Gender in 'a Doll's House' & the Importance of Being Ernest'

Arguably, another reason why everything in the play is presented as superficial and doesn’t need to be taken seriously is the character Lady Bracknell and her funny yet disturbing outburst of her judging Jack on whether he can marry Gwendolen. Lady Bracknell is a stereotypical Victorian woman whose utmost concern is outward appearance and societal impressions. The only important things in life are status and money, without which one is destined to become associated with the abhorrent lower class. Wilde satirises Lady Bracknell’s view of marriage to indicate how the society regard it to be nothing but social business. Lady Bracknell ‘looks in her pocket for notebook and pencil’ as she begins to interrogate Jack. She begins with ‘I feel bound to telling you that you are not down on my list of eligible young men’. This shows us she undertakes the role of an over-controlling mother and her immediate concern over him and Gwendolen getting married as she doesn’t believe him to be ‘good enough’. Lady Bracknell carries on by saying ‘to lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness”. This implies her total disregard for death and the prepared interrogation to which she makes Jack undergo are based on a set of suspicions about the nature and purpose of marriage. More often than not, these assumptions reflect the typical views of Victorian

Wilde uses satire especially with the idea of marriage. In the society that he lived in, marriage is seen as a business arrangement. When Lady Bracknell questioned Jack to determine if he is suitable for her daughter, she

Numerous individuals saw values of feminism within A Doll House, not only because of what the character, Nora, faced as a woman in society, but due to the social era of that time; woman felt they could relate to Nora’s struggles. The play was made during a time period in which women were not allowed to conduct business without the authority of a man, such as controlling money or divorce unless both partners agreed. Many saw that A Doll House presented evidence on Victorian society by displaying hypocrisy and its use of public opinion to suppress individuality, the

Oscar Wilde’s play entitled “The Importance of Being Earnest” illustrates the concept of dual personality, fantasy, love, and lies. Jack, Algernon, Gwendolyn, and Cecily all live in lies. They are manipulated by their fantasies and desire for perfect relationship and love. Jack, the protagonist in the play, is the root of lies because of his imaginary brother named Earnest. Algernon uses the name to win Cecily, while Gwendolyn and Cecily are both fascinated by this name because it expresses strength and perfection of manhood. Due to their search and desire to have Earnest, the male and female characters escape from the reality. Therefore, Wilde in The Importance of Being Earnest portrays a gender doubled

A Doll’s House and The Importance of Being Earnest were both written in the late nineteenth century at a period in time when gender roles in society were not only significant to the structure of society but were restrictive and oppressive to individuals. This was particularly true in the case of women who were seen as the upholders of morals in polite society and were expected to behave accordingly. A Doll’s House and The Importance of Being Earnest challenge society and its inclination to categorise and expect certain behaviour of individuals based on their gender.

The door of A Doll’s House is closed at last. This is a symbol for the end of the way society thinks about women back in the Victorian era around the 19th century. At the time Henrik Ibsen wrote the play A Doll’s House in Norway, it was normal for society to look down upon such women that would leave their children and husbands behind. Men had a higher status than women at that time. The title “Doll’s House” ties well with the play because it illustrates how in the past, society treated women as dolls. The title of the play demonstrates an allegory for women’s roles because it

In the book A Doll House by Hendrik Isben, he produces a production that shows how women were treated through the example of Nora. Many of the events that occurred normally would not occur in out era. In our day and age women, men, and every race are equally treating, but in the play, Doll House not so much.

A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen, creates a peephole into the lives of a family in the Victorian Era. The play portrays a female viewpoint in a male-dominated society. The values of the society are described using the actions of a woman, Nora, who rebels against the injustices inflicted upon her gender. Women’s equality with men was not recognized by society in the late 1800’s. Rather, a woman was considered a doll, a child, and a servant. Nora’s alienation reveals society’s assumptions and values about gender.

The enforcement of specific gender roles by societal standards in 19th century married life proved to be suffocating. Women were objects to perform those duties for which their gender was thought to have been created: to remain complacent, readily accept any chore and complete it “gracefully” (Ibsen 213). Contrarily, men were the absolute monarchs over their respective homes and all that dwelled within. In Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House, Nora is subjected to moral degradation through her familial role, the consistent patronization of her husband and her own assumed subordinance. Ibsen belittles the role of the housewife through means of stage direction, diminutive pet names and through Nora’s interaction with her morally ultimate

Every line, every character, and every stage direction in The Importance of Being Earnest is set on supporting Oscar Wilde’s want for social change. The Importance of Being Earnest was written during the late period of the Victorian era. During this period social classification was taken very seriously. It could affect working and living conditions, education, religion, and marriage. Wilde explores the issues of social class and turns it into a comedic play. He humorously criticizes Victorian manners and attacking the society of the luxurious life. The audience becomes self-aware as the characters reflect on themselves. Plays such as this become successful because of the backgrounds the writers come from and the experiences they have had.

Wilde uses a deceptively flippant tone and irony to criticize the hypocrisy of the upper class in Victorian society in relation to living an earnest life. Earnestness as a virtue was of paramount importance during Victorian Society, with people constantly striving to live an earnest life, that is, a life of honesty and seriousness in intention and purpose. The Victorian society was passionately obsessed with the ideals of earnestness, that individuals in the upper middle class were pressured to go to any lengths to lead such a life, even if it meant a difference between what they said, how they acted in public and what they honestly thought. "My dear fellow, the truth isn't quite the sort of thing

Henrik Ibsen’s drama, A Doll House, was seen as controversial when it first came out in 1879. During this time, women had little to no rights. They could not vote, or work, and they were not considered able to handle their own finances. So, naturally, a drama that suggests a woman could leave her home and family in search of herself was seen as anarchy. Throughout the play there is continuous talk of women, their roles as a wife and mother, and the price they pay when they break with tradition. But is it only about women? Many argue that Torvald is just as much a victim of nineteenth century social norms as Nora.

In A Doll's House, Henrik Ibsen focuses on the importance of women's roles and freedom in society. Widely regarded as a feminist paean, the play features two major female characters; the most prominent of whom, Nora Helmer, shatters her position as a subservient, doll-like female when she walks out on her husband and children with a flagrant "door slam heard round the world." Nora’s evolution, though inspiring, should not overshadow another crucial woman in the play: Mrs. Kristine Linde. Both women attain freedom in a society dominated by the adherence to conservative marital roles, but do it in different ways. While Nora reaches her consciousness and slams the door on her shackling domicile, Mrs.

In “A Doll House” by Henrik Ibsen was created during 1800s time period. This play helps shine a light on the gender roles of the 1800s while also creating a twist that was uncommon for this period. During this time period, women were left home to oversee the domestic duties, while men went to commuted to work (Hughes). Men were seen as physically superior but morally inferior to women; which is also portrayed within this book (Hughes). This play marks the beginning of Henrik Ibsen’s realist period, which he explored the ordinary lives of small-town people (Kirszner and Mandell 881). This “modern tragedy” helped make Ibsen famous internationally because of the real-life story it captured (Kirszner and Mandell 882). Henrik Ibsen uses an array of literary devices to help keep the reader captivated from beginning to end. Three of the most prominent literary devices used by Henrik Ibsen are symbolism, foreshadowing, and an array of themes. These literary devices help transform a basic play into a complex story of lies and deception.

A Doll’s House was published in Norway in 1879 by Henrik Isben. He is known as the father of Modern Theatre. He is also referred as the father of realism. The play is very interesting because of the funny dialogue, the unique characters, and Ibsen 's view of the place of ladies in the public eye. The main characters of the play is Nora Helmer and her husband Torvald Helmer. Imagine what it would be like to live in a doll 's home? It 's a house in which you are controlled and have no energy to settle on any solid choice; It 's a house in which you are a play thing for another person 's amusement. This sounds a ton like an awful marriage, so it 's a house in which your husband holds the satchel strings, in a manner of speaking, and abandons you with no influence over your family 's accounts. In fact, your husband keeps you on a tightrope. Such is the perceived life of Nora Helmer.