FREE ESSAY ON WHAT IS REALISM?

WHAT IS REALISM?

W HAT IS REALISM? WAS ITS ARRIVAL GOOD FOR THEATRE?
Realism is the movement toward representing reality as it is, in art. Realistic drama is
an attempt to portray life on stage, a movement away from the conventional melodramas and
sentimental comedies of the 1700s. It is expressed in theatre through the use of
symbolism, character development, stage setting and storyline and is exemplified in plays
such as Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House and Anton Chekhov's The Three Sisters. The arrival
of realism was indeed good for theatre as it promoted greater audience involvement and
raised awareness of contemporary social and moral issues. It also provided and continues
to provide a medium through which playwrights can express their views about societal
values, attitudes and morals.
A Doll's House is the tragedy of a Norwegian housewife who is compelled to challenge law,
society and her husband's value system. It can be clearly recognized as a realistic
problem drama, for it is a case where the individual is in opposition to a hostile
society. Ibsen's sympathy with the feminine cause has been praised and criticized; as he
requires the audience to judge the words and actions of the characters in order to
reassess the values of society.
The characters in A Doll's House are quite complex and contradictory, no longer
stereotypes. In Act II, Nora expresses her repulsion about a fancy dress worn to please
Torvald (her husband): I wish I'd torn it to pieces; she attempts to restore it and
resign herself to her situation right after: I'll ask Mrs Linde to help.
In Act III, Torvald ignores his wife's plea for forgiveness in order to make a moral
judgement: You've killed my happiness.You've destroyed my future. I can never trust you
again. Later on in the same act, he contradicts himself: I'll change. I can change-; much
after Nora confronts him: Sit here, Torvald. We have to come to terms. ...There's a lot
to say. Here, Ibsen shows us he has worked in depth with the psychology of the
characters, giving them a sense of complexity and realism. Playgoers therefore recognize
the revelation of characters through memory. Thus drama became an experience closely
impinging on the conscience of the audience. 
Ibsen was also unique for his use of symbolism to assist realism on stage. Symbolic
significance is presented through the detail of design, props and actions of the
characters. For example, in Act III, Nora goes offstage to get changed; I'm changing. No
more fancy dress. It is a symbolic representation of her personal change, one where she
has come to the realization that she has been living the life of a doll, confined to the
roles of a featherbrain, plaything, dove, skylark and songbird. Thus, symbolism enhanced
realism, and its effect can be seen as positive in the sense that it stirred conscious
awareness of values. 
The stage settings of A Doll's House are an integral part of the theatrical design, and
not mere decor to be overlooked. The setting in Act II; ...the Christmas tree stands
stripped of its decorations and with its candles burnt to stumps is symbolic of the lack
of happiness in Nora's life at that moment. Also the change of setting in Act III; The
tables and chairs have been moved centre foreshadows a character change that will take
place in Nora. The many references to doors also have significance beyond the stage
directions. The play begins with the opening of the door and finishes with the slamming
of the door. Nora enters the doll's house with the values of society and departs from it,
symbolizing her rejection of them. All these intricacies of play settings and characters
depict realism on stage. Ultimately, it has been good for theatre because it presents the
playwright's ideas in interesting and original ways. Realism, as expressed through
symbolism, also draws the attention of the audience, thus stimulating moral thought, and
stirring reaction.
Realism is also defined as art-imitating life (source). This is a fitting account of
Anton Chekhov's plays, for they tend to show the stagnant, helpless quality of Russian
society in the late C19th. Quite evident in The Three Sisters, when Tuzenbakh illustrates
realism; The suffering we see around us these days - and there's plenty of it - is at
least a sign that society has reached a certain moral level. Hence, while the portrayal
of life here seemed 'gloomy and pessimestic', it was still good for theatre in that it
presented issues which audiences could identify with. It was also more intellectual
theatre when the playwright could express their views, compared with the conventional
dramas that merely played out fiction.
Chekhov tends to portray people who are perpetually unsatisfied, such as Olga; I felt my
youth and energy draining away, drop by drop each day. Only one thing grows stronger and
stronger, a certain longing. (Act 1). This is reflective of Chekhov's realistic character
work, where people dream to improve their lives, but most fail. Realism here effectively
presents harsh realities onstage, and not having to promote idealistic ways of life.
Reality is difficult as Olga expresses; What is all this for? Why all this suffering? The
answer will be known one day, and then there will be no mysteries left, but till then,
life must go on, we must work and work and think of nothing else. (Act IV). 
Chekhov also exposes human foibles and anti-social tendencies, such as with the character
Natasha; you have so many people here. I feel awfully nervous...I am just not used to
meeting new people. Thus, audiences can sympathize and identify with characters, as these
traits are reflective of certain aspects of the human condition. So realism in theatre
has been good in the respect that it has greater impact when there are elements of truth
in the play.
In the final analysis, the arrival of realism has been good for theatre primarily because
it promoted greater audience involvement. While the portrayal of realistic issues may
have been contentious in some cases, such as in A Doll's House, it nevertheless stirred
reaction, which encouraged moral thought. However, one could argue that its arrival has
lead to less use of the imagination. In either case, realism has raised awareness of
social and moral issues and the playwright's views serve to challenge the audience
ultimately making theatre more interactive and interesting.