Ecofeminist Resonances in Ibsen's When We Dead Awaken: A Study of the Play's Environmental and Feminist Perspectives

Françoise d’Eaubonne’s ecofeminist framework, introduced in Le Féminisme ou la Mort, explores parallels between women’s oppression and environmental exploitation. Ibsen’s play demonstrates these concepts through symbolic and thematic links between the treatment of female characters and nature’s destruction. By doing so, Ibsen critiques systems that subdue and objectify both women and the natural world. The two central (yet marginalized) female dramatis personae, Maja and Irene, exhibit a distinct connection with nature, reflecting ecofeminist views on women’s alignment with the environment due to their shared marginalization and life-giving roles. Ibsen critiques patriarchal society’s treatment of women and nature. Ecofeminist scholar Karen Warren argues that societal treatment of women, marginalized groups, and the environment stems from a common framework of domination. This interconnectedness is delineated throughout When We Dead Awaken, where women’s subjugation mirrors nature’s destruction. Both are treated as expendable, valued only for their usefulness to men. The play urges a revaluation of relationships with women and the environment and highlights interconnected social and ecological justice. This paper therefore seeks to underscore the relevance of the play and, broadly, Ibsenian thought in understanding the dynamic between ecological and social justice in contemporary times.