Comparing Ibsen and Strindberg

Paper Summary:

This paper shows how Ibsen and Strindberg both wrote plays taking place in one setting over a short period of time, often only a day or two in scope. The writer explains that to propel the plot there had to be action that took place off stage, outside the constructed set. Ibsen embedded offstage action into his texts more so than Strindberg did, but Strindberg succeeded elsewhere. Whereas both were successful in removing important action from the stage, Strindberg's work was brought further into the realm of what will soon be defined as off the off stage than Ibsen's, with the difference being Strindberg's better use of a new form of player: the audience. The plays analyzed are Ibsen's "A Doll's House" and "Hedda Gabler" and Strindberg's "Miss Julie."

From the Paper:

"Dealing first with the off stage world of Ibsen we can see many examples of the action he writes for the express purpose of invisibility to the audience. In "A Doll's House" the audience is given a very good chance to hear events offstage. The main stage area comprising of one room with four doors leading to other parts of the house. Throughout the play the characters move within this space, but constantly refer to actions taking place outside of it as well. Beginning in the opening scene, the audience is allowed only a glimpse of the outside world in the porter bringing the Christmas tree in for the maid (Ibsen, 3). This is one of the few visuals the audience has of the off stage world; most of our comprehension of the off stage happens as a result of utterances. "Is that my little lark twittering out there?" (Ibsen, 4) Helmer calls from his room early in the first Act. This simple line, with the stage direction, immediately defines the space we see. As he is calling from his room, we immediately identify the space on the stage as belonging to Nora. This is further strengthened throughout the play as we see Nora take charge of this main stage space. When her life is interrupted, so is this space. Krogstad's entrance through a door left ajar upsets her, removing control from her hands to his. Her first instinct is to take control where she can by taking her children to the room on the left and shutting the door after them (Ibsen, 26). Nora's space, her life, is thus defined by the space around her off stage; her boundaries of power remain clear. She has power only as it relates to people invading her space: for one example she is able to bolt the door to Torvald's room on her side of the door, giving a degree of privacy to her affairs (Ibsen, 55). Her space thus defined the actions offstage suddenly take on a greater importance: these are actions that Ibsen has defined as outside of Nora's world."

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