The Subjection of Women Exposed in A Doll’s House Essay -- Henrik Ibse

A man, intoxicated and impoverished, lay on the dirty streets of patriarchal Norway, and as the jeering citizens sauntered by, they could have never guessed that this man, Henrik Ibsen, would be the Prometheus of womens rights and the creator of the new-fangled play. Having been born in 1828, Ibsen lived through various examples of the subjection of women within the law, such as Great Britain allowing men to lock up and beat their wives in ease (Bray 33). Therefore, Ibsen was known for his realistic style of piece of writing within both poetry and plays, which usually dealt with everyday situations and people (31). Focusing on the rights of women, Ibsens trademark was ...looking at these problems without the distortions of romanticism and often receiving harsh criticism for doing so (31). In an attempt to support his family, Ibsen became a pharmaceutical apprentice, but after three years he abandoned this profession and began writing poetry. After an apprenticeship in th e theater, he began writing his own plays, including a drama in verse, Peer Gynt (31). While working and writing in Norway, Ibsen and several social critics observed ...the penalty society pays when only half of its members participate fully as citizens, deciding to flee Norway in hopes of conclusion a more accepting social environment (33). Ibsen wrote A Dolls House, his most famous work about women suffering through the oppressive patriarchal society, while living primarily in Germany and Italy where he ...was exposed to these social norms and tensions to a much greater extent than he would have been had he remained solely in Norway (32). While Sweden, Norway, and Denmark began to grant legal majority to women, Ibsen understood the legal improvements f... ... DE Prestwick House Inc. Literary Touchstone Classics, 2006. Print.Mill, John Stuart. From The Subjection of Women. England in writingsMedallion Edition. Ed. Helen McDonnell et al. Glenview, Il. Scott, Foresmanand Co . 1979. 436-439.Secondary SourcesBray, Ashlin Ed. Biography of Henrik Ibsen and Fact Sheet of Womens Progress. In Multiple Critical Perspectives A Dolls House. Clayton DEPrestwick House Inc. 2007. 31-34. Print.Orjasaeter, Kristin. Mother, Wife and Role Model A contextual perspectiveon feminism in A Dolls House. Ibsen Studies Tahlor and Francis. Ltd.2005. 19-47. Print.Scott, Clement. Review of A Dolls House. The Theatre 14.79 (July 1889)19-22. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Criticism. Ed. Paula Kepos. Vol. 37.Detroit Gale Research. 1991. Literature Resource Center. Web