Another difference in the structure of the text is that ‘A Doll’s House’ is presented in acts and ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’ is in phases. The significance of this is that in ‘A Doll’s House’ the plot of the play unravels in the space of a few days, whereas through the use of phases in ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’ the plot unravels over several years and the reader receives a prolonged view of the growth of Tess’ character. Despite this difference both of the texts have an innovative structure. All forms of text: novel, play and poetry of this era became very focused on the topic of the upper class however, both of the texts content is completely focused on working class women. This is again as in ‘A Doll’s House’ is proved in ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’. Hardy presents us with a text completely focused on the life of Tess and how she struggles through life working to help provide for her family, ‘along one side of the field the whole wain went, the arms of the mechanical reaper revolving slowly......rabbits, hares, snakes, rats, mice, retreated inwards as into a fastness, unaware of the ephemeral nature of their refuge.’ Through this description Hardy presents an ambiguous attitude to modernity of the work being done, which results in the death of the animals.
A similarity that occurs between the texts is the importance of social status in the Victorian era. In ‘A Doll’s House’ Ibsen presents his leading characters as a middle class family. As the play develops and the plot unravels, the audience notices Torvald to be more concerned with his reputation and social status, than the demolition of his own family, ‘now you have ruined my entire happiness, jeopardized my whole future.....I am done for, a miserable failure and it’s all the fault of the feather-brained woman.’ In contrast to ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’, Tess comes from a lower class family, but marries into a higher class setting. Hardy creates all of his characters from different classes, illustrating what life was like for all of them. Angel, although from a higher class than Tess is unhappy and aspires to do more with his life despite his family’s disapproval, ‘aesthetic, sensuous, pagan pleasure in natural life and lush womanhood which his son Angel had lately been experiencing in Var Vale, his temper would have been antipathetic in a high degree, had he either by inquiry or imagination been able to apprehend it’.
At the beginning of ‘A Doll’s House’ Nora’s identity is determined by others. For Helmer, she is a mother, a housekeeper but mainly a pet animal following his orders, ‘my little skylark’. These references that Torvald make of Nora might be interpreted by reader that in his eyes she is more of a possession, than a human. Nora adopts the role of his doll and throughout the play until we see her dramatic change in attitude, acts as a silly flirtatious child, ‘toying with his coat buttons’. Torvald’s constant reference to her as different animals, ‘little squirrel......little song-bird’ could possibly show the audience the type of relationship that is held between himself and Nora. However, Nora also talks to the different characters within the play differently. As already stated she plays the role of Torvald’s doll but in comparison the way in which she present herself and talks to Dr. Rank is very different. She appears to be flirtatious, ‘I’ve always got time for you......you can only look at the feet. Oh well, you might as well see a bit higher up, too.’ The language that Torvald uses with Nora compared to the way Alec and Angel talk to Tess there are many differences. When Angel talks to Tess he talks in a very loving and affectionate way, we see this when he confesses his love for Tess, ‘resolutions, reticences, prudences, fears fell back......and......went quickly towards the desire of his eyes’.
In both texts the writers use imagery and symbolism to emphasise he reoccurring factors in the plots. The greatest form of imagery that is seen in ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’ is the reference Hardy makes to the colour red. So many aspects of Tess’ life are seen through this colour. In the novel it represents love, danger, sex and death. The colour has a dramatic significance to Tess as a character because it is referred to when she murders Alec, ‘the oblong white ceiling, with this scarlet blob in the midst, had the appearance of a gigantic ace of hearts’. In ‘A Doll’s House’ the first method of symbolism that is seen is in the first act when Nora hides the macaroons from Torvald. This is a subtle indication made by Ibsen to show the audience the deceit Nora is capable of, ‘she stuffs the bag of macaroons in her pocket and wipes her mouth’.
Another method that Ibsen uses to present Nora to the audience is the introduction of other characters. At the beginning of the play we are introduced to Mrs Linde, Krogstad and Dr. Rank. The way in which Krogstad’s entrance is described at the beginning of the play with the use of an environmental aspect, could indicate to the audience that trouble may lie ahead that will be unravelled later on in the play. In comparison this is very similar to the methods Hardy uses to introduce characters attitude in the novel. When Alec takes Tess to ‘The Chase’ Hardy uses the landscape and weather in a way which suggests that trouble may occur and people are going against her, ‘owing to this fog, which so disguises everything......plunged into the webs of vapour which by this time formed veils between the trees’. After this section of the novel, the reader may now notice that there would have been some debate between the Victorian readers as to whether Tess can be considered a ‘fallen woman’ or whether she was subject to fate.
There are two characters in the play that have a separate significance to that of Torvald and Nora. These characters are Mrs Linde and Krogstad. It may be interpreted that the effect of this first meeting between the characters on the audience, is that it makes them are of the sub-plot of the play. The sub-plot of the play is the past relationship between Mrs Linde and Krogstad. We receive more understanding about this at the beginning of the third act, ‘do you think I found it easy to break it off?......when I lost you, it was as if the ground had slipped away from under my feet’. The audience receives the impression that they are very sensitive about their past, and therefore it may seem strange to see the conversation between the characters concerning this topic, to be taking place in the Helmer’s living room. The reason Ibsen does this is to follow through with his method of ensuring all the main events of the play take place in the living room. By being in the living room Mrs Linde and Krogstad are now the focal point.
As we can see there are many similarities and many differences between the texts. The obvious main difference already discussed is the fact that that ‘A Doll’s House’ is a play and ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’ is a novel. However, this major difference in form and structure does not mean that the methods used by the authors are completely different, many similarities have been identified. We have seen how both authors use the environment as a method of introducing characters into the plot, similarities also occur with the authors use of symbolism and imagery. Many differences have also been discovered, the most obvious and significant difference is the use of props and visual effects in ‘A Doll’s House’. The texts contrast well together because Ibsen and Hardy present women negotiating, resisting and subverting the female roles constructed by the societies in which they live.