--- product_id: 3505941 title: "Four Major Plays: Doll's House; Ghosts; Hedda Gabler; and The Master Builder (Oxford World's Classics)" price: "SAR 72" currency: SAR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.com.sa/products/3505941-four-major-plays-dolls-house-ghosts-hedda-gabler-and-master store_origin: SA region: Saudi Arabia --- # Four Major Plays: Doll's House; Ghosts; Hedda Gabler; and The Master Builder (Oxford World's Classics) **Price:** SAR 72 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Four Major Plays: Doll's House; Ghosts; Hedda Gabler; and The Master Builder (Oxford World's Classics) - **How much does it cost?** SAR 72 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.sa](https://www.desertcart.com.sa/products/3505941-four-major-plays-dolls-house-ghosts-hedda-gabler-and-master) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description desertcart.com: Four Major Plays: Doll's House; Ghosts; Hedda Gabler; and The Master Builder (Oxford World's Classics): 9780199536191: Ibsen, Henrik, McFarlane, James, Arup, Jens, McFarlane, James: Books Review: behind the scenes - After the forced closing of the London theaters by the Puritans in 1642, serious drama in Europe entered a long decline. Despite occasional bright spots--French Neoclassicism, the German Enlightenment--it wasn't until the Victorian Era that a new style of realistic drama emerged, ironically, in Scandinavia and Russia, far from the traditional centers of European high culture. Beginning in 1850 Henrik Ibsen wrote a series of iconoclastic plays that challenged society's taboos and exposed its hypocrisy, while creating larger-than-life characters faced with agonizing ethical dilemmas. Like Shakespeare, Ibsen perhaps is better appreciated on the page than on the stage. With Ibsen, subtext is everything. Taken at face value, his plots can seem absurdly melodramatic, his characters unconvincing, his dialogue trite. You have to learn to read between the lines. Actors often flounder amid Ibsen's characters' nuances, while directors are more interested in making a statement than interpreting the author faithfully. "Hedda Gabler," the longest and most complicated play in this edition, in particular requires repeated readings. Its truly frightful heroine is a latter-day Medea or Lady Macbeth, who resorts to suicide when her nefarious schemes come to naught. "A Doll's House" and "Ghosts" both expose family secrets and hidden passions, while "The Master Builder" is a semiautobiographical tale of an aging artist whose fear of being supplanted by the younger generation leads to a disastrous flirtation with a young admirer who resembles nothing so much as an older Pippi Longstocking. Ibsen's dialogue is akin to the sticomathia of Greek tragedy, bristling with truly Sophoclean irony. If his plots lack Shakespeare's blood and thunder, his characters' inner turmoil is just as real. Sometimes they make the right decision, more often the wrong one, but with Ibsen it all boils down to personal accountability and taking responsibility for ones actions--or inactions. He demands high standards from both his characters and audience. The Oxford Ibsen translation by James McFarlane and Jens Arup is clear and readable. In "Hedda Gabler" they change the obtuse husband's catchphrase, usually translated as "Fancy that!" to "Just think of it!" This edition makes Ibsen as powerful and immediate as he was to his contemporaries. Review: Exactly as described, prompt delivery - Arrived in good time for the academic year and exactly the version required. Easy ordering, faultless delivery 👌 ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | ASIN | 0199536198 | | Best Sellers Rank | #127,974 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #3 in European Literature (Books) #39 in Drama Literary Criticism #147 in European Dramas & Plays | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (389) | | Dimensions | 7.78 x 1 x 5.1 inches | | Edition | 1st | | ISBN-10 | 9780199536191 | | ISBN-13 | 978-0199536191 | | Item Weight | 2.31 pounds | | Language | English | | Print length | 384 pages | | Publication date | July 15, 2008 | | Publisher | Oxford University Press | | Reading age | 13 years and up | ## Images ![Four Major Plays: Doll's House; Ghosts; Hedda Gabler; and The Master Builder (Oxford World's Classics) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91ztEsqIlRL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ behind the scenes *by H***E on July 16, 2019* After the forced closing of the London theaters by the Puritans in 1642, serious drama in Europe entered a long decline. Despite occasional bright spots--French Neoclassicism, the German Enlightenment--it wasn't until the Victorian Era that a new style of realistic drama emerged, ironically, in Scandinavia and Russia, far from the traditional centers of European high culture. Beginning in 1850 Henrik Ibsen wrote a series of iconoclastic plays that challenged society's taboos and exposed its hypocrisy, while creating larger-than-life characters faced with agonizing ethical dilemmas. Like Shakespeare, Ibsen perhaps is better appreciated on the page than on the stage. With Ibsen, subtext is everything. Taken at face value, his plots can seem absurdly melodramatic, his characters unconvincing, his dialogue trite. You have to learn to read between the lines. Actors often flounder amid Ibsen's characters' nuances, while directors are more interested in making a statement than interpreting the author faithfully. "Hedda Gabler," the longest and most complicated play in this edition, in particular requires repeated readings. Its truly frightful heroine is a latter-day Medea or Lady Macbeth, who resorts to suicide when her nefarious schemes come to naught. "A Doll's House" and "Ghosts" both expose family secrets and hidden passions, while "The Master Builder" is a semiautobiographical tale of an aging artist whose fear of being supplanted by the younger generation leads to a disastrous flirtation with a young admirer who resembles nothing so much as an older Pippi Longstocking. Ibsen's dialogue is akin to the sticomathia of Greek tragedy, bristling with truly Sophoclean irony. If his plots lack Shakespeare's blood and thunder, his characters' inner turmoil is just as real. Sometimes they make the right decision, more often the wrong one, but with Ibsen it all boils down to personal accountability and taking responsibility for ones actions--or inactions. He demands high standards from both his characters and audience. The Oxford Ibsen translation by James McFarlane and Jens Arup is clear and readable. In "Hedda Gabler" they change the obtuse husband's catchphrase, usually translated as "Fancy that!" to "Just think of it!" This edition makes Ibsen as powerful and immediate as he was to his contemporaries. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Exactly as described, prompt delivery *by A***R on September 26, 2024* Arrived in good time for the academic year and exactly the version required. Easy ordering, faultless delivery 👌 ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great Purchase. *by J***M on September 9, 2011* I am very pleased with the purchase and the timely manner in which the book came. It arrived just in time for the beginning of the semester and was in great condition. Also, I appreciated the fact that the book was as described. ## Frequently Bought Together - Four Major Plays: Doll's House; Ghosts; Hedda Gabler; and The Master Builder (Oxford World's Classics) - A Streetcar Named Desire - Khirbet Khizeh: A Novel --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.sa/products/3505941-four-major-plays-dolls-house-ghosts-hedda-gabler-and-master](https://www.desertcart.com.sa/products/3505941-four-major-plays-dolls-house-ghosts-hedda-gabler-and-master) --- *Product available on Desertcart Saudi Arabia* *Store origin: SA* *Last updated: 2026-04-22*