The Song Irreplaceable, which is sung by Beyoncé and the play A Doll's House written by Henrik Ibsen, share a common theme that is broken marriage or love. In the play, Norah, the protagonist leaves her marriage to seek inner peace and find out who she is because of her husband’s betrayal. From the beginning of the play, Mr. Trovald is in control of the marriage, and it never seemed that Norah could have the courage to move out (Ibsen 5). She leaves her keys and wedding ring and slams the door behind her. In the song, Beyoncé presents a picture of a woman who wants to leave the marriage or relationship because she too, is betrayed. The man thinks the woman will never have a life without him; the speaker in the song says the man says the woman will never find another man like him (Beyoncé stanza 2). Beyoncé’s song and Ibsen’s play show how women can gather the courage to move forward and leave marriages that are not meeting their expectations.
Beyoncé takes the position of a woman who is addressing her lover who has betrayed her. The main theme of the song is the replacement of lost love and that it only takes the willingness of one to move on as quickly as possible. The woman seems to be very generous with her lover, giving him anything he wanted, which only means that the lover was dependent on the woman. Another way of looking at the lover is that he is controlling. The same happens in the play because Nora is in a marriage where the man is controlling and treats her like a doll (Ibsen 1). She has no say in any decisions made in the family. But both find a way out when they decide to walk away, leave their marriages behind and start life afresh with the agenda of rediscovering their potential.
Also, it is imperative to note that the song and the play take a feminist approach whereby the women in both awaken to the reality that it is possible to find peace and happiness on their own. Female empowerment comes to the fore when both women decide enough is enough, and both want to explore the other life of independence. As it turns out, both characters empower women to have the courage to walk out of abusive relationships or marriages and replace them with more important people or things in life. The woman in the song acknowledges that it is good riddance getting such a man out of her life. Whereas the man thinks the woman will never find another man, the woman acknowledges that finding a replacement is very easy. Trovald, on the other hand, thinks he is not selfish and that Norah cannot walk away because it is against their tradition but she does!
In a lay man’s language, the protagonists in the play and song dump the men in their lives. If a man messes a woman, the woman can take up the opportunity and move on to do better things or find better men. It does not pay to stay in an abusive marriage. It is the right of all women to seek happiness. In both cases, there is a celebration of a break up because life is seen as promising without the lovers. Women can feel worthy and move on to better relationships where they can be treated right. Better still they can remain single and enjoy life.
Works Cited
Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll’s House. Brooklyn: Sheba Blake Publishing, 2013. Print
Knowles, Beyoncé. “Irreplaceable.” Online Video Clip. Youtube, 2nd October, 2009. Web. 8th April 2016
