The House of Bernarda Alba and A Doll's House

Federico Garcia Lorca's “The House of Bernarda Alba” and Henrik Ibsen's “A Doll's House” both protest against the confinement of women of their days. Although the Houses are set differently in Spain of 20th century and Norway of 19th century respectively, both the plays relate in illuminating their respective female protagonists, Adela and Nora, as they eventually develop a sense of individuality and self-expression, emerging as free individuals from repression. The authors’ attempts to do so allow the audience to gain an insight into the social norms that each protagonist was pitted against. This heightens the tension as the action develops.

Both Adela and Nora are inherently individualistic, and their innate nature is shown especially when they covertly display defiance in occasions of high social expectations. Despite Bernarda’s declaration of a long period of mourning and her orders to stay within the walls of her house and to wear only black, Adela cheerfully wears a colourful dress of zealous green and goes out of the house, disobeying Bernarda, “to look for what is [hers], what belongs to [her]” – Pepe el Romano. In ‘A Doll’s House’, while Mrs Linde asserts that “a wife can’t borrow without her husband’s permission” , Nora, whom her husband Torvald calls “[his] independent little creature,” leaks out her insubordinate action of borrowing. She even dares to forge her father’s signature, but more importantly, she individually decides for herself why she has to forge – to save “her husband’s life” on her own.

The pressure to comply with the traditional societal conventions induces the central characters of both the plays to masquerade. Appearing as an innocent “poor little thing” to Magdalena, Adela confidently thinks of...

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...e whole town against me, branding me with their fiery fingers, persecuted by people who claim to be decent, and right in front of them I will put on a crown of thorns, like a mistress of a married man!” The free flow of words from Nora’s and Adela’s hearts triggers the audience to think about the power of transformation.

Despite their initial confinement and dishonesty, both Nora and Adela are courageous and passionate, possessing the strength to pursue freedom; they are risk-takers who challenge circumstances notwithstanding the uncertainties of future. Their choices of self-expression and freedom – through abandonment and death respectively – and the characters themselves representationally express the potential energy of women and endlessly protest for independence of women of every era and culture.

Works Cited

The House of Bernarda Alba

A Doll's House