Compare Ways in Which Wilde and Ibsen Explore the Theme of Appearance and Reality in “the Picture of Dorian Gray” and “a Doll’s House.”

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Compare ways in which Wilde and Ibsen explore the theme of appearance and reality in “The Picture of Dorian Gray” and “A Doll’s House.” An appearance is the way something or someone looks, but the concept of reality on the other hand, is defined as the state of things for how they really exist, as opposed to an idealistic form of them. Indeed, the idea of appearance and reality are apparent in Wilde’s and Ibsen’s texts. In both texts, the protagonists are of deceitful natures, as they have many secrets hidden, whilst on the surface they appear to be honest and to some extent, perfect. This essay will compare the ways in which Wilde and Ibsen explore the theme of appearance and reality in “The Picture of Dorian Gray” and “A Doll’s House.” It will discuss the characters, symbolism and significance of the titles in order to ascertain how these themes are explored. Firstly, let us consider the characters in these texts and how they contribute to the theme of appearance and reality. It is clear that no character is what they first appear to be. In Ibsen’s play, Nora initially appears to be content with her life, busying herself with everyday things, as when her character is first revealed, she is “carrying a lot of parcels” from a shopping trip. In reality, however, she is ignorant about life, in that she is not allowed to control anything in her own life, from the raising of her children to her ignorance over the loan, as she believed that this was an achievement to be proud of, when in fact it was an issue with serious legal implications. However, towards the end of the play she wishes to break free from her duties of being a mother and a wife. And so, her role as a doll- or the Victorian concept of an idyllic wife- can no longer be played once she realises that Torvald is not the man she thought he was, and that their life together had “never been anything but a

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