Women and Society in Porphyrias Lover and A Dolls House

Wo custody and Society in Porphyrias yellowish brown and A Dolls kinspersonThe composers, Henrik Ibsen and Robert Browning both quarrel the values of their society by examining the relationship between the women in their literature and their respective societies. In the poem Porphyrias Lover by Browning and Ibsens play A Dolls House, the women ch eitherenge the nineteenth century notions of how women were expected to remain as passive and subservient figures. The Duchess in My Last Duchess by Browning and Nora in A Dolls House resist mainstream military positions and perspectives that accustomed males to value their celebrate and reputation preceding(prenominal) all, which victimised women to attain the expectations of the ideal household and marriage.Brownings poem Porphyrias Lover explores the tension between the individual and loving convention of the 19th century by subverting the social expectation of women to be passive and docile. The time-worn society of Victorian Eng land suppressed the outward manifestation of female indistinguishability and sexuality, by objectifying women and treating them as inferior. The shift in narrator voice in Porphyria worshipped me That moment she was mine, mine, fair reflects the patriarchal nature of Victorian society, with the repetition of the possessive pronoun mine unveil that males would ultimately range dominance over females. In murmuring how she loved me and give herself to me forever suggests that Porphyria is entrapped in the passive federal agency in which society expects her to remain. Porphyrias sexually forward conduct is demonstrated in the vivid imagery, her smooth white shoulder b atomic number 18 which challenges the preordained ideas that women were to inhibit their sexuality and establish their value on their chastity. The churchs role in impart and consolidating values of female submissiveness is demonstrated in the biblical allusions, And yet God has not yet said a word further emphasising the societys expectation of women. Hence, Porphyrias Lover challenges traditional ways of thinking in 19th century England in which the societys perception of female behaviour and g devastationer interactions were in place.Henrik Ibsens play A Dolls House also encapsulates how the values placed within female submissiveness and subordination transcend time. In 19th century Europe, a woman who stepped out of her domesticated role in the home and entered the outside world of the labour force was censured. Torvalds condescending manner when addressing Nora as squirrelkin or songbird ostensibly gives off the impression of world affectionate, however has paternalistic undertones which fix Noras inferior status in the relationship. Torvalds displeasure at Noras agitated dancing of the tarantella commenting, Not so violently, It isnt right reflects how the patriarchal society of 19th century Europe suppressed a womans desire to fulfil her need for self-expression and lead a full and satis fying life. Nora questions the possessive attitude of men in It pleased you, thats all- the idea of loving me which demonstrates how she challenges the social conventions that a woman must remain subordinate to men. Noras assertive exit at the end of the play undermines the role of women staying faithful to their husbands, challenging the norm that women will eventually submit to the male suppression of their independence and identity. Through Noras transformation from a woman, diminished and undermined by the males in her life, into a strong-willed and independent being, Ibsens A Dolls House explores the tension between the individual and the society with set the behavioural standards.Browning seeks to challenge the conservative Victorian mindset in his portrayal of tyrannical and rabid power, highlighting the materialism and commodification of life within his society. The ruthless and despotic power portrayed in Brownings My Last Duchess elucidates the moral inadeqacy of the patr iarchal Victorian era, where social stratification encouraged obsession with power, in which women were characterised as either the Madonna or the whore. actuate by wealth, privilege and punctilious pride of rank, I choose never to stoop, the Duke is a complex figure of artistic cultivation and consuming acquisitiveness. His noble need for absolute control is disguised by his indifferent, almost affable tone, highlighted through the tension between the enjambment and the consistent rhyming couplets . Nevertheless, he ironically damns himself while attempting to discredit his nave and unsophisticated wife who did not appreciation the gift of a nine hundred year old name, revealing his chillingly casual and unmerited cruelty manufactured by his jealousy. Browning challenges societal expectations as he articulates the fallibility of humankind through the desire of material comforts as equalled signs of achievement and power.A Dolls House also challenges the 19th century way of thinki ng about how womens identities were determined by predefined roles within households resulting in feelings of suppression. The bourgeoisie men of 19th century Europe were socially conditioned to place obligations on their wives to uphold their reputation of their family and assume responsibility for all domestic affairs and difficulties. The emotional language when Torvald says Almost always when people go bad young in life, the cause is a deceitful mother reveals how women were expected to bear all responsibility for the children and familial affairs, which contrasts with Noras later decision to abandon this domestic life. Noras confrontation of social norms by prioritising her own self-respect and need to express her identity is revealed in the motif of clothing during her final converse with her husband, Changing. No more fancy dress. This contrasts with Torvalds patronising tone in But no man sacrifices his honour for the lone he loves, which implies that society has condition ed men to regard their reputation as more important than human emotions or interpersonal relationships. During her final conversation with Torvald, Noras assertion in But Im going to find out which of us is right, society or me, further reinforces how she defies the social norm that a woman should leave herself to maintaining the public image of the household and marriage so as not to threaten the values of the male. Thus, A Dolls House presents ideas reluctant to mainstream attitudes as Ibsen explores the need for resistance against society, especially the expectations of women, in order to move forward.The individuals in Robert Brownings poems Porphyrias Lover and My Last Duchess, as well as Nora in Henrik Ibsens play A Dolls House behave in a radical and confronting manner as viewed by 19th century society, overcoming the constraints placed by the world they live in. They challenge societys ideals regarding the accepted behaviour for women as passive figures whose identity and s exuality are suppressed, and as wives and mothers who must place their obligations to their husband and social reputation before their need to express themselves respectively.