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Love in Paradise Lost and A Doll's House - Coggle Diagram
Love in
Paradise Lost
and
A Doll's House
A Doll's House
Superficiality of Torvald's love
Based on appearances
'You have never loved me. You have only thought it pleasant to be in love with me.'
Torval's love is paternalistic, controlling, and rooted in ownership
Unequal power in love
'When I was at home with Papa, he used to tell me all his opinions, and I held the same opinions... I was simply transferred from Papa's hands into yours.'
Torvald's concept of love is rooted built on societal honour and appearances - reputation
AO3: Ibsens critique of societal roles
'No man would sacrifice his honour for the one he loves.'
Nora: self love and independence
'I must stand quite alone if I am to understand myself and everything about me.'
Paradise Lost
Love as a source of joy and companionship in their pre-fall relationship
AO3: Milton advocated for divorce on the grounds of incompatibility, controversial in his 17th-century English society, where marriage was typically a transactional situation and divorce was in no way encouraged.
Love can lead to downfall
Shared guilt
Self-sacrifice
Adam rejects a life without Eve
Love leads Adam into complicity with sin
AO4
A force that can blind characters
Based on illusion and societal roles
AO3: Ibsen critiques oppressive societal norms.
Adam's love for Eve leads him to share her sin
Love can drive one to forsake reason for moral integrity
Power dynamics
Eve's decision to eat the fruit disrupts the power balance between Adam and Eve, leading them both to downfall
Torvald's paternalistic love controls Nora
AO3: proto-feminist reading of this text concerned with human rights - Ibsen recognises the patriarchal oppressive societal structure, hindering individual autonomy, independence, and self- realisation.
Self-sacrifice - different forms
Adam sacrifices his innocence for Eve
Nora sacrifices her family and marriage to discover herself
AO3: Ibsen emphasised that women, like men, should have the freedom to develop as individuals beyond the constraints of societal expectations.