Criticism of the play; alternative ending; A Doll's House vs. A Dollhouse

Criticism of A Doll's House

The Alternative Ending

A Doll's House vs. A Dollhouse

References

A Doll's House vs. A Dollhouse

"The Alternative Ending of A Doll’s House." All about Henrik Ibsen. National Library of Norway, 30 May 2005. Web. 1 Nov. 2014.

"Facts about A Doll’s House." All about Henrik Ibsen. National Library of Norway, 20 June 2005. Web. 1 Nov. 2014.

Rustin, Susanna. "Why A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen Is More Relevant than Ever." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 10 Aug. 2013. Web. 1 Nov. 2014.

Comparison

Original

Alternative

Most English translations of the play use "A Doll's House," but "A Dollhouse" is a more accurate translation of "Et Dukkehjem," the original title.

Activity

Helmer. Nora- can I never be anything more than a stranger to you?

Nora. (taking her bag). Ah, Torvald, the most wonderful thing of all would have to happen.

Helmer. Tell me what that could be!

Nora. Both you and I would have to be so changed that-. Oh, Torvald, I don't believe any longer in wonderful things happening.

Helmer. But I will believe in it. Tell me? So changed that-?

Nora. That our life together would be a real wedlock. Good-bye. (She goes out through the hall.)

Helmer (sinks down on a chair at the door and buries his face in his hands). Nora! Nora! (Looks round, and rises.) Empty. She is gone. (A hope flashes across his mind.) The most wonderful thing of all-?

(The sound of a door shutting is heard from below.)

Nora. ... Where we could make a real marriage out of our lives together. Goodbye. (Begins to go.)

Helmer. Go then! (Seizes her arm.) But first you shall see your children for the last time!

Nora. Let me go! I will not see them! I cannot!

Helmer. (draws her over to the door, left). You shall see them. (Opens the door and says softly.) Look, there they are asleep, peaceful and carefree. Tomorrow, when they wake up and call for their mother, they will be - motherless.

Nora. (trembling). Motherless...!

Helmer. As you once were.

Nora. Motherless! (Struggles with herself, lets her travelling bag fall, and says.) Oh, this is a sin against myself, but I cannot leave them. (Half sinks down by the door.)

Helmer. (joyfully, but softly). Nora!

(The curtain falls.)

Write a review of both endings from the perspective of contemporary German critic.

Be prepared for a group discussion.

Alternative Ending

Critical Reception

• Writers did not have rights over their works in foreign countries at the time.
• Fearing that the Germans would alter the ending themselves, Ibsen prepared an alternative ending with the hope that it would not be widely used.
• Ibsen described the alteration as a "barbaric act of violence" but stated that he would prefer to commit it himself than to have his work ruined by "less careful and less skilful hands than my own. "

• A Doll's House premiered at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen. The production sold out and was a great success, and it was performed in other Scandinavian countries without alteration.
• The play was controversial because of the shocking ending, which criticizes the patriarchal institution of marriage and challenges gender norms of Ibsen's time. Many questioned Nora's decision to abandon her children in particular.
• Hedwig Niemann-Raabe, the famous actress who played Nora in German productions, refused to perform the original ending. Ibsen wrote an alternate ending, which was mainly performed in Germany.

Guiding Questions

1. Did the controversial themes of A Doll's House enhance or impede its success?

2. How does the alternative ending change the overall message of A Doll's House?

3. To what extent do different translations of the title of the play impact its meaning?