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=// A Doll House //=

//A Doll House// is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen in 1879. He considered his 3 act play a “contemporary [|tragedy] ” that was not about women’s rights, as most people think, but was a story based on the real experience of a friend named Laura Kieler. Ibsen wrote in [|his notes:]

“There are two kinds of spiritual laws and two kinds of consciences – one for men and one for women…In the end the wife in the play is at a loss to know what is right and what is wrong; she is totally confused by natural feelings on the one hand and belief in authority on the other.”

The first draft of //A Doll House// was started in May of 1879, but Ibsen made frequent changes until he was satisfied with the final copy in October. The first addition was released in December to controversy and intense debate. Ibsen used many literary elements, but the strong use of irony and symbolism make //A Doll// //House// one of his most popular plays.