Religion offers comfort and redemption for
Rossetti. As an unmarried woman, God's love is
unquestioning and redemptive. Ibsen offers no
such comfort; 'the miracle' will never occur as
long as society remains unchanged.
Love
When I am dead, my dearest
Remember
Echo
Maude Clare
Up-Hill
Good Friday
Goblin Market
Twice
The disappointments of earthly
love are tempered, for Rossetti,
by the promise of God's love.
Ibsen offers no religious
salvation; a man's love is shown
to be self serving and
controlling.
Sacrifice
In the Round Tower
Rossetti writes: 'I wish I could bear the
pang for both' which is a stark contrast to
Torvald's response: 'Do you understand
now what it is you have done for me?'
Maude Clare
Unlike Nell, Nora realises that women sacrifice
their true identity for the sake of love and
devotion 'But no man would sacrifice his
honour for the one he loves.' 'It is a thing
hundreds of thousands of women have done.'
Good Friday
Whilst Rossetti is redeemed by Christ's
sacrifice, Nora is alone. Ibsen's view
could be considered iconoclastic as it
denies any religious salvation.
Goblin Market
Lizzie is prepared to sacrifice herself to save
her sister. There are clear parallels with Christ.
Nora expects Torvald to sacrifice himself for her.
She waits for 'the miracle' which does not happen.
Both men and women would have to sacrifice
something in order to achieve equality.
Death
When I am dead, my dearest
Remember
Rossetti's desire to be forgotten rather
than to cause sadness, links to Rank's
attitude towards his death.
Echo
In the Round Tower
Rossetti's thoughts often turn to
death when contemplating love;
in her eyes, death allows the
move from earth to heaven.
Nora rejects death as a possible
escape as, unlike for Rossetti, it
is a hopeless vision.
Memory
When I am dead, my dearest
Remember
Echo
Rossetti's presents life after death as a
reason for not mourning and remembering.
However, Nora wishes to be forgotten in
order to escape the ties of Torvald's control.
Roles of Women
From the Antique
Rossetti is here, like Nora, weary with the
pre-set existence of being a woman. Both
women contemplate the idea that it would be
better to be nothing than to be a woman.
Soeur Louise
Both the narrative
voice and Nora are
aware of a negative
change between past
and present as a
result of the
expectations placed
upon women.
Maude Clare
Maude is the sinner and Nell
is the saint. Arguably, Nora is
both concurrently.
No, Thank You, John
Nora, like the narrative voice of the
poem, rejects the male, ultimately
adopting a cold and direct tone.
Goblin Market
Unlike Laura, Nora has no 'Lizzie'
to save and redeem her.
Winter: My Secret
The persona here is flirtatious,
as is Nora's character at the
opening of the play.
Both Rossetti and Ibsen present women who do
not conform to contemporary social expectations.
They are seen both as products of their
surroundings and as independent and strong.
Desire
Soeur Louise
Shut Out
Maud Clare
Goblin Market
Rossetti's desires are torn between the love of
God and the love of man. Nora comes to
realise that she desires to be herself and that
this is impossible unless she leaves her
restricted role of the 'squanderbird'.