Doll\'s House by Henrik Ibsen

¶ … Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen is the most popular Norwegian play ever written. It is also one of the highly acclaimed plays of the past two centuries. Its central characters and the resonating themes have a deep impact on society time immemorial. The ultimate result is that the Doll's House symbolizes domestic life and the frustrations of family relationships. Ibsen's play has since then been turned into numerous movies, the most popular and famous of which was the 1973 edition with Jane Fonda featured as Nora. Although this movie was extremely entertaining and captured much of the dynamics of Ibsen's play, there are many significant differences that made these two plays implicitly different. One of the fundamental differences between the play version and the film version is the development of the main character, Nora. While in both plays she develops from the tame ideal housewife into a woman in need of liberation the process differs throughout both accounts.

Ibsen's play portrays Nora as a conflicted housewife, an individual who has sacrificed much in her life to raise her children and help her husband. When the play opens it shows that Nora is an individual with significant personal strength and that she is both kind and generous. Ibsen emphasizes through her conversation with Kristine Linde that Nora has sacrificed significantly in order to allow her family to prosper. Her action in secretly providing the aid to help her husband recover during their time of need reflects on her actual character. While both the movie and the play emphasize this point, the portrayal of Nora differs greatly. In the play, Nora is depicted as somewhat frail, although she is shown with inner resolve much of her character reveals her inner frailty. She defines herself through her husband and she prides herself on the sacrifices that she makes for her family. Many of her qualities, such as loyalty are emphasized within the play, and thus allow her development to be more dramatic as the play progresses. The move by contrasts, takes a different approach, Jane Fonda is very stately as Nora and she does not present herself as an individual who needs to be taken care of. Instead she is played as a strong and capable housewife who manages her family's affairs and takes pride in her life. There is a stately dignity about Fonda that makes her role appear more independent than within the play. This is crucial as the play progresses because as the characters develop into more independent and disillusioned individuals their particular roles change as well.

When Nora finds out about the blackmail induced on her by Krogstad she is filled with both anxiety and frustration. The impact upon Nora within the play is tremendous, she is already weak in her mindset and she is depicted as having become completely engrossed in her problems. The worry is displayed through the pleaing nature of her conversations with her husband. Nora is portrayed by Ibsen as an individual on the brink of a mental and psychological breakdown, in a word that she is not strong enough to handle the pressures of the blackmail. In contrast, Fonda plays a different role within the movie; she converts the dignity and statesman approach that she takes in the beginning of the movie and transforms herself into a state of contained anxiety. The primary difference between the two characters is that while the Nora of the play appears weak and vulnerable as a result of this event, Fonda places the entirety of the problem upon her own shoulders and her demeanor reflects that she believes she can solve this problem on her own. The transition between these two individuals has tremendous implications for the themes within Ibsen's work. Ibsen within his play emphasizes the eventual break down of Nora's action and judgment. Although she is disillusioned by the end of the movie, much of her actions are shown to be "insane" as much as "breaking free." There is no great sense of protagonist within the play for Nora because she plays a tragic hero. The audience sympathizes with her but sees her as a victim of her circumstances. In contrast, because Fonda is portrayed as an individual who has strong personal ability and individualism, she captures the heart of the audience and fashions herself into the complete protagonist of the story. This profoundly changes the nature of Ibsen's work.

The difference between the development of Nora and Fonda is particularly evident when they convey their secret of the blackmail to Linde. This scene represents a crucial moment of development for Nora because she has now lifted some of the burden off her own shoulders and it is one of the catharsis moments within Ibsen's work where Nora finally reveals that she is not the perfect housewife and cannot handle her problems on her own. Nora as portrayed within the play makes the revelation to Linde out of desperation, she appears as if she has no wear else to go and the stress that is caused by the event itself is dispelling her faith in her world. Nora appears more than anything else lost and utterly crushed by the predicament that she is in, there is a dramatic sense of urgency within the play. Ibsen does a wonderful job of establishing sympathy for Nora's character at this point, but also treats her as a victim rather than a hero. Through her dependency on others for help and the frailty of her mental state. In contrast, when Fonda confides in Linde, her actions appear almost as a revealing of a secret rather than a desperate plea. Although she appears distressed, Fonda is still completely in control of herself. The audience gains far more sympathy towards Fonda because she shows herself making a fervent attempt to control her emotions and her anxiety. Fonda, unlike Nora, is not weak and her growth from a housewife to ultimate liberation is a story of disillusionment rather than insanity. The contrast between Nora and Fonda are very evident, in the first case, Nora's ultimate freedom and actions are the result of the mental anxieties that she feels and her ultimate distress with the circumstances. In contrast, Fonda's similar revelations occur through ordered reasoning and understanding of circumstances, in the one case we feel that Nora's decision was made out of haste and psychological anxiety, while in the other we feel that it is the ultimate moment of liberations.

The result of portraying these two characters very differently from the outset is that it changes the context of Ibsen's work. While Ibsen initially intended the play to be a commentary on society and the pressures that ensue from their perpetual adherence to societal norms, the movie focuses more on the individual struggle of Fonda as she develops from a restrictive role within society to one of strength and liberation. While in Ibsen's play, Nora is the defeated victim of society, Fonda is the hero and a liberated woman. The contrast between the two roles is very significant because it changes the entire themes that are present within the movie. The movie emphasizes the development of Fonda into an aware and disillusioned individual, rather than a frail and innocent victim of chance.