Survival: the Art of Manipulation Women have been oppressed and viewed as weak throughout history. To survive in society and to obtain any kind of authority, women had to use the art of manipulation. Henrik Isben’s play, The Doll House, and William Shakespeare’s play, Titus Andronicus, have one persisting issue: gender oppression. By comparing and contrasting Nora, a character in Henrik Isben’s play, to Tamora, a character in William Shakespeare’s play, two women who lived over two thousand years apart both faced female oppression.
Tamora, taken captive by the Romans, was forced to wed Saturninus who is king of the Romans. Before Tamora was taken hostage she was queen of the Goths. One would assume that Tamora sustained a lot of power given the fact that she was once queen of the Goths then made queen of Rome which could not be farther from the veracity of the situation. During this time, women were essentially owned by their husbands when they were wed.
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Rest on my work, and let me not discontent.
Daunt all your hopes; madam, he confronts you.
Can you make you greater than the queen of Goths (1.1. 226-272).
Saturninus is being dismissive of her title, emotions, and overall who she is as a person. Nora faces the same lack of control. Her husband tries to control every part of her life. Nora is married to Helmer Trovald and is a typical housewife however, Nora uses manipulation to get the things she wants such as money, her husband’s approval, and much more. Like Tamora, Nora does not have any power. Helmer controlled everything Nora did from what she ate to the money she spent. In the quote below, Helmer is accusing Nora of eating sweets.
Helmer: My sweet tooth really didn’t make a little detour through the confectioner’s?
Nora: No, I assure you, Trovald-
Helmer: Hasn’t nibbled on a pastry:
Nora: No, not at