DRAM 1101 1st Edition Lecture 7 Outline of Last Lecture I. Melodramaa. Conventionsb. Characteristics c. LegacyII. Origins of modern theatre III. Realisma. Ibsen & ChekhovIV. Naturalisma. “Slice of Life”Outline of Current Lecture I. The Woman QuestionII. Why Henrik Ibsen’s dramas were controversialIII. Problem PlaysIV. Realistic TheatreV. Play StructureVI. Seeing the productiona. 4 interpretationsCurrent LectureI. The “woman question” a. The emergence of the “new woman” in the 1880’s was a direct challenge to the paradigm of the “true woman”i. Wanted to get an education, get a job; wear men’s clothing, etc. ii. Contradicted traditional roles of womeniii. Was satirized in popular culture because it was a disruption to the norm1. Was characterized as a beastb. These tensions appear in Ibsen’s Doll’s HouseII. Why were Henrik Ibsen’s dramas controversial?a. Challenge existing moral values and social normsThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.i. Channeled the idea of the environment shaping characters1. Dr. Rank and his syphilis as a result of the sins of his father ii. Contradicts the idea that good prevails1. In a well made play formula in a melodrama, good will prevail over evil2. The husband would have absorbed Nora’s sins and there would have been a reconciliation a. Nora would have repented and reformed, and her husband would have shouldered the blame iii. Challenged the roles of women1. Nora leaves her family—she is not saved by Torvald as she expected2. Nora goes from a life of security to ostensibly marginalizationa. Rejected the roles that have been prescribed for her III. Ibsen—“On the Contrary” a. He questioned conventional ideasb. His plays n the 1870’s were realistic dramas focusing on social issues and free willi. Eventually, he moved into more symbolismii. Earned the title of “father of realism” 1. He was to realism what Emile Zola was to naturalism IV. Doll’s House is often called a problem playa. A play that spotlights social problemsb. In this case, it was a marriage in crisis i. Not resolved in the conventional way c. Critiqued social conventions and gender inequalityV. Forerunner in realistic theatrea. Ibsen discarded nonrealistic devicesi. Example: tools such as characters turning to the audience to explain somethingii. Replaced them with impactful conversations between characters1. Also with deliberate dialogue, settings, costumes, and stage in order to reveal how characters and the environment worked in tandema. How characters are impacted by the environmentb. Example: Nora dancing the tarantella was a purposeful decision because it was a symbolic dance of her spinning out of control iii. Each character reflected the impact of heredity and environmental forces VI. Play structurea. Well-made play formula—conventionali. Has a causal plot1. Cause and effectii. Has a secret that is gradually revealediii. Usually has a necessary scene to ultimately reveal the secretiv. Usually has a voice of reason b. This structure makes the play more realisticVII. Seeing the production: several interpretationsa. 1973 Moviei. Historically accurate setting and costumesb. 1992 Versioni. Also historically accurateii. A more rational and confident Norac. Long Wharf Theatre adaptation 2010i. Not historically accurate settings1. Modern costumes and set designii. Much more movement1. Less formaliii. Modernized dialogue/updated languageiv. Sense of violence1. Potential domestic abuse?d. Mabou Mines Tour 2003-2010i. High stylized and inherently meta-theatrical 1. Creates a sense of distance between the actions of the play and the audienceii. Melodramatic musiciii. Children played by dollsiv. Male characters played by men shorter than 4’11 while female characters were all made to look taller than 6 feet tall1. Metaphor for gender equality2. In the last scene, Nora sheds her clothing and takes off her wig so that she is balda. Symbolic of shedding gender roles and the things that are symbolic of femininity b. Breaking free of social constraints that we use to perform our prescribed rolesv. Set looked like an actual doll