A Dramatic Slap

Ibsen’s play The Doll’s House ends with Nora Helmer closing the door of her house, leaving Torvald and her children behind: the slam heard round the world. It’s unambiguous; she’s out of there. [For the German premier, however, Ibsen was forced to write an alternative...

Sex by Deception

Basically, “Sex by Deception” describes the bedtrick plots of Shakespeare’s plays Measure for Measure and All’s Well That Ends Well. To preserve the chastity of Isabella, the novitiate in Measure for Measure, a substitute sleeps with Angelo—his jilted fiancé Mariana....