How Does Ibsen Use Stage Directions And Diction In A Doll's House

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Stage directions and diction play a large role in A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen as it assists the audience in developing a better understanding of the main characters. This is especially evident in Nora Helmer, who is the wife of Torvald Helmer in this novel and is the woman who commits fraud in order to pay for her husband's necessary trip to Italy. The audience saw this as an outrage as during this time period women were considered subsequently lower class than men. These dramatic elements assist the audience in understanding Nora's characteristics and personality which in turn, allows Ibsen to spread his message, that men and women should be treated equally, through the main protagonist. The entire plot revolves around Nora, and the audience can view Nora's change from a subservient wife to a liberated individual. This is essential in developing the understanding of audience members as it evokes pity and creates a personal connection with the audience. Ibsen spends the most time on Nora's character development as Nora is the main character and has the most influence on Victorian…show more content…
Ibsen portrays Nora's manipulative side when she says, "you ought to be ashamed of yourself...take that" (Act 2 193) to Dr Rank while flirting with him. She is trying to receive assistance from Dr. Rank by using her manipulative side and flirting with him in order to find a way to stop Torvald from reading the blackmail letter. Here, Ibsen shows Nora's diction as sweet and sultry to emphasize Nora's flirting and to show her devious side. These multiple characteristics of an individual are more realistic and relatable for the audience, which creates a connection between audience members and the characters. The audience can place themselves in Nora's shoes and sense the frustration she feels with not being able to assist her husband because woman were not considered able to fulfil these

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