The main theme that can be seen in both plays is the duty to oneself, and the individual instead the of state or society. Should the two women, Nora in A Doll's House, and Antigone in Antigone, do what the state and society tells them to do or if they should do what they would like to do?

In Antigone there is the contrasting view of the state law against the divine law. The state law may have some similarities to the divine law but they are not the same. For example the divine law would be the burial of Antigone's brother, but the state law was that her brother was not to be buried. The divine law is a law that is the same for everyone and does not change, whereas the state law is what the king or ruler would want, and can change. Another view in Antigone would be the state against the people. For the state and state laws to exist there have to be 'the people' too. The state depends on the people and not just the ruler. (As shown on p.146 in the argument between Haemon and his father).

Haemon: A one-man state? What sort of a state is that?

Creon: Why, does not every state belong to its ruler?

Creon- "There is no more deadly peril than disobedience; states are devoured by it, homes laid in ruins, armies defeated, victory turned to rout. While simple obedience saves the lives of hundreds of honest folk."

Creon - "...Better be beaten, if need be, by a man, that let a woman get the better of us."

In Antigone there is the state and its laws, but in A Doll's House we see more of the society, and the laws it enforces on the individual. The society's rules prevent the characters from seeing and expressing their true nature. When Krogstad tells Nora that the law takes no account of good motives, she cries,

At the end of A Doll's House Nora realises that she has lived as a 'doll', as her father's doll and then as her husband's doll, and has accepted the church and society without ever asking any questions about them. Then she questions herself whether the society she lives in is correct in its beliefs, or if what she thinks is correct and requires that she oppose society itself.

Some people will think that opposing the society is right and some will think that it is wrong. In the two plays there are the images of obedience and disobedience, to the state. For example Nora was thought she was doing the right thing in forging her father's signature to save her husband's life, but in doing so she broke the law, and would have received a severe punishment. She couldn't see what is wrong, because she didn't understand why the state would stop her from actually saving her husbands life. There are also examples in Antigone of obedience and disobedience to the state,

Creon is the obvious one to say this, because people, who are obedient to him, make it easier for him, whereas the people who aren't cause many problems. But Antigone would not think this way, because for her to be obedient she would have to agree with the state laws and not bury her brother.

Some common words found in the essay are:
House Nora, Doll's House, Antigone Antigone, Haemon Antigone, Haemon You'd, Nora Antigone, Antigone Creon, doll's house, , divine law, duty oneself, divine law law, obedience disobedience, society women, women nora, finally understand, duty understand, law king, understanding themselves,
Approximate Word count = 1309
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)