Essay On A Doll's House 'And Translations'
“It is often said that protagonists in plays are flawed in some way.” To what degree and with what effect are the strengths and weaknesses of the protagonists significant to two or three plays you have studied.
In the universality of human experience, every individual has endured a serious flaw in character and lapse of judgement. Playwrights such as Ibsen and Friel move from this macrocosmic view of the human condition, and confine the natural human tendency to reveal their flaws, often in a way that prevents them from achieving their full potential. In the plays ‘A Doll’s House’ and ‘Translations’ written by Ibsen and Friel respectively, the protagonists have rather ambiguous roles. Ibsen twists the traditional stock characters of the late 19th century to flip the convention of the well made play, where the protagonist is just as flawed as the apparent antagonist. In ‘Translations’, there is no specific protagonist, rather Friel introduces a varied cast of individuals whom we are encouraged to empathise with, who are all inherently kind and good-natured, yet all deeply flawed. Whatever strengths that the protagonists display in both these plays, they both conclude with the realisation that their weaknesses are the focal point of their human existence, a message which is …show more content…
In ‘A Doll’s House’, the door is perhaps the ultimate visual piece on set that represents Nora at her most strongest. As she walks out of the door into the hall, we see Torvald sitting quietly, a distraught man talking to himself, while at the end, ‘The sound of a door shutting is heard bellow.’ The director could change the dramatic impact of this sound, and the use of the door by having it slam violently, or shut gently, or creaking, depending on the dramatic impact that they are searching for; but despite this, the shutting of the door represents a newfound independence for
In the universality of human experience, every individual has endured a serious flaw in character and lapse of judgement. Playwrights such as Ibsen and Friel move from this macrocosmic view of the human condition, and confine the natural human tendency to reveal their flaws, often in a way that prevents them from achieving their full potential. In the plays ‘A Doll’s House’ and ‘Translations’ written by Ibsen and Friel respectively, the protagonists have rather ambiguous roles. Ibsen twists the traditional stock characters of the late 19th century to flip the convention of the well made play, where the protagonist is just as flawed as the apparent antagonist. In ‘Translations’, there is no specific protagonist, rather Friel introduces a varied cast of individuals whom we are encouraged to empathise with, who are all inherently kind and good-natured, yet all deeply flawed. Whatever strengths that the protagonists display in both these plays, they both conclude with the realisation that their weaknesses are the focal point of their human existence, a message which is …show more content…
In ‘A Doll’s House’, the door is perhaps the ultimate visual piece on set that represents Nora at her most strongest. As she walks out of the door into the hall, we see Torvald sitting quietly, a distraught man talking to himself, while at the end, ‘The sound of a door shutting is heard bellow.’ The director could change the dramatic impact of this sound, and the use of the door by having it slam violently, or shut gently, or creaking, depending on the dramatic impact that they are searching for; but despite this, the shutting of the door represents a newfound independence for