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Ibsen and Rossetti revision - Coggle Diagram
Ibsen and Rossetti revision
Femininity
Rossetti's religion dictating her attitude towards femininity
Obedient wife figure seen throughout her poetry
Goblin Market - both Lizzie and Laura have 'children of their own' and revert back to typical roles of motherhood
In the Round Tower At Jhansi
Rossetti also creating more outspoken characters
Maude Clare - defiantly rejecting the rules of society (similar to Nora in this regard?) would have been seen as a fallen woman as she 'waded in the beck' yet she is viewed as 'a queen'
No Thank You John
Goblin Market to some extent
Lizzie shows bravery, yet this is still following society's expectation of women as shown through the religious imagery that describes her (religious society). Laura's movement off the 'right' path into temptation leads to her downfall as she becomes 'withered' and 'gnash[es] her teeth' providing an example of what happens if you don't follow societal convention.
Ibsen's criticism of 'feminine' roles
Nora wants to be something other than just a wife and a mother and sees the discovery of this as a duty to herself as a human being
Act 1 and 2 dancing and singing forced on her by Torvald, macaroons
Mrs Linde has also been able to work and defy the idea of the housewife - however, due to her lower social class this was less significant
Story of Anne Marie used to highlight the struggles of women - giving up her own children
Ability to choose contrast to Nora
Freedom
Rossetti describing the freedom of religion
In Twice, religion provides respite from the cruelty of the man who rejected her, giving her freedom to be happy and willing to give her 'heart in [her] hands'
In Shut Out Rossetti describes more of a forced freedom
Many of Rossetti's characters desire freedom, in From the Antique the narrator wants freedom from existence by being 'nothing'
Rossetti commenting on the existence of women, wishes to not exist because life is so 'weary'
Nora wants to search for freedom and has to leave to do so, her dramatic exit was her way of discovering life without Torvald
Mrs Linde, to contrast Nora has experienced freedom and wants to return to the pressures of society and into a relationship with Krogstad
However, this in itself is freedom as she is marrying for love not status or wealth
Goblin Market shows the dangers of temptation and freedom with Jeanie being a warning to all who stray
Forced freedom in Shut Out (being locked out of the garden), could represent women being shut out of society
Originally called 'what happened to me' so could represent Rossetti's personal experience in this (maybe then to do with being a poet and yet female)
Helmer unable to achieve freedom - Nora's freedom is his downfall and for him to remain in power he needs a 'doll wife' like Nora to support him
Hereditary nature of freedom - restriction of others preventing your own freedom. Dr Rank limited by an illness that is passed on by his father and Nora is given away by her father which in turn limits her role to a 'doll wife'
Morality
Goblin Market a story of morality
Temptation seen as a sin with dire consequences for both Jeanie and Laura. It also shows L+L's return to the rightful path in the end through sacrifice - a very religious idea after the sacrifice of Jesus
Nora's escape is seen by Torvald as immoral and against everything
Claims it is against her 'duty as a wife and mother' yet Nora sees herself 'first and foremost a human being' showing their contrasting views of what is right and this could be influenced by their respective genders
Krogstad as the typical image of moral sickness
Dr Rank calls him a 'moral cripple' (coming from an actual cripple), this lexical field of health and morality continues throughout the rest of the scene. It is ironic as Nora as committed the same crime, and it was done in love
Strict societal moral standards that are also much harsher on women than men as they are expected to be dutiful, yet Krogstad was also punished, the fundamental basis of society on reputation creates a fear and desperation about losing status which even Torvald shows
Dr Rank is also morally ill despite calling Krogstad that in Act 1
He is in love with Nora, his friend's wife - and actively tells her he loves her. This breaks all religious morals of the sanctity of marriage in the 1800s as well as all societal codes
Also, his syphilis is never mentioned against him as it is a hereditary trait due to the nature of his father - yet Nora's spendthrift nature is remarked upon as hereditary and this is seen as a flaw, double standards?
Soeur Louise describes the story of a mistress of Louis XIV who became a nun
Taboo subjects of desire and lust here which go against societal ideas of women and how they should behave, she even mourns the loss of her beauty and ability to be desired
In the Round Tower at Jhansi portrays the 'dignity' and 'humanity' of the English colonialists
The Indians by contrast are described as 'savages' and the romanticised nature of their death shows the importance of dignity in the Victorian society as well as the superiority of colonialists
Suzanne Williams, the poem shows a 'blinkered view of the empire'
Power (within relationships)
Maude Clare shows the imbalance of this both within society and how they are portrayed
Maude Clare is shown as like a 'queen' and dominates the conversation and is the last word of the poem however, she has no real power as she is unmarried compared to Nell who could be married to 'lord' Thomas
Nell still as some power as she stands up to Maude Clare and says she will make him love her
The only person with very little power is Thomas who 'falters in his place' but in reality he has all the power as a man - indeed Maude Clare is a fallen woman for her relationship with T however he remains unpunished for this
Torvald clearly has all the power throughout most of the play
He commands Nora's actions and has separate rooms and is also able to work and provide which Nora wants to do
Nora does try and manipulate him but this is often for little things and she is using herself to do so - some things she also fails to get and has very little power, except her leaving
Krogstad also has power over Torvald throughout most of the play
The IOU note contains Torvalds reputation and could ruin his status which was crucial in contempary society despite being of lower class he could make Nora and Torvald both desperate
He also has a more psycological power over Nora who is genuinely afraid of him
In the Round Tower at Jhansi, Skene has more power over his 'young' 'pale' wife
He kills her before killing himself (which didn't actually happen) and he has physical control over her
However, the line 'I wish I could bear the pang for us both' is given an ambiguous speaker and could be the wife being self-sacrificial or the man trying to uphold reputation - contrasts Torvald who says the same thing yet never goes through with it
No Thank You John the speaker has the right of refusal
Only real power Victorian women had over men, however, they did have to marry at some point or they would become unwanted and thus poor and desperate so it was very limited and often pressured into marriages for the benefit of money or for their families
Goblin Market the goblins have the power of temptation over Jeanie and Laura
They are the only representation of men in the poem and are often called 'goblin men' suggesting Rossetti critisicing the patriarchy and the lack of control women have over their fate
Lizzie also has power as she is able to stand up to the goblins 'like a lily in a flood' and save her sister from the addictive fruit
Laura has no power as she is tempted then held under the control of the fruit and is addicted and becomes 'grey' and 'longing for the night'
Twice the man has control over her emotions and her physical heart
His 'critical eye' breaks her heart and she then turns to God - giving her more control and power as she respects God and he won't break her heart
Reflection
Uphill, reflecting on religion and what could happen on the journey after death
From The Antique - the narrator reflecting on life and the way the world would 'wag on the same' if she vanished and was 'nothing' - nihilistic reflections on the 'dreary life of a woman - Rossetti commenting on women's rights?
When I am dead my dearest - reflection on death and the afterlife, similar to Remember - both focus on the future and what will happen to those left behind afterwards not the present
Echo, remembering someone that has passed and mourning their loss
Perhaps poetry as a more ambiguous, intimate artform allows for a greater sense of reflection as one is discovering the thoughts and ideas of the poet which can reflect on life and society, however, plays tend to cover a theme or topic and often comment on society not on the musings of the writer
Soeur Louise reflects on her past life as being 'desired' and compares it to her current state where 'dust and dying embers mock [her] fire'
Winter My Secret also describes the protection of a thought and the playful nature of the poem could hide a darker secret that is unable to be revealed through the manipulation of the speaker
Goblin Market by contrast is a narrative and is an active poem describing movement and is in the 3rd person so more like a story than the 1st person reflections of some of her other poems
Nora, when alone reflects on her life and often ending it in Act 2 onwards as she talks of the 'icy black water' and uses frequent ellipsis to show her thought and reflective state of mind
The Tarantella as the outward expression of her innermost hysterical reflections, she is exploring her desperation and it physically manifests itself through the dance