Male Roles and Relationships in Antigone and A Doll's House

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Recommended: Women's movement history

Male roles have created and influenced feminism in the world throughout time. “Feminism supposed that men had secured power for themselves by claiming the authority to decree meaning… all of life’s meaning was arbitrarily defined by men. Therefore, as the philosophy of feminism spread, it challenged to make women’s experiences a reference point for determining life’s meaning,” (Mary A. Kassian, Feminist Mistake). In Antigone written by Sophocles and A Doll’s House written by Henrik Ibsen, the issue of feminism is known. Antigone takes place in ancient Greece at the royal house of Creon. Creon issued a law forbidding the burial of Polynices, Antigone’s brother who is also Creon’s nephew. Antigone goes against the law of Creon to follow the laws of the gods and to make sure her brother is not cursed. Creon’s pride comes between what is right and wrong when he tells Antigone her fatal punishment. Antigone commits suicide before Creon could kill her. However, Creon had changed his mind but not before Antigone and Haemon, his son and fiancé to Antigone, kill themselves. A Doll's House takes place in Norway during the late 1800s. Nora and Torvald are happily married with three children or so they thought. Torvald was faced with an illness that only Nora knew was fatal unless they travelled to a warmer climate. Nora convinces Torvald to vacation in Northern Italy, but to do so she secretly took out a loan by forging her father’s signature. Nora keeps this a secret from Torvald until Krogstad, the man Nora borrowed from, writes Torvald a letter as repercussion to Torvald firing him. Throughout this tragic story Nora realizes that she does not love Torvald anymore and she leaves Torvald and the children to find herself. It is important to...

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...ed on women by society are shown in Antigone and A Doll’s House through the hubris, patriarchal beliefs, and ignorance of men. Men’s hubris forces men to be prejudice against women. Patriarchal beliefs blind many men to the intelligence and skills of women. Men’s ignorance does not allow men to the success or potential women have to accomplish major attainments. The restrictions of women created by male roles affect and preserve feminism in the society.

Works Cited

Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll's House. World Literature an Anthology of Short Stories,

Poetry, and Drama. Columbus: n.p., 2004. 140-202. Print.

"Quotes on Feminism." Notable Quotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2011.

.

Sophocles. Antigone. World Literature an Anthology of Short Stories, Poetry, and

Drama. Columbus: n.p., 2004. 14-57. Print.

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