Poem Themes Critics + context Links
Goblin market - sisterly love Belief Mary was the second Eve - familial love, Christian ideal of
- temptation who reversed the curses brought family established through the
- fallen women onto humanity through her Christmas tree Nora buys
- women's role in disobedience. Lizzie is Mary, Laura - sacrifice, Nora expects Torvald to
society is Eve sacrifice himself for her, after it is
- sacrifice and revealed she took out a loan to
salvation Her sister Maria, moved into a finance their trip to Italy to save
- narrative nunnery Torvald's life. Indeed, it is evident
that there is the interplay between
“Sisterly love is prized” (Williams) sacrifice and appearance versus
reality. Ibsen, like Rossetti,
Presented as the ‘Angel of the presents the double standards
House’ women faced in a patriarchal
Victorian society, and presents
Holman Hunt's painting of fallen Nora as morally superior to
women - ‘The Awakening Torvald “no man would sacrifice
Conscience’ - sees a cat killing a his honour for the one he loves”
bird, symbolic of the predatory men - Comparatively, in 'Goblin
who seduce and discard women, Market.' Rossetti portrays men as
was a Pre Raphelite having the power to destroy
women's lives, whereas in ADH,
“Parable of temptation, sacrifice Ibsen presents men as preventing
and salvation” (Morden) the growth of individuals such as
Nora
A Birthday - Religion Mirrors the resurrection of Christ - her “singing bird” is free whilst
- romance and easter time “my love has come Nora is trapped in the role of wife.
- nature to me” She is called “expensive pet” and
“my little squirrel”, and challenges
Church and royal images often the idealism of the well made play.
used in secular Victorian art - In the Garland Production she
possibly influenced through the motions as if she was a creature
Society for Promoting Christian as an act of submission to
Knowledge who printed her work please Torvald
- enriched with love (of God) whilst
Language reminiscent of the Nora’s is a facade
vibrancy and natural images of the
Pre Raphelites
“Love lyric to Christ” (Jones)
Maude Clare - male, female Pre Raphelite interest in tragic love - similarity between generations
relationships reminiscent of the ADH passing on
- nature Sounds like a property exchange, the sins of the father, seen both
- love opposing transfer of womens through Nora and Dr Rank (spinal
- narrative goods to husband until the 1870 infection from his father’s STI -
Married Women's Property Act also representative of the corrupt
backbone of society) “lies infects
“Critique of dominant masculinity” and poisons the home”