A Dollhouse is a play containing three acts was published in Norwegian in 1879 by Henrik Ibsen.  This piece got very fame which feels to be on the issue of women's rights. The feminist was very happy that a great writer was also a feminist working for the rights of women. When he was invited to address his book in the gathering, where he mentions ‘I have not written it intentionally on the problems of women but it is a topic of the human individual potentiality of doing things. It is said that Ibsen was a humanist. He wrote it to present individual identity, capability, and potentiality in a variety of fields. They have the quality to think, decide and act; that can be a man or woman both. But indirectly it shows that it bases on the issue of women at that time in Europe. They had no role as the man had. Men were on a high stage in society. They decided things. They suggested things for women. The office was held by men. Thoughts were appreciated by men. Women had no special rank and value in society. Religion regards them as weak and foolish, society regards their machines to produce and care baby, and hungry- lustful men regard them as sex tools to use for the satisfaction of them. These sorts of women's issues were presented in several books in the shape of novels, dramas, and such genres to represent women's troubles throughout generations and eras.

          However, here one can feel that it is not thoroughly a feministic paly; it is forcefully dragged toward that direction. Because it seems in the play her husband is very loyal to her: he loves him and provides him all those requirements she demands. Besides them, he praises her all day and night. He compares her with the beautiful bird: skylark. For example, he says in the following lines, “Yes my own darling Nora. Do you know, when I am out at a party with you like this, why I speak so little to you, keep away from you, and only send a stolen glance in your direction now and then? It is because I make believe to myself that we are secretly in love, and you are my secretly promised bride and that no one suspects there is anything between us’’. It shows that the dignity and honor for her is so much which is not an exaggeration. It is not an act of deceit that many say is done to convince a girl for a warm bed or something like that. If one reads it attentively can find out that it is not a feministic play. Rather it is a play of relations between husband and wife. It is about their comparative love. It demonstrates whose love is more: men or women, who bear more: men or women, who lie more: men or women, and who care more about the society men or women.  But it is just a notion that may be true or not. Because literature is such a field in which a single piece can have several meanings. That just depends on the readers to figure it out their own way.

          Therefore, it can be argued that it can be a feministic play because if one reads it attentively can find in the play that Nora is a very kind woman throughout the play. She saves the life of her husband, looks after the baby, and does all the home chores. Most of all, she gives a magnificent amount of love to her husband. However, it is true she is very dependent on his husband. She loves him, praises him, decorates herself to make happy her husband. It is actually the responsibility of the husband to provide for her without her say. But it is different she has to do some sort of tricks to take out money from his pocket like doing some sorts of romantic things to entertain him to be persuaded for things. Throughout the play, a woman is not respected and treated respectfully without doing such things. Because one finds that man is above the woman. For example, he suggests him to wear what cloth, he suggests him how to be in the society. He warns him to avoid this and do that. The shocking thing is that his love so quickly perishes when he just finds out one single mistake of her which was even taken just to save his life. She is told that now there remains no relation between them, she is not anymore allowed to bring up the children. She is a liar, hypocrite, so and so.  For instance, the following lines show how the husband is trying to be above her in decisions:  Do I need to tell you that? Are they not your duties to your husband and your children? It is how shocking.

          This is how you would neglect your most sacred duties.’’  She feels very upset to find that she has no own identity to display to the world. She has the duty to look after the children and serve her husband's daily naggings and stupid commands. This is such a kind of insult for a human being to be like a robot to perform what the world says to do. She feels she has lost her identity, integrity, and her duty to herself; her freedom for thinking herself, deciding for herself which were snatched by the men in the shape of brother, husband, and father for centuries. Therefore, finally, Ibsen shows human uniqueness in individuality that all have to be free to think to do and to take decisions. The line goes like this where Nora mentions to her husband: when I was in my father's home, he arranged things according to his taste and you have arranged things according to your taste; I am a doll being played by you according to your wishes’’. This brings her into power to show that it is not exactly what a woman must do and she finally takes her first decision to depart her husband who thinks her duty is to obey him, which is some sort of abuse that was used for the slave to obey their owners but it was a different time. Women stood firmly for equality.

          In a nutshell, it is quite felt that this has a feministic taste in the play, which is being displayed by the heron of the play. She seems that her life is like a slave who is bound to thoughts, actions, and decisions which finally become an agony that becomes unbearable therefore she revolts against her husband by mentioning she has no more to be limited and bound according to him and release herself from the prison of her husband. However, it is according to the writer it is a play for human uniqueness. It is based on humanity and their individual qualities. But indirectly it can be a play raising women's rights issues that women can do what men do in-home, public, and office. 


By: Shehzad Naseem 

The writer is a pro-active student in Bs. English Literature at the University of Turbat and a teacher at Zanth Academy Jusak  Turbat 

Kech Balochistan