first. I thought about it, too, but I discovered I hadn’t the courage.”
26. Take on the role of Helmer in Act Three. Instead of letting Nora slam the door and leave, verbalize your sudden hope as she refers to “the greatest miracle.”

The Character Sketch asks

1. What does this character look like? How does he/she carry himself/herself? How does he/she dress?
2. How does this character speak? Does he/she have any identifiable speech patterns?
3. Where was this character born? How was he/she raised?
4. Describe the time period in which this character lives. How do the times affect this character’s thinking and actions?
5. What is this character’s main motivation? Why?
6. Describe any redeeming qualities this character may have.
7. Analyze the character’s personality flaws. From what do they stem? How do they affect the choices he/she makes?
8. Choose an object this character holds or would hold dear. Explain the connection.
9. Does this character have any secrets? If so, explain.
10. Who would be this character’s contemporary counterpart? Explain your choice.

topIcS For dIScuSSIon and eSSay

1. Revisit one of the pre-reading activities such as the walkabout survey, the probable passage, or the circle map. Now that you have completed the play, what further commentary can you add? Do you and your classmates see your topic differently now? Why or why not?
2. A Doll’s House is full of references to dolls, puppets, and playthings. Trace these references throughout the play while summarizing Ibsen’s ideas about gender and societal roles.
3. When Nora submits to Torvald, telling him, “Whatever you do is always right,” Torvald replies, “Now my little lark’s talking like a human being.” But later, Nora says “Before all else, I’m a human being.” Compare and contrast Torvald’s and Nora’s definitions of “human being.”
4. Ibsen infuses his play with vivid dramatic devices such as the many artificial lights, the letter hitting the mailbox, and the slamming door. How does the dramatic genre help tell the playwright’s story in a manner unparalleled by the novel form?
5. Consider the character of Torvald Helmer. Is Torvald an antagonist? A misogynist? Or could Torvald be just as much a victim of nineteenth century societal norms as Nora? Discuss.
6. Many Ibsen critics argue that A Doll’s House is not a feminist play, and is more about asserting self, regardless of gender. Yet Joan Templeton, in her afterword to the Signet Classics edition of Ibsen: Four Major Plays Volume I, disagrees, asserting that “Make (Nora) a man, and the play becomes not only ludicrous, but impossible.” What do you think? Is A Doll’s House a play about feminism or humanism? Explain.
7. Why are there so many references to sickness and fever in A Doll’s House? Trace these references throughout the play. What broader concern for society might Ibsen be expressing?
8. What is the role of Dr. Rank in A Doll’s House? Is he simply a friend and admirer? Or is he more? Explain.
9. Mrs. Linde tells Krogstad, “I’ve learned to be realistic. Life and hard, bitter necessity have taught me that.” How is A Doll’s House a realistic play? What sets it apart from other nineteenth century dramas we’ve read? How does A Doll’s House help define the realistic movement in drama?
10. At the end of the play, Nora slams the door to the “doll house” and walks away. Yet she leaves Torvald with hope for “the greatest miracle.” Why did Ibsen write an ambiguous ending? Cite evidence from Nora’s and Torvald’s closing speeches to indicate what you believe to be the ultimate ending to this drama.

FILM CRITICISM

1. Several of Ibsen’s plays have been set in modern times on film. Describe the setting of this video production. Where and when does it take place? Does the setting seem authentic? Why or why not? What specific direction and production choices add to the atmosphere? Discuss costuming and prop choices.
2. Discuss the use of special effects. Consider lighting, music, and sound. How do these elements add to your understanding of the play? What differences exist
3. between the film’s interpretation and your own while reading? Do these differences add to or change your analysis of Ibsen’s work? Explain.
4. Discuss the production’s casting. Do the actors provide effective portrayals of Ibsen’s characters? Why were these actors cast? Consider the time period in which the film was produced.
5. What were the strengths of this film production? Use specific evidence from the film. Were there any weaknesses? If so, discuss specific issues.
6. What is your overall impression of this film? Would your impression be different had you not read the play first?

Students can consider the following questions as they read/view

1. What character traits and dramatic elements depict the protagonist as being on a journey to identity?
2. Does this character illustrate a moral or social code of behavior? If so, describe it.
3. What is the character’s greatest desire?
4. What ultimate price is the protagonist willing to pay to reach his/her objective?
5. Detail the outcome of the protagonist’s journey.
6. Does the protagonist regret his/her decision? How do you know?
7. Is the protagonist ultimately redeemed or condemned for his/her choices?

more and more questions;

1. What are the character traits of Nora?
2. What does the black cross on Dr. Rank's cards represent?
3. Which phrase in act 1 of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House suggests that Krogstad is prone to engage in crime and may, in fact, be a criminal?
4. Where is the ball scheduled to take place in A Doll's House?
5. "The primary concern of good nonfiction is the representation of truth." To what extent does this statement relate to Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House?
6. How do the characters change?
7. What are some examples of foreshadowing in the play?
8. Why is it important that Ibsen establishes the details of the props, such as the well bound books, before readers become aware of the relationship between Nora and Torvald?
9. How is naturalism used in a Doll's House?
10. I am doing my paper on Nora's character in A Doll House. The first question is to list three moments or scenes in the play relevant for developing my topic. Give the page number and the describe scene?
11. How is masculinity and manhood represented by each character by three levels of masculinity (class, universal, race)?
12. What is the significance of the nanny's character throughout the play?
13. How does the play portray unequal gender hierarchies between Nora and Helmer through language? How is Nora depicted through her dialogues?
14. What is the theme of A Doll's House?
15. Do you think the characterization of Nora changes? Is she child-like, or is she something more?
16. What agreement do Mrs. Linde and Krogstad come to that makes them both happy? How does their agreement affect the Helmers?
17. How does Nora view motherhood?
18. Compare and contrast Christine Linde and Nora.
19. Describe Nora and Helmer’s relationship in A Doll's House. 
20. What is Dr. Rank's purpose in the play?
21. Why is A Doll's House considered timeless?
22. What is being said here about the law and morality?
23. What does the fact that Nora pays the porter twice what she owes him suggest about her?
24. "Nora left me three days ago and I've had a lot of time to think." How would I write a monologue with this statement?
25. What evidence can you find to support the interpretation that A Doll's House is not only about the Helmers’ marriage, but also about the institution of marriage itself?
26. Discuss the representation of marriage in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House
27. re Nora’s duties to herself really more important than the other roles (wife, mother, and friend) she plays?
28. In A Doll's House, what is Nora's secret, and why was it so important, considering the values of the time, for her not reveal it to her husband? 
29. What is the significance of the ending of A Doll’s House (With respect to the author’s choices)?
30. How would you compare The Glass Menagerie and A Doll's House?
31. What might the imagery of locks, keys and doors in Henrik Ibsen's A Dollhouse mean?
    
32. What is Nora's attitude toward the porter and what does it show about her character in act 1 of A Doll's House?
    
33. Discuss Krogstad's character in A Doll's House.
    
34. Please list five ways in which women were legally or socially relegated to a secondary status. How does this inferior status manifest itself in the Helmer household?
    
35. To what extent does A Doll’s House simply convey corruption, exploitation, and deception?
    
36. How is exploitation shown in A Doll's House?
    
37. What might be the link between Nora’s “contraband” macaroons and her “huge desire to say - to hell and be damned?”
    
38. What is Ibsen’s use of his set design, and how does it help the story?
    
39. What is Ibsen's use of his set design throughout the play? 
    
40. What do the stage directions suggest about Nora's state of mind?
41. What is the purpose of A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen?
    
42. Is Nora a criminal?  
    
43. What kind of relationship do Nora and Helmer have? How would you analyze such a relationship in the context of the story?
    
44. Describe the doll's house that the Burnell girls receive.
    
45. What is the setting for A Doll's House?
    
46. What is the relationship between lind's arrival  and nor's awakening and transformation  
    
47. What does the ring symbolize in A Doll's House?
    
48. Isben believed that a “dramatist” should never answer questions, only ask them. What questions are asked? Does Isben, in fact, propose any answers?
    
49. Compare and contrast the differences of the dialogue between Nora and Helmer and Nora and Krogstad in Act 1.
    
50. Compare and contrast the differences of the dialogue between Nora and Helmer and Nora and Krogstad.

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