Stereotypical image of women in Henrik Ibsens Dolls House and in August Strindbergs Miss Julie .

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Stereotypical image of women in Henrik Ibsen’s dolls house and in August Strindberg’s Miss Julie

Society had great expectation from the women folk as in men were considered more superior than women, on the contrary women were always locked in their households and their primary duty remained the same irrespective of class and caste. One of their responsibilities was to behave in a way that would satisfy father, brother, husband and her son. Women in that era never really had any access to education even though that the huge responsibility of grooming up her children lay in her hands. So more or less they were just a possession owned without any rights and were struck in a harsh cult of domesticity. So all in all they could be compared to a bird with clipped wings.

This could be pertained trough Henry Ibsen’s play the doll’s house and august Strindberg Miss Julie as these playwrights have brilliantly landscaped the ladies situation in the 19th century. Henrik Ibsen the author of the doll’s house briefs us on women play a sacrificial role in the society and the struggle that they go through for individuality in their social and married life. In the play Ibsen portrays Nora as a perfect house wife who has dedicated her entire life to her husband and her children. In the beginning the protagonist’s life seems to be just too good to be true. But Nora was unaware about her lack of freedom and loss of her individuality since Trovald Helmer created an ambiance of pamper in her life which she had mistaken for his love.

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Whereas Torvald thinks of her more like a property and less like a wife which at that period of time was quite a common scene in every household as the husbands would set a set of rules and the wife would blindly follow it. Moreover Trovald treated Nora like a doll and tries to control her she was restricted from eating macaroons (which symbolizes her temptations) and was not allowed to pursue her simple desire. As quoted from the novel “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen

“Helmer- when did the squirrel get home?”

“Nora-Just this minute. (She slips ...

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