paradise lost x a dolls house themes

separate spheres / boundaries:

a dolls house:

  • nora is confined to her domestic setting

  • “this is for mother’s only”

  • mrs linde who is a working woman goes outside and wears outdoor clothes

  • context: women were confined to their domestic sphere as mothers

paradise lost:

  • idea of different spaces (eden, heaven, hell)

  • context: great chain of being, hierarchy between spheres

  • satan invades into eden and is punished for doing so

  • his invasion could be symbolic of him transgressing boundaries

marriage and relationships:

a dolls house:

  • linde and krogstad have true love, it is not transactional

  • for nora and torvald it is transactional = exert male dominance / money

  • nora has no freedom in the marriage “doll wife”

  • context: women were very limited in society (law on vast majority of women)

paradise lost:

  • adam and eve are married = very sacred

  • them having 'lustful’ sexual relations indicated their loss of sanctity

  • eve betrays their marriage by listening to satan and trying to exert power

  • context: their relationship portrays biblical views at the time

power of knowledge / secrecy:

a dolls house:

  • nora is proud of her secret “what would there be to be proud of that”

  • she is only half powerful

  • ultimately her secret is also krogstad’s and he holds it as power over her

paradise lost:

  • eve wants to maintain her power over adam by not telling him about the apple

  • however there is an irony as none of them really have secret due to god

disguise / deception:

a dolls house:

  • tarantella dance - gets spider venom out

  • “free” after the dance

  • her hair falls out, symbolic of her losing control over her life

paradise lost:

  • satan physically imbrutes himself as the snake “his final sentence chose”

  • adam and eve deceive god by eating the apple

rebirth / redemption:

a dolls house:

  • nora is reborn at the end “first and foremost i am a human being”

  • frees the societal constraints of motherhood and wively duties

  • context: the new woman

  • krogstad is redeemed by his ending with mrs linde

paradise lost:

  • adam and eve are ultimately forgiven

  • and their redemption comes from the son (jesus christ)

  • context: felix culpa

self-sacrifice:

a dolls house:

  • the ‘miracle’

  • nora hopes torvald will sacrifice himself for her

  • mrs linde sacrificed herself for her mother and brother

  • “a woman who has sold herself once for the sake of others doesn’t make the same mistake again”

paradise lost:

  • eve contemplates ending her life

  • adam reconciles her

  • jesus self-sacrifices for all of humanity

sin and punishment

a dolls house:

  • krogstdad is punished for his sin

  • nora’s sin frees her (leaves her oppressive household)

paradise lost:

  • satan, adam and eve are all punished for their sin

  • eve’s sin confines her and traps her into a life of labour

  • adam is punished with mortality

the natural world:

a dolls house:

  • an industrialised world

  • context: attributed to the rising of the middle class and IR

  • all of the play is set in there

paradise lost:

  • mother nature has a reaction when adam and eve fall

  • garden reflects their minds

  • supposed to be stewards

outsiders / invaders:

a dolls house:

  • krogstad is initially an invader to nora’s safety

  • mrs linde is an outsider to the natural sphere for women

  • nora becomes an outsider to the helmer family

  • torvald is an outsider to his wife at the end “stranger”

paradise lost:

  • satan is the invader and physically invades eden

  • adam and eve become outsiders after disobeying god’s will

hierarchy:

a dolls house:

  • different classes (eg. wealthy industrialists to workers)

  • role hierarchy - mothers vs women workers

  • job difference within institutions

  • male / female hierarchy

paradise lost:

  • context: great chain of being

  • hierarchy under god

  • adam is superior to eve

  • satan and the angels

temptation:

a dolls house:

  • nora is tempted by freedom

  • krogstad by power

paradise lost:

  • satan tempts eve into eating the apple

  • eve tempts adam to do the same

  • arguably god put it there in the first place

inheritance / legacy:

a dolls house:

  • dr rank’s disease from his father

  • children will become infected by poisonous parents

paradise lost:

  • adam and eve’s children will be plagued with sin

  • adam is concerned about how his children will treat him

gender roles:

a dolls house:

  • women are mothers

  • subservient to their husbands

  • emerging of working / free women

paradise lost:

  • man is the head of the woman

  • adam is eve’s channel to god

  • condemned to motherhood

rebellion:

a dolls house:

  • nora rebels against her husband whilst trying to help him

  • also with society at the end

paradise lost:

  • eve goes against rules

  • urges adam to do the same