Rereading the Mermaid Figure in The Lady from the Sea (1888)

With an ending filled with peace and sunshine, The Lady from the Sea (1888) appears to be a comedy in which no trace of pessimism can be spotted. Critics have also pointed out that in this play, the “right remedy” for the conundrum set earlier in A Doll’s House (1879) is given: that if the man can release the woman from her duties and give her absolute freedom to choose by her own will, happiness in marriage is achievable. Nonetheless, dark hints left by Ibsen, though subtle, are still noticeable. Compared with A Doll’s House, where the reader witnesses Nora transforming herself from a doll-like wife to a forceful person who is true to herself, The Lady from the Sea shows a modern version of The Little Mermaid where Ellida, like a fish out of water, struggles to fit in the patriarchal system and transcends herself in a male-dominated world. Throughout the play, the reader sees her in constant self-doubt and deference. Her disorganized and emotional behavior keeps repeating until it constitutes the stereotypical image of a mermaid incapable of full independent agency. The selfhood of women, characterized by inferiority, is represented as a deficient version of the male ideal. In this presentation, we will look into Ellida’s self-defeating patterns of thought, speech, and behavior, which mark her with a lack of self-control, self-sufficiency, and mental self-governance. The discourse analysis of Ellida’s lines shall reveal ideological effects on gender relations in the 19th century.