Ibsen

Forshey 1 Running head: IBSEN’S FEMALE CHARACTERS

Ibsen’s Female Characters in Captivity: An Exploration of Literature and Performance

Christina Kelley Forshey

A Senior Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation in the Honors Program Liberty University Fall 2008

Forshey 2 Acceptance of Senior Honors Thesis This Senior Honors Thesis is accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation from the Honors Program of Liberty University.

______________________________ Linda Nell Cooper, M.A. Thesis Chair

______________________________ Neal Brasher, M.F.A. Committee Member

______________________________ Kenneth Cleaver, Ph.D. Committee Member

______________________________ James Nutter, D.A. Honors Director

______________________________ Date

Forshey 3 Abstract In Henrik Ibsen’s plays, A Doll’s House, The Wild Duck, The Lady from the Sea, and Hedda Gabler, the theme of captivity is demonstrated in the female protagonists Nora, Hedvig, Ellida, and Hedda. The theme of captivity also serves as a performance guide for the portrayal of these characters. Ibsen’s female protagonists are in bondage to an object or person that manipulates the character’s mental and emotional senses. The character’s inner captivity reaches a climax where a decision must be made to abolish the chains of captivity or forever remain enslaved. Since the nineteenth century, the actor has greatly benefitted from Ibsen’s electrifying work that established the new acting style of Realism. The contemporary actor can apply the theme of captivity to performance by thoroughly reading the text, understanding Realism, creating a character separate from self, and training the voice and body.

Forshey 4 Ibsen’s Female Characters in Captivity: An Exploration of Literature and Performance The words of the great Norwegian playwright, Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906), reverberate across the centuries, exclaiming words of poetry and prose,

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