Exposition

No play can be comprised purely of conflict. Some speeches, incidents, or scenes are included to give additional dimension to explain background information that will have an effect on character development, relationships among the characters, or the progress of the plot. Such material is called exposition.

In many earlier plays, from the classics of Greek drama through Shakespeare, a chorus or character gives an initial speech that is almost an orientation. Ibsen, however, took a more subtle approach, and he was one of the first playwrights to weave the exposition into the drama itself. In this way, he challenged his audience to understand—almost to participate in—the gradual rise of tension in the conflict.

In //A Doll’s House//, the exposition occurs in several scenes, from Mrs. Linde’s comments on Nora’s youthful reputation as a spendthrift to Helmer’s revelations about Nora’s father and his character to the nursemaid’s acknowledgment that she raised Nora after placing her own child out for adoption. Other scenes of exposition include the gradual building of background on Mrs. Linde’s life, Krogstad’s earlier struggles, and their previous relationship.