The Development of Method Acting seen through Henrik Ibsen's Nora

How Henrik Ibsen changed the very consept of acting

Abstract

Abstract

Henrik Ibsen’s dramaturgy, physical score and knowledge of theatre changed the way actors work to portray a character. This historiographic article addresses the development of acting methods seen through Henrik Ibsen’s Nora and Ibsen’s revolutionary renewal of drama and female representation. From Betty Henning created the first Nora in Copenhagen in 1879 three main traditions can be traced: A Nora with roots in melodramatic acting, a Nora as a political icon and a Nora portrayed through psychological realism. The three categories mix together in a complex loom. This article will reflect on how Ibsen’s Nora required that actresses made their characters life-like and credible to the audience through what he called being continuously true to reality, "jævn natursandhed" (Ibsen 1878). By doing so he changed the very concept of acting.