World Literature
The Conflict between Individual Desires and Social Expectations: A Psycho-realistic Reading of Ibsen’s Female Characters
Volume / Issue
Vol. 17, Issue 1 · February 2026
Pages
1010-1028
Article ID
2026V17N1019
Abstract
Henrik Ibsen, the father of Modern Drama, is regarded as a social reformer, critic and agitator for women’s rights who explored the inner pressure and conflicts of the individual in modern society through his works. The present study aims to interpret the author’s profound observations of his contemporary society and its effects on human psychology, particularly women’s psychology in his most famous plays: The Pillars of Society, A Doll’s House, Ghosts, Hedda Gabler. His plays delve into the complex interplay between individual desires and social expectations, portraying the psychological struggle faced by his female characters with social conflict, dilemma of freedom and necessity, marriage problems, unwed motherhood and divorce, career and family, and freedom in expression of salvation.
Keywords
psychological realismindividual desiressocial expectationstruth and freedomself-realization
Article History
Received
9 January 2026
Accepted
11 February 2026
Published Online
28 February 2026
Full Text
How to Cite
Dr. Swarna. “The Conflict between Individual Desires and Social Expectations: A Psycho-realistic Reading of Ibsen’s Female Characters.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 1, Feb. 2026, pp. 1010-1028. ISSN: 0976-8165. DOI: https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion.v17.n1.66

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