Ibsen and Feminism

Paper Summary:

A paper which introduces and discusses feminism in two Henrik Ibsen plays, "Hedda Gabler," and "A Doll's House." Specifically it shows the roles of the two main characters, Nora and Hedda, and their lifestyle situations to illustrate the problems with the female role (feminism) in the Victorian times between 1880-1890.

From the Paper:

"No good Victorian woman would ever admit to hating a child so much, or hating another so much. "The perfect wife was an active participant in the family, fulfilling a number of vital tasks, the firs of which was childbearing" (Vicinus ix). She is the embodiment of evil in this third act, and the embodiment of everything that would shock and appall staid Victorian society.

"While her actions may be Ibsen's commentary on the more than strict rules that governed women in Victorian times, her behavior is still so deviant that she cannot survive in the end. She is the opposite of everything that is right and good about the time, and she must not be allowed to survive, or the society around her would not be able to survive."

More papers on Ibsen and Feminism:

• Analytical Essay # 60352 : "Ibsen and Feminism: "A Doll's House"
• Analytical Essay # 133350 : "Understanding the Concept of Misogyny in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, Ghosts, and Hedda Gabler"
• Analytical Essay # 90286 : "Duty and Self"

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