Doll's House

Use of language:

The play is set in an older time in British history the audience can tell this as shillings are used in the play and that what they considered to be a high amount is not what we would consider a high amount. We can also tell this as it is a time where people still had maids and nurses looking after the house and children. Due to that we can also identify that this is a household what is very well off and that the Helmer is a bank manager. Because of this the characters would speak in a more upper class tone of voice. With this would come that they would be very well educated so they would use more complex sentences. The use of speeches is common in this play as they are used to tell a story, for example the story of how Helmer was poorly. Doing this means that the audience will get some of the backstory to the performance so they know what has also happened before the play.

Non-verbal communication:

This can often be done through peoples facial movements as doing that will show the emotions the characters are having for example; I’d have Helmer crying to show that his wife leaving is making him sad. The audience should know this as it’s normal that when people are sad they cry. There are many stage directions throughout this play they can be used to show how other characters are to others by using levels as one actor maybe lower than another. An example of this would be where Nora rests on Mrs Linde it shows that Nora at that point in time is focusing on Mrs Linde. The way of how I would have my actors move would be dependent on who they are portraying and also what the characters motive at the time is. If someone wanted to see another in urgency then I would have them pace with a bit of speed to show that they are awaiting something or someone or an important item and etc.

Vocal awareness:

Earlier in the play where Nora meets Mrs Linde I’d have Nora speak in a more of a peaceful voice this would show that she would be full of joy as she had just seen her old friend. However to the end I’d have her in a more serious tone so that the audience would know that she is serious about leaving Helmer as it doesn’t appear to be a scene which either the two are enjoying very much. She'd also speak slowly as it would help him understand what would be happening. In contrast I would have Helmer speaking in a fast as it would show how desperate he is to not be left or have his life collapse. I would use pauses in as I feel that it would show that a character is thinking. As these characters appear to be very well educated I would have them pronounce everything correctly to how it was meant to be.

Characterisation:

In the scene where Nora talks to Krogstad I'd have Nora be looking confident as doing this means that it'd show that Nora isn't intimidated by Krogstad as he is blackmailing her. One of the advantages of doing this is that it'd be showing she's a very strong and confident person who is more than the average house wife what so many consider her to be. The reasoning behind this is that her personal object is "I must not be intimidated by Krogstad." To achieve this her gesture would be her hands behind her back to clearly show that she is analysing the situation making her seem strong. The movement of her would be wandering about as staying still would mean that Krogstad would have her stuck un knowing of what she should do. Her voice would need to be clear showing no sign of weakness or more importantly fear.

Practitioner:

Gestus is one of Brecht's techniques it is where a character can be symbolised by a position or action. For example a gestus for Nora could be her with her hands on her hips. This would be symbolising that she is a strong person as this position often shows confidence. A technique of Stanislavski was the magic if this is where actors would ask as many questions about their actor to get a deeper understanding. By achieving this it would help the actors get a better understanding of who they need to become making it for a far better performance. Another technique of his is given circumstances where they performers would perform in a way what suits the circumstances what have been given. An example of this could that Helmer is a bit drunk nearer to the end as it's said he has some to drink.

Social, Cultural, Historical and Political Context:

One of the stories main focuses is that debts need to be paid. This is because as a child he had to move to a country house as his father was unable to pay a debt and he needed to sell the house to pay it off. Some of this play had been inspired where there was a character which is similar to Nora as they felt that they were being controlled and was against the bonds of marriage. In addition of this this character makes references to dolls and children just like in this play. A play of his had be refused in the past as it was considered to be immoral as it viewed marriage and love as not in the same way. this is one of the conclusions that the characters in this play reach as they seemed to of stopped loving each other and yet were married.

Visual, Aural and Spatial Elements:

The clothing of the performers I would have would be in a olden style possibly a Victorian style. the reasoning behind this is that they play seems to be set during that period in time. For example most of the men in the play will be wearing suits and the women