ADH Received Context Notes

AO5 interpretations of A Doll's House

Niru

The renamed Indian version of Nora from A Doll's House, set in 1870s India, where she is married to Tom, an English man working for the British Colonial Administration in Calcutta.

Colonial attitudes

The wider environment and central relationship in the Indian adaptation of A Doll's House are influenced by colonial attitudes towards race, highlighting the intersection of patriarchy and colonialism.

Breaking free

The significance of Nora breaking free from her shackles in the Indian adaptation of A Doll's House is heightened due to the analysis of different forms of subjugation and servitude, beyond just being an 'all Asian' version.

Breaking a Butterfly

An English domestic melodrama adapted from A Doll's House in 1884 by Henry Arthur Jones and Henry Herman, where the husband protects his wife by claiming guilt for her crime, preserving the wife's domestic ideals and portraying heroic manliness.

Japanese Noras

After the first Japanese production of A Doll's House in 1911, Japanese feminists were labeled as "Japanese Noras" and "New Women" (Atarashii Onna) sparking discussions on gender roles and existing societal norms.

Maternalist feminism

Japanese feminists, such as Hiratsuka Raichö, reacted with disdain towards Nora's decision to leave her marriage, advocating for "maternalist feminism" that focused on family and motherhood as platforms for activism.

Economic independence

Lu Xun's speech in 1923 addressed the potential dangers of blindly following Nora's rebellion, emphasizing the importance of economic independence through radical social revolution in China.

Nora (Nazist adaptation)

The film Nora, set in Nazi Germany, conforms to Nazi ideology by portraying women in traditionalist gender roles, using Ibsen's alternative ending where Nora collapses at the thought of leaving her children.

Casa de munecas (Argentina)

The 1943 Argentine film modernizes A Doll's House but retains the alternative ending where Nora doesn't leave, reflecting Argentina's historically conservative attitudes towards women.

Casa de muñecas (Mexico)

The 1954 Mexican film sets A Doll's House in modern-day Mexico, adds a flashback framing device, changes Nora's motivation for leaving, and introduces a happy ending when Nora returns.

Sara (Iran)

Dariush Mehrjui's 1992 film adaptation of A Doll's House sets the story in post-Islamic Revolution Iran, exploring the separate social rules imposed on women and the struggle for autonomy in a theocratic regime.

Nneora

An African Doll's House:Tracie Utoh-Ezeajugh's Nigerian adaptation of A Doll's House, titled Nneora, explores African perspectives of feminism, emphasizing the strength and fortitude of African women in the face of dehumanizing treatment.

Utoh-Ezeajugh

The director of the play who made significant changes to the ending.

Nneora

The main character in the play who decides to take her children with her.

Ibsen's text

The original text written by Ibsen that the play is based on.

Duty

The responsibility or obligation that Nneora feels towards her children, husband, and herself.

Sacred

Something that is regarded as holy or extremely important.

Expressive duty

The different responsibilities and identities that Nneora has as a mother and a wife.

Early Performance change

Hedwig- Neimann Raabe made Isben change the ending and she collapsed to her knees instead as it was so unmaginable to leave her children.

However, later performed the original later