Realism And Theatre
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Realism And Theatre
Realism is the movement toward representing reality as it is, in art. Realistic
drama is an attempt to portray life on stage, a movement away from the
conventional melodramas and sentimental comedies of the 1700s. It is expressed
in theatre through the use of symbolism, character development, stage setting
and storyline and is exemplified in plays such as Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House
and Anton Chekhov's The Three Sisters. The arrival of realism was indeed good
for theatre as it promoted greater audience involvement and raised awareness of
contemporary social and moral issues. It also provided and continues to provide
a medium through which playwrights can express their views about societal
values, attitudes and morals. A Doll's House is the tragedy of a Norwegian
housewife who is compelled to challenge law, society and her husband's value
system. It can be clearly recognized as a realistic problem drama, for it is a
case where the individual is in opposition to a hostile society. Ibsen's
sympathy with the feminine cause has been praised and criticized; as he requires
the audience to judge the words and actions of the characters in order to
reassess the values of society. The characters in A Doll's House are quite
complex and contradictory, no longer stereotypes. In Act II, Nora expresses her
repulsion about a fancy dress worn to please Torvald (her husband): "I wish
I'd torn it to pieces"; she attempts to restore it and resign herself to
her situation right after: "I'll ask Mrs Linde to help". In Act III,
Torvald ignores his wife's plea for forgiveness in order to make a moral
judgement: "You've killed my happiness.You've destroyed my future".
"I can never trust you again." Later on in the same act, he
contradicts himself: "I'll change. I can change-"; much after Nora
confronts him: "Sit here, Torvald. We have to come to terms".
"…There's a lot to say". Here, Ibsen shows us he has worked in depth
with the psychology of the characters, giving them a sense of complexity and
realism. Playgoers therefore recognize the revelation of characters through
memory. Thus drama became an experience closely impinging on the conscience of
the audience. Ibsen was also unique for his use of symbolism to assist realism
on stage. Symbolic significance is presented through the detail of design, props
and actions of the characters. For example, in Act III, Nora goes offstage to
get changed; "I'm changing. No more fancy dress". It is a symbolic
representat...
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