Introducing
Your new presentation assistant.
Refine, enhance, and tailor your content, source relevant images, and edit visuals quicker than ever before.
Trending searches
the presentation of money in 'The Merchant's Tale' and 'A Doll's House'
258
The presentation of money in 'A Doll's House' and 'The Merchant's Tale'
Money, Business and Class
'A Doll's House'
A Doll's House
Money, class and business are all key themes throughout 'A Doll's House'. The key areas of importance are:
-money as a tool of female entrapment
- the idea of a financial legacy in the form of a will
-the pressure on the 'male breadwinner' in 19th century Norwegian society
-the desire to rise above one's current class status
-the conflation of money and sexual relations
-femininity as a currency
Female financial dependance
A Doll's House
Nora is constantly financially dependant on either Torvald or her father as a way of trapping her within her societal cage. Not only does this dynamic enforce a socially accepted norm that women were not emotionally stable or intelligent enough to handle the control of the family finances but, just as she is handed from one man to the next, she is unable to gain autonomy as the stability of her relationship rests upon her being seen as a kept women. Instead, she is forced to use her femininity as her only currency. Even the loan which acts as a catalyst for the downfall of Nora's marriage is used as a means to blackmail and control by a man.
For example:
“The squander bird’s a pretty little creature, but she gets through an awful lot of money. It’s incredible what an expensive pet she is to keep”
“It’s much easier for a man to arrange these things than a woman”
“Now I look back on it, it’s as if I’ve been living here like a pauper, from hand to mouth”. This rejection shows that she has not been rich in life or in monetary terms.
“At least let me send you-/ Nothing. Nothing”
-This refusal of Torvald’s money is a grand departure from the Nora we meet at the opening of the play and not only signals a finality in her decision to leave Torvald but shows were the real power lies: true power does not lie with money or financial security, but with authority over oneself. In a capitalist world, financial freedom signals a real power shift.
The power of a financial legacy
The power of a financial legacy
For Nora, there lies hope in an imaginary will which promises financial independence, even if it is the product of death and from a male source.For example: “I’d sit here and imagine some rich old gentleman had fallen in love with me… And that now he’d died and when they opened his will it said in big letters: ‘Everything I possess is to be paid forthwith to my beloved Mrs Nora Helmer”.
However, perhaps Mrs Linde’s situation suggests that this illusion of being left a will is just as much an illusion as Nora’s imaginary benefactor: "When he died it went bankrupt and there was nothing left”
Male financial pressure
financial pressure on Torvald
Ibsen shows that this expectation of the male breadwinner has negative effects on men in society also. The whole reason Nora is in the predicament she is in is Torvald overworking himself until he is dangerously ill. Under the pressure of societal expectations, Torvald feels he must retain his reputation and masculinity through obtaining and maintaining financial stability, something he and Nora believe he will finally achieve with his new promotion. Krogstad is also ruined through trying to climb the social and financial ladder, although it is dubious whether this is due to necessity or his “moral” corruption. Dr Rank is the only male character who seems exempt from this pressure, but perhaps that is due to the fact that his illness gives him insight into what really matters or his lack of a family to support removes some of the societal pressure.
For example: He’s so proud of being a man- it’d be painful and humiliating for him to know that he owed anything to me”
Of course he worked for money. But the first year he overworked himself”
“I’ve been going through the books of this poor body and I find I am bankrupt”
-suggests that physical money and social mobility is less important than life, freedom and love. Link to context of Marxism.
The Merchant's tale
The Merchant is an ignorant, misogynist who is obsessed with money and his insensitivity in this regard permeates the tale in his belief that everything has a price tag tied around its neck. The Merchant's Tale is therefore submerged with monetary metaphor and financial imagery, and it is through the lens on the merchant whose very profession is centered around money. The mercantile language is therefore a constant reminder of the narrator.
The Merchant's tale
The Merchant's Tale
The Merchant's tale
Januarie treats the acquisition of a wife like the purchase of property "Thanne is a wyf the fruyt of his tresor" as he constantly brings in financial imagery, the recurring economic motive reveal Januarie's view of marriage as a financial contract or animal passion, but as nothing of greater value. From a linguistic perspective Januarie's lexis persistently contains economic undertones "'Ne Take now wyf,' qoud he, 'for Housbondrye,',
Januarie's decision to marry is somewhat due to his desire to have an heir in order to secure
The Merchant's tale
There appears a conflation of money and sexual relations, making relationships appear transactional. Whilst Januarie's demand for a kiss may seem innocent, it is what it implies that it worrying.
This is made apparent for Januarie commands May to be “trewe, and I wole telle yow why thre thynges, certes, shal ye whynne therby”.
Differences
Whilst Nora is trapped by a financial agreement, May is liberated by one
For May, Januarie's will is a reality which promises financial independance. However, for Nora this dream is nothing more than an illusion which even Mrs Linde never has access to after her husband has died
Differences
Differences
Januarie and Torvald's attitudes to business and money are extremely different. Whist Torvald is constantly working, Januarie is hardly presented as an entrepeneur climbing the career ladder. Perhaps, this is down to the age difference between the age of the two men. However, I would argue that Ibsen's presentation of the male relationship with money is slightly more nuanced as it highlights the pressures of being the sole male-breadwinner.
'The Merchant's Tale' has another layer as Mercantile language acts a thread throughout, acting as a reminder of the narrative biase and the difference of forms between the two.
Differences
Although both relationships are ultimately rooted in money and female financial dependence, whilst Ibsen's play acts as a reminder that true power does not lie in money or security but autonomy and self-understanding, Chaucer's more playful fabliau suggests that May's manipulation of January and her sexuality allows her as much freedom as she is allowed in the form of money. Therefore, whilst money is presented as a means of freedom and autonomy in 'The Merchant's Tale', Ibsen rejects this notion in 'A Doll's House'.
Similarities
Both “A Doll’s House” by Ibsen and “The Merchant’s Tale” by Chaucer feature the women within society being financially dependant on the men.
This can be seen for in “A Doll’s House” Nora appears to be financially dependant on Torvald, she has no job and had to take out a loan to take him to Italy, showing that she clearly doesn’t have much of her own finance.
In “The Merchant’s Tale” it is very easy to perceive that May is with Januarie for he is old and she could inherit his possessions and money. May wishes to obtain Januarie’s “heritage”.
Similarities
Similarities
In both texts its is clear to see that Torvald and Januarie are obsessed with what money can bring to them. This can be seen when Torvald wants to desperately work near Christmas at a job that he hasn’t even started yet to make the money. It is clear that his income has been spent furnishing their house. This can be seen with the “porcelain tiles”
Januarie also has a luxurious decoration for his wedding feast which obviously would have costed a lot.