In A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, developing an understanding of the values and attitudes of both the Victorian era and our current, first-world context, and how these are reflected in the text, allows me to develop a deeper understanding of the text’s intended message, which is to highlight the unfair treatment of women in society. It also allows me to understand the development of values and attitudes towards women in society, and how this has changed the meaning that is made from the text over time. The play was published in 1879, meaning it was first performed during the Victorian era, a time of great social change, during which strong attitudes developed towards certain groups, such as women. In contrast, our current society is one in which women have been granted increasing rights and feminism has become a large part of society and its values and attitudes. By understanding and contrasting these two contexts, we are able to develop a more sophisticated meaning from the text, which may differ from original reading and may not be able to be achieved without this deep understanding of the contexts.
The late Victorian era is represented in the text through the use of belittling diction and stage directions in order to reflect the hash values and attitudes present towards, and the strict role enforced upon, women in society during the Victorian era. At the time A Doll’s House was first written, women in society were confined to the strict role of housewife and mother. Society valued women who were viewed as ignorant and naïve. The dynamics of marriage were also heavily influenced by society’s values in regards to women. In a marriage, the woman was often viewed as being little more than her husband’s property, and it was thought to be the husband’s job to ‘protect’ his wife. Belittling diction used in the dialogue between Nora and Torvald reflects these attitudes and values. At the beginning of the play, Torvald refe...