A DOLL'S HOUSE 1/2

 

 Source : "Ma maison de poupée" P. Wilson , R Jablow. 

Auteur : Henrik IBSEN
Traducteur : Régis BOYER
Genre : Théâtre
Edition : Garnier- Flammarion 1994
Format : poche - 246 pages


It is not "The doll's house", but "A doll's house" :  one among many others in Europe, in the late seventies, 1870.
Nora is a young woman, married, with Torvald Helmer, soon a bank manager :   They have three children and seem happy : It's Christmas'Eve, he loves her,  and she loves him. She is his woman-child, as she was her father's little doll. He calls her "his twittering lark", "his squirrel". He gives her some bank bills,  he doesn't want she eats macaroons for fear she'd have bad teeth, he  owns the mailbox'key and wants she dances "the tarentella" during a forthcoming maked-ball.
She askes him for money, eats macaroons on the sly, doesn't own any mailbox'key, and is ready  to sing and dance for him all night long.
For Christmas, she bought a sword, a rocking-horse, a trumpet for their sons, a doll and it bed for their daughter -even she 'd broke it soon- and she knows how to say "something kind", when she wants to get something for her or somene else.  All is perfect !
Yes, perfect. Nora is prood too. Proud for herself. A few years ago, Torvald became sick. They had to go to Italy to save him, and, for that, Nora, secretly borrowed money, an illegal loan. But it's to save Torvald, so who could criticize her ? She has secretly worked to give the money back. Where is the problem ?
But the problem appears, and Torvald learnt  the truth.
She thought he'd understand her, she thought he'd help her. But no. He is angry, she is an hypocrite, a liar, a criminal. Her love is play-acting and he would sink like a stone due to a featherbrained woman !
However, the problem is quickly resolved. But it's to late. Nora understood, understood her whole life : the lack of respect she suffered, a doll, a child, nothing else. She leaves, she had to be alone,  she had holy rights to discover : rights toward herself.

Henrik Ibsen wrote and published this play in 1879. It's perhaps his most famous'one. This year (132 years after), it'was played in three different theater in Paris !

What I think about it ? on next monday !