The hiudden selves of Ibsen's heroines, 1991

Ibsen's social realistic plays focus particularly on the problem of women. The three plays discussed in this thesis are A Doll's House. Ghosts and Hedda Gabler. These plays are important because they ponder the question of the feminine consciousness in response to the limitations imposed by society. In a more general sense, they are also representatives of the fundamental conflict between the individual and society. Ibsen found his most memorable symbols of the heroic spirit in modern day women who must repress their individ-ual desires in order to survive in society, but who none-theless, strive to release their spirit of individuality. Hence, the heroism of the female protagonists rests in their constant struggle towards self-realization in spite of hindering husbands and stifling social ideals. An examination of the women protagonists�Nora Helmer in A Doll1s House, Helen Alving in Ghosts. and Hedda Gabler in Hedda Gabler�reveals the development of Ibsen's argument, and eventually, his indictment of a society that perpetuates false ideals