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Role of Free Will in Henrik Ibsen’s The Lady from the Sea
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Kumar, Pawan |
| Copyright Year | 2018 |
| Abstract | The aim of the present research paper is to highlight the role of free will in Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen‟s play The Lady from the Sea. Henrik Ibsen endeavours to present the actual conditions of women in a male-dominated society. Apart from dealing with the various aspects including education, freedom, self-identity, he particularly deals with the theme of free will pertaining to women. The research paper exhibits how women‟s free will is controlled and manipulated in a patriarchal society just to meet its own vested interests. Henrik Ibsen‟s characters in this play are liberal in thinking as well in approach. Unlike his other plays, the present play breaks off all the restrictions created by men in a male-dominated society. Key-words: – Education, Free Will, Self-Identity, Freedom, Patriarchy, Marriage etc. X The Lady from the Sea is one of the fascinating feministic plays written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. Written in 1888, the play is notable for portraying its bold female protagonist Ellida Wangel who demands her rights and free will in the society. Written in a symbolic mode, the story vehemently criticises the patriarchal set-up of the Norwegian society in nineteenth century. Henrik Ibsen has deftly presented the problems and sufferings faced by subjugated and suppressed women in a male dominated society. The play covers all the feministic issues including the concept of motherhood, responsibility, duty, self-realisation, self-dependency, education and emancipation of women. Unlike Hedda Gabler, The Lady from the Sea has a happy ending when Ellida Wangel realizes her role and importance in Wangel family. Divided into five acts, the play is famous for its revolutionary role of women in society. As the title of the play The Lady from the Sea suggests that this is the story of a lady who has come from the vast sea to live in a narrow fjord. The protagonist, Ellida Wangel, has been portrayed as someone who liked to be in the company of sea creatures. She has been taken from her natural environment to an unknown place and she expresses her longing and deep attachment to the sea. In Wangel‘s family, she is a new member to the environment. She has been compared to a mermaid who has been placed from her natural environment. The new environment seems to be lonely to Ellida and she spends time painfully. The mermaid symbolizes Ellida who is out of water. It is too difficult for her to survive here any longer and her future is presented through the painting. Lyngstrand asks Ballested about the painting that he is drawing. Ballested symbolically replies by saying ―The Mermaid‘s Death‖ (LS 236). The painting symbolises the death of Ellida Wangel who will die soon due to her staying away from the place she belonged to. Henrik Ibsen has portrayed his female characters being capable of free will and having freedom of choice in The Lady from the Sea. His female characters such as Ellida Wangel, Bolette Wangel, and Hilde Wangel like to have their own free will in the male dominated society. They do not want to follow the rules and regulations meant for women‘s subordination to men. Moreover, they reject the biased attitudes of men which create hurdles in the development of women. The women in the play know what really is good for them. The notion of desire for freedom is apparent in case of Ellida‘s relation to the Stranger who was her lover in the past. Ellida as a wife of Dr. Wangel lacks the freedom which the Stranger offers her. The Stranger comes again in life of Ellida and advises her to come with him. Moreover, he offers her a chance to decide a new life. The Stranger can be seen in contrast to Dr. Wangel. He wants Ellida to back in his life and offers her free will to choose him. It is the Stranger who motivates Ellida to think of her life and relationship with Wangel built on the basis on autocracy. The Stranger‘s appearance in her life forces her to determine that her desire for free will must be actualized in order to determine her future. Ellida has reached such a stage where she can cherish her desire for free will. Ellida realizes her own identity in the home of Dr. Wangel and her self-realisation can be seen in her |
| Starting Page | 133 |
| Ending Page | 135 |
| Page Count | 3 |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| DOI | 10.29070/15/57559 |
| Volume Number | 15 |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://www.ignited.in/File_upload/92961_64268485.pdf |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://doi.org/10.29070/15%2F57559 |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
