5 February 2018
A Doll’s House and Miss Julie
What theme(s) do they have in common?
- Female/individual autonomy
- Power/influence of money
- Struggles within household ranks
- Issues with gender roles
- Self-identity
How are the theme(s) revealed in each?
Doll’s House:
- “Typical” woman excited by money that is given by her husband
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- “You know I wouldn’t dream of doing anything you disapproved of”
- Nora is obsessed with money
- Nora trying to be on an even level with her husband
- “I do have some influence here, you know”
- “Not going to tell my husband I owe you money?”
- “One serious word on a serious subject”
- “Doll-wife”
- “Sacred duties”/”My duties to myself”
- Nora not being able to tell her husband how sick he was
- She signed for her father
- “A wife isn’t allowed to save her husband’s life”
- “Terrible blow to Torvald’s self-esteem”
- Krogstad blackmailing Nora to get back at Torvald
Miss Julie:
- Power struggles
- “Are you ordering me now?”
- John taking over Miss Julie
- “Don’t speak harshly to me”
- Argument between Miss Julie/John in the kitchen
- “Am I allowed to leave my room now?” Kathleen to John
- Kathleen trying to keep them from leaving
- Self-identity
- “I don’t know who you are.” “I don’t either”
- John telling Miss Julie they could move – “no need to wonder what to do with yourself”
- Miss Julie’s monologue on the kitchen picking up money
- “God does not accept her status”
- Female autonomy
- Scene directly before/after her entanglement with John
- “I can’t control her” to Kathleen even though he was the one in power
- “You were the seducer” aka John blaming Miss Julie
- Poor Kathleen
- Money
- “I need your money” to Miss Julie
Stylistically, what are the commonalities and the differences?
Commonalities:
- Characters entering at the “right” time
- Use of background music to emphasize mood
- Dramatic irony
Differences:
- “Unnecessary” conversations in Miss Julie
- Amount of travel time shown
- Silence
- Number of characters/types of characters
Using these plays as a framework, what are the strengths and weaknesses of naturalism and realism?
Realism: Makes for high paced action, especially in Doll’s House when actions seem to happen at just the right time. For example, when Torvald walks in right as Nora is saying “hell and damnation.” Important themes and events are more emphasized – Torvald’s outrage is way overblown, for example. The end scene is the culmination of Nora figuring out what she needs after their big fight and Torvald is left all alone.
Naturalism: Easier to follow, in my opinion. There is more build up to the climax and not a lot of spoon-feeding the audience emotions and thoughts, especially when it comes to presentations of the characters. The characters in Miss Julie aren’t so black and white which makes for a more interesting play. More time for representation of feelings/thoughts to audience.
Consider your own entertainment preferences. Do the shows you watch tend to be naturalistic or realistic?
The shows I watch tend to be realistic if I’m watching things on Netflix or watching TV. Sitcoms generally are realistic representations of dramatic literature because they have to fit events nicely into one episode and plot lines have to be expertly packaged and delivered in order to retain their viewers – not a lot of time for monologues or silence in a TV show although I wish that I sought out more naturalistic shows!
