New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-12-29
THE IBSEN FOLLY.
THE STORY OF 1.-THE DOLLS HOUSE"

lint ccrtain nrinciples of dramatic composition are
simple and obvious Either play Is ih'en"eu
Tor ,ho etooc or il is intended for the closet
Either il is meant TO he acted or II is meant "
he read If intended for the stage 1t must posseSs
the element of action. II intended ior 'ne o,o'.O
IL must possess literature. There are plays whioh
are good TO act ana also good TO reau' oo'"'oe
they contain both action and lltera'ure' "u' SUI,
plays arc few. and whenever they are ac'eo nun
of their literature las to be cut ouu vi 'i'"
A complete playa play that can nc ac""
story of human nature and human me- ie"i Vi
ideal. delicately exaggerated, and told py means
of action more than by means OF worus ~" NJ
complete playa play that cannot DE ao'o"
a narrative put into the form OF diaioeue "'"
or,beIlisbcd with virtues and graces that are
a,ro1, literary "Othello" and L" The School for
Scandal stand at the one pole; "Comus ana
"Fcstus7 at the other.
Mr. Ibscn's piece entitled The Dolls House,
which is good representative type OF the "hoie
group of Ibsen pieces" The Pillars OF society
An Enemy of Society," Ghosts etc'-ls hei'ici
GOOD for the stage nor good for the Closet ior
il is found to be dull and tiresome when ac'eu'
and if is mawkish and trivial when read 1t
ooptoins indeed one dramatic situation; but
ono dramatic situation is not enough to animate
this the time has given an abundant pracucai
nroof Several years ago it was produced IN TINS
country under the name of "Thora, by Nine
Nodicska but although the brilliant talents Oh
that fine actress were then at their meridian 10
was complete failure Last summer 1t was trled
in Iondon under the auspices of Mr.. william
Archer and a few other crotchetty writers, Dut
although momcntariy favored by the MIS-. Leo
Hunter class in London society," II soon came 10
Grief and dropped out Of sight. Recently IL mas
been ncrformed in America, under much the same
conditions and with much the same result
few stately PERSONS in Boston declare lndeed'
that they like 10 because 1t is surcharged Win
meaning such as transcends the comprehension
of all except the elect; but nobody nowadays
regards the Bostonian giraffe except 10 sihiie ao
him. The piece is stupid on the stage Tor want
of interest and of dramatic movement. ana IL Is
equally stupid in the closet for want OF literature
Mr.. Ibsen asks the attention of the spectator
or of the reader. to case Of domestic trouble
The scene is a dweling-house in Norway. The
time is to-day. The chief persons are MI ana
Mrs IIelmer husband and wife. Mr.. ana Mrs
Helmer have lived together eight years. lhey
love each other; they have two or three chlidren'
and they are in comfortable circumstances. lhey
have male friend named DR.. Rank, who is dying
Of spinal disease who is in love Win Ars. ielher
and who calls on her every day III order 10 snow
how, rreot an ass n man can make of himself
when he is infatuated with a woman. Ihey nave
. for,ole friend named Mrs Linden, widow. who
drops in upon them from time to time, ana helps
Mrs Uclmer with her sewing. Mr.. Hclmer is
orcaged in the banking business, and he has just
been appointed manager of bank. 1t is Christ
mas Eve. and all appears to he well with tine
family Of Helmer-save that DR.. Rank has bad
cough and is ricketty upon his legs. There Is
however a skeleton in the closet Mrs. Helmer
AT an earlier period in her married me- mas
secretly borrowed a considerable sum OF money, Tor
her husbands use-makng him believe that she
has obtained il from her father-and she has forgeu
her fathers name, by way OF giving securiIy'
This debt, thus dshonorably and disgracefully
contracted. she is endeavoring to pay But this
crime of hers is known 10 her creditor. MI hroS-
stad. q bank-cerk whom Mr.. IIemer has dis
charged from the bank; and Nr. krogs.ao
threatens 10 tell Mr. IIelmer all about Mrs Hell
mer's forgery, unless Mrs llelmer pro
cures his reinstatement in his Official
post This reinstatement the frightened
Mrs. Helmer vainly endeavors to obtain MT
uclmer. who is n narrow-minded, opinionated,
conccitcd person. insists on having his own way
ana VT. hIDESidu lfh''iiS " ''
Tbcreupon Mr. Krogstad sends an epistle, when
is dropped into Mr. IIcmers leiter-boN, wherein
are stated the facts of Mrs. IIelmers misconduct.
The progress of this communication toward the
hands Of Mr. Helmcr is for a time retarded,-the
means whereby this delay is made constituting
the one moment Of dramatic action that illumi-
mates the piece Eventually. however Mr.. Hell
mcr opens and reads the letter and he is astonnd-
Al; ha
TO Mrs. IIelmcr in terms of violent asperlty Mr
Krogstad in the meantime, has become moliihed
by the soothing influence of Mrs. Linden, who
having been his sweetheart and having Jlited him
in early life has now proposed marriage TO him.
and he sends Mrs IIemer's forgery to Mr.. Hell
mer and declares the matter settled. Mr. lIelmer
is delighted But Mrs. lielmer, much dis
pleased with her husbands conduct, de-
carcs that her eyes are at length opened
10 his essentially commonplace character. and
that she cannot live with him any longer; and
she terminates the proceedings by walking out of
his house. at midnight, and closing the street
door aftcr>hcr with bang This is the play;
and anybody who can keep straight face while
looking at it must be largely deficient in the sense
Of humor.
The fact is that the purpose of this composition
was not dramatic but didactc. The piece Is not
in any sense a play; it is an essay Mr.. lhsen
appears to be the kind of man. much admired in
Ncw-England, who may be defined as a regulator.
He wants TO have everything " set to rights In
this case he has undertaken to regulate the rela-
ton of the sexes in matrimony. The married
women, he assumes, dolls-meanng play
things The married men are combination of
the Turk and the prig. Wives are not allowed
to possess identity. Husbands absorb the whole
personality Of their wives, and the entire
female sex is subiugated and eXtlnguished.
This is dreadful state of things,
equally for the men and the women, anc Mr. lbsen
will not endure It, One blow shall he struck for
feminine freedom, and Mr. Ibsen feels that he is
the man 10 strike il. Women must no longer he
brought up as dolls or treated as playthines. The
woman who is reared as a doll viii necessarily
behave as such-that is TO say. she Will lie and
steal and forge, because she knows no better.
IL