A Doll's House: And Two Other PlaysThe lady from the sea: This play is centred on a lady called Ellida. She is the daughter of a lighthouse-keeper, and grew up where the fjord met the open sea; she loves the sea. She is married to Doctor Wangel, a physician in a small fjord town in northern Norway. He has two daughters (Bolette and Hilde) by his previous wife, now deceased. He and Ellida have a son who died as a baby. Ellida is restless and troubled by a former romantic attachment. Wangel, fearing for Ellida's mental health, has invited up Arnholm, Bolette's former tutor, and a former suitor to Ellida, in the hope that he can help Ellida. Some years earlier Ellida was deeply in love and engaged to a sailor, but because he murdered his captain he had to escape. Nevertheless, he asked her to wait for him to come and fetch her. She tried to break the engagement, but he had too great a hold over her. The sailor then returns all these years later to claim her. Ellida then has to choose between her former lover or her husband. Dr Wangel finally recognizes her freedom to choose since he understands that he has no other options. This goes in his favour as she then chooses him. The play ends with the sailor leaving and Ellida and Wangel deciding to take up their lives again together. |
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afraid Arnholm attic Ballested Band Society believe child Christine comes course dear Bolette dear doctor dear Ellida dear Nora Doctor Rank Doll's House dress everything eyes fancy Fat Guest father feel fjord garden Gina give goes gone Good-bye Good-morning Graaberg hands happy hear heard Hedvig going Helmer HENRIK IBSEN Hilde Hjalmar Ekdal husband Ibsen kitchen Krogstad letter Linde live Lyngstrand macaroons Maid marriage matter mean mind Molvik morning mother never nonsense Nora Old EKDAL outer door perhaps Pettersen play poor portmanteau Relling sake shuts the door Skjoldviken smiling sofa Sörby sort speak stands Stranger suppose sure talk Tarantella tell thanks there's Thin-haired Guest thing thought to-day to-morrow to-night told Torvald true understand verandah wait walking Wangel looking Werle Werle's wife wild duck