Jan 11, 2025
Pedro Pascal reading a Spanish translation of the "But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun" passage from Romeo & Juliet
Enjoy! (x)
seen from Netherlands
seen from Türkiye
seen from Sweden
seen from Yemen
seen from Russia
seen from Türkiye
seen from Germany
seen from Sweden
seen from Germany
seen from Saudi Arabia
seen from Poland
seen from Poland
seen from China
seen from Mexico
seen from Yemen
seen from Poland
seen from United States
seen from Saudi Arabia
seen from United Arab Emirates
seen from France
Pedro Pascal reading a Spanish translation of the "But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun" passage from Romeo & Juliet
Enjoy! (x)
A Doll’s House - Henrik Ibsen
Synopsis: A Doll’s House is a play by a Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, in some translations known as “Nora”. The play was first published and performed in 1879 and it caused quite a stir at the time of its release. The story focuses around the Helmer family household and their acquaintances. It takes a critical look at a 19th century marriage and a woman’s position in it.
At the time of her fathers death Nora Helmer took a loan in her father’s name and forged his signature in order to take her ill husband abroad to make him better. She is driven to this forgery since at the time women were not allowed to handle their own finances or apply for a loan. She keeps the loan a secret, saying the money came from her inheritance following her father’s death. Now she has been slowly paying it back for some years out of her “pocket money”. However her actions catch up with her as her husband, who is quite well now, is offered a promotion. Following this he, without knowing the truth, fires the man who lent Nora the money few years back. The man becomes cross with the Helmers and as he realises Nora’s crime, he begins to blackmail her.
Review: I gave this play 4.5/5 and honestly the reason it didn’t get a 5/5 was because I wished there had been more of it and we could’ve dived in just a bit deeper into the complex layers of a Victorian marriage. Also I did not really like Nora, the main character, but that hasn’t stopped me from enjoying a story before.
(FYI I read this book in Swedish as I assumed it would be closer to the original text, and my tip for your if you wish to improve your language skills is to read plays in your preferred language! They’re often shorter than novels and contain a lot of dialogue rather than prosaic descriptions and long chapters.)
To read and understand this play in modern day requires some understanding of the time it was written in, otherwise the full impact of the play is not felt (for example I recommend watching the scene from the new Little Women film in which Amy, Florence Pugh, explains how a marriage is always an economic question and how a wife, their money and children are always the husband’s property).
According to my reading (mostly Wikipedia) Ibsen did not necessarily intent the Dollhouse to be a feminist play but rather he was always “on the side of the downtrodden” (to quote Matthew from Downton Abbey). However, the play contemplates classic feminist themes like women’s rights in a society and within the family. It establishes women have value within themselves not just as wives and caretakers of their children. The name of the play “A Doll’s House” alludes to how Nora feels like she was a doll of her father’s before she became her husband’s doll and how at the same time her children act as her dolls.
Anyhow, it’s a fairly short play and therefore a quick read so I recommend this to everyone who enjoys classics, period plays or feminist literature!
Ps. This gif will make sense if you’ve read the play lol
Brave New Shakespeare Challenge - ROMEO AND JULIET with Pedro Pascal | T...
Cate at the play reading “Land of the Free” by Diane Samuels last night March 25th 2019
Eoin Macken attending Rise Now fundraiser play reading 12 March 2019 (Zimbio)
Poll for February (We’re Back!)
Social Performance is back and raring to go! We’ve set up a poll for you to vote on the play you want to read first (in February). We have a mix of more contemporary plays, and some older stuff, some tragedies and some comedies, so hopefully there’s something for everyone in the mix!
https://vote.pollcode.com/52623913
On Tuesday 11th April, as part of this year's Cityread programme of events, Barbican Library are hosting a Play Reading Evening of Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (adapted for the stage by Mike Poulton) Literature lovers are invited to join in this special evening of reading and refreshments. No acting experience is required! Dramatic parts will be drawn from a hat. Kirtle/doublet/hose/codpiece and oversized turkey drumstick optional. The event is from 6pm-9pm. Admission if free but advance booking is essential.