Review: A Doll’s House Part 2 met my expectations for what I was looking forward to see from a continuation of the original three act play A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen. I was surprised, in a good way, to see the extensive use of comedy in this play. It was definitely a surprise to be able to connect with the cast of the play through continuous laughter but I think the whole purpose of the use of comedy in A Doll’s House Part 2 was exactly this, to help the audience of the twenty first century relates with the message being showcased. In A Doll’s House, which dates back to over one hundred years ago, Henrik Ibsen brings about an idea that for the time period was considered radical and out of the normal for a woman to do. Likewise, the playwrights of A Doll’s House Part 2 made sure to center the message of the new play on something that today’s audience would consider perhaps unusual about marriage and its meaning.
The play A Doll’s House Part 2 raises the question of whether or not marriage is the right step to take when two people fall in love. According to Nora, one of the main characters of the play, marriage is unnecessary. Over the 15 year she was away on her own, without the company of her husband and her children, she formulated the idea that marriage was another way of saying incarceration. In series of arguments with Anne Mare, Nora brings about the idea that people are better off without marriage, which not only forces people to be together despite apparent changes in the way they feel over time, but that also promotes the idea that the sole purpose of people in life is to find happiness next to another person. Nora defends her argument by proposing a new idea that she hopes will catch on with the world soon: finding happiness with yourself. What is intriguing about this play in particular is that it is carried out in a serious of back and forth arguments. Most of the play is presented with Nora arguing why she took the decision to leave and what she thinks the world should learn from now on about the idea of marriage. There is an alternative reason as to why she returns to her old home than to just explain why she left in the first place, but after the play is over, the audience is left with the task of formulating their own idea on marriage and where they stand on the spectrum based on what Nora and Torvald bring to the table.
