“There are two kinds of spiritual law, two kinds of conscience, one in man and another, altogether different, in women. They do not understand each other; but in practical life the women is judged by man’s law, as though she were not a woman but a man.” Those words were said by the great Henrik Ibsen himself. Henrik Ibsen was born on March twentieth eighteen twenty eight in Skien, Norway. He grew up in poverty following the demise of his father’s business. He was exiled to Italy, and then moved on to Germany. Ibsen wrote A Doll’s House in 1879, while in Germany. He sought to question social practices in the real world, and women’s position in society. He was commonly known as “The Father of Modern Drama”. Ibsen’s A Doll’s House was published in 1879 and first performed shortly after in the same year and month. The play turned out to be very controversial, which lead Ibsen to write an alternate ending. The play was later turned into a television show and multiple movie adaptations. (Galens 106,107 ) Ibsen creates many static and strong characters that help convey his message. Nora Helmer is the play’s protagonist and wife of Torvald Helmer. Torvald, Nora’s husband, is shown to be extremely controlling and dominating. He often treats Nora like a doll or child. There are many relevant themes in the play such as: appearance and reality, pride, honor, sexism, and the search for self-identity. Nora’s life as a married woman is overall symbolized by a doll. Henrik Ibsen’s characters Nora, Christine, and Torvald perfectly depict the marital and societal trends of the 19th century; while further explaining the choices some made leading to a more feminist and gender equal nation.The lifestyles Victorian Age European women heavily affe…
…d group was to attain equality. (Gale Group 49,50) In the early twentieth century, Feminist around the world have emerged making leaps and bound towards a gender equal world, just like Nora Helmer.Works Cited
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Calder, Jenni. Women and Marriage in Victorian Fiction. New York : Oxford University Press, 1976.
Gale Group . Encyclopedia of European Social History From 1350 to 2000. Ed. Peter N. Stearns. Vol. 4. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons , 2001.
Galens, David, ed. Drama for Students “resenting Analysis, Cntext and Critism on Commonly Studied Drama” . Vol. Volume 1. Detroit : Gale Research , 1998 .
Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll’s House. Ed. Stanley Appelbaum. New York : Dover Publications, INC. , 1879.
Kuhlman, Erica Ann. “Anthony, Susan B., and Elizabeth Cady Stanton .” 2002. Modern World History Online “A to Z of Women in World History” . Ed. Inc. Facts on File.
