unit 7: two plays by henrik ibsen
Homework: By 4/16 or 4/17, read Pages 1-16 of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House.
MEETING 1: the well-made play
The theory of the well-made play:
(1) The plot revolves around a secret held by the protagonist; the secret is known to the audience but withheld from key characters.
(2) The plot is driven by scenes of increasing intensity and suspense. The play is usually a slow, slow, deliberate burn.
(3) The plot contains (too) perfect, almost contrived—even twee—entrances and exits and requires handy devices like letters or telegrams to move it forward.
(4) The secret stems from a conflict with one or more of the play’s other characters.
(5) The plot contains peripeteia in a dramatic scene at the end that exposes the secret.
Ibsen’s drama:
(1) Makes taboo acceptable
(2) Discards soliloquies and asides
(3) Contains motivated exposition
(4) Environment influences the personalities of the characters
(5) Takes nothing for granted
(6) Usually has a thesis in a way Shakespeare does not
Today we’re going to look predominantly at the actions of the first part of Act 1, thinking about how they provide us with all we need to know about Nora.
HOMEWORK FOR OUR NEXT CLASS:
Read Pages 17-34.
