Essay - Analysis of Henrik Ibsen's a Doll's House Henrik Ibsen's Characters...

Analysis of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House

***** Ibsen's characters are not the people they appear to be. On the surface and at ***** *****ginning of the play audiences see typical *****, pursuing typical lives with typical problems. Not until the ***** progresses, ***** in retrospect, do audiences realize that society negatively or positively stimulates the characters motives and actions. This paper looks at three such characters in Henrik Ibsen's play A ***** House—Torvald, ***** protagonist Nora and the antagonist Krogstad.

Though not the antagonist or the protagonist, T*****vald plays a central role in ***** Doll's House. He is not the character ***** he appears to be. In the beginning ***** the play Emma Goldstein notes,

***** is an admirable man, rigidly honest, of high moral ideals, and passion*****ely devoted ***** h***** wife and children. ***** short, a good man ***** an enviable husb*****d. Almost every mother would be proud of such a match for her daughter, and the latter would consider *****self fortunate to become the wife of such a *****.

While Torvald is a model m*****n, underneath his facade ***** ***** that ***** upst*****ing place in society and his passionate treatment of his ***** and children are motivated, not by love and affection, but by an interest to maintain his status in society. Later, when ***** wife Nora pleads with him not ***** dismiss Krogstad, his true nature is revealed. He does not care ***** the least for the feelings ***** ***** wife. What he ***** ***** about is how society will look upon his continued association with the fallen Krogstad. The following passage in Act II reveals his real motives for dismissing Krogstad:

And I hear he is a good worker, too. But I knew him w*****n we were boys. It w*****s one of those rash friendships ***** so often prove ***** incubus in afterlife. I may as well tell you plainly, we *****re once on very intimate terms ***** ***** another. But this tactless fellow lays no restraint on himself when other people are present. On the contrary, he thinks it gives him the right to adopt a familiar ********** with me, and e***** minute it is "I say, Hel*****r, old fellow!" and that *****rt of thing. I assure ***** it is extremely painful for me. He would make my position in the Bank *****tolerable.

***** ***** the role ***** the antagonist in A Doll's House. His actions mirror the traditional role of an *****. He is the source of ***** play's conflict and causes ***** to worry ***** resolving the seemingly irresolvable problem. He is the ***** ***** creates the tension in the play. Nora's husband, ***** Helmer, wants to fire Krogstad and Krogstad is desperate (Johnston). This is one clue to the Krogstad's predicament ***** that he ***** not an antagonist in the formal sense ***** the word. When he hears of his impend*****g job loss, he blackmails Nora. The two have forged Torvald's sig***** to a bank note and now he threatens to