A Dolls House Essay, Performing the Role of Nils Krogstad
‘How would you perform the role of Nils Krogstad, on the two occasions when he is alone with Nora, in order to reveal his scheming nature?’
‘A Doll’s house’ is a three act play by Henrik Ibsen, which tells the story of a woman named Nora and her advances into independence from her husband. The play is set in Norway and is naturalistic. The sub text in this play communicates to the audience how the characters are actually feeling, despite conveying a completely different emotion. Nils Krogstad is a convoluted character in that, as the play progresses, the audience are not quite sure whether he is actually a bad man, or just a misunderstood one. His attitude changes greatly when Christine Linde admits her affection for him – he becomes softer and slightly unsure of himself. When he says the line “You mean- you came because of me?” he would need to look sheepish, almost childlike- and show a deep contrast to his previous devious and underhanded self.
When performing as Nils Krogstad, I would make sure that my costume would reflect his personality, and give the audience a feel of what he may be like. He would most likely wear a plain black suit and tie, with a white shirt and a long black coat and scarf to highlight the fact that it is winter outside. I would also have Krogstad wear plain silver glasses, to accentuate his age, and how he cannot afford to lose his job at such a time in his life.
To show the audience the scheming nature of Krogstad, I would first show Nora’s discomfort at having him in her house. Krogstad would enter from back stage left, whilst Nora is facing the audience, her back facing Krogstad. When Nora first comes to realise Krogstad’s presence, she is uneasy and tense as she asks, “You want to speak to me?”- This signals to the audience that there is something not quite right about Krogstad. Also, emphasise on his change in tone needs to be sardonic and patronising towards Nora, in order to get what he wants from her, which is to keep his
‘A Doll’s house’ is a three act play by Henrik Ibsen, which tells the story of a woman named Nora and her advances into independence from her husband. The play is set in Norway and is naturalistic. The sub text in this play communicates to the audience how the characters are actually feeling, despite conveying a completely different emotion. Nils Krogstad is a convoluted character in that, as the play progresses, the audience are not quite sure whether he is actually a bad man, or just a misunderstood one. His attitude changes greatly when Christine Linde admits her affection for him – he becomes softer and slightly unsure of himself. When he says the line “You mean- you came because of me?” he would need to look sheepish, almost childlike- and show a deep contrast to his previous devious and underhanded self.
When performing as Nils Krogstad, I would make sure that my costume would reflect his personality, and give the audience a feel of what he may be like. He would most likely wear a plain black suit and tie, with a white shirt and a long black coat and scarf to highlight the fact that it is winter outside. I would also have Krogstad wear plain silver glasses, to accentuate his age, and how he cannot afford to lose his job at such a time in his life.
To show the audience the scheming nature of Krogstad, I would first show Nora’s discomfort at having him in her house. Krogstad would enter from back stage left, whilst Nora is facing the audience, her back facing Krogstad. When Nora first comes to realise Krogstad’s presence, she is uneasy and tense as she asks, “You want to speak to me?”- This signals to the audience that there is something not quite right about Krogstad. Also, emphasise on his change in tone needs to be sardonic and patronising towards Nora, in order to get what he wants from her, which is to keep his