Individual Freedom and Social Norms: Lucas Hnath’s Rereading of Ibsen in A Doll’s House, Part 2

Abstract

This paper examines Lucas Hnath’s stage play, A Doll’s House, Part 2 (2017), a stimulating sequel to Henrik Ibsen s classic, A Doll’s House (1879), focusing on the adaptation process/product and the effect of the sequel’s (re)creative rereading of the precursor text. The crucial issues on the conflicts between individual choices and social norms, particularly on the women’s position and constrained freedom in a dominantly patriarchal society, are famously identified in Ibsen’s play. In the spirit of Ibsen, but by adding his own unique comic elements in a series of staged debates, Hnath effectively updates the original social drama for contemporary audience, drawing attention to what has changed over time in society and what has still yet to change in present-day society. The study traces some of the earlier adaptations to Ibsen s provocative work, before looking into Hnath’s adaptive intention and his resulting reinterpretation of the informing text. While discussing the continuity and discontinuity between the two plays, it is argued that A Doll’s House, Part 2 is significant for its giving voice and stage time to previously marginalized characters (Anne Marie and Emmy), inviting us to rethink and reread the classic text from a different, new perspective.