ge.The next major action is the dual deceit of the Captain, as Laura now has an ally in the Doctor – the doctor remains to supposedly look after the Mother in Law. The second act, as the first, ends in an argument between Laura and the Captain, as we see her slowly gaining the upper hand. At this point, the Captain is left unsure of his fatherhood, questioning it on the basis that no man can truly know if he is the father. He still retains his wits at this point, his scientific reasoning, but is losing control of his emotions. This ends in his final throwing of the lamp, shattering it on the wall.As we enter Act Three, the Captain has been barricaded in the upstairs of the home. Laura has now gained both the Doctor and the Pastor as an ally – she has essentially gained control of science and religion in the fight against her husband’s control over both his and her life. Margaret, the Captain’s beloved maid is the one they use to straightjacket him as he emerges from the room, appealing to his inner child to gain control of him. Finally even his military partner, Happy, will not aid the Captain in what now has become a battle for him. The Captain, now left without science, religion, politics, or family on his side is overwhelmed with emotional breakdown and suffers a stroke. Here ends the play.What we are really presented with here, more than a naturalistic and dramatic play, is more of a symbol of society as Strindberg himself views it. It is really quite genius. Each Act marks a different state for the Captain, as well as a new loss, as all he trusts or can hope to trust abandons him for all that he could never trust. The attack of Ibsen is clear, from the overall character and plot structure of the play, to the details, such as the staightforward attck on what Stringberg calls “Ibesnism.” The doll in this play is not wife, but husband, as he is coddled by his nursemaid, decieved by his ...
