... playwrights have used this and placed their female characters in the closed environment of their home. For instance, the stage instructions in Blood Wedding (page 47) state that "BRIDE's house [is] carved out of the rock itself," which suggests that Bride lives in a cave. As Lorca is known for using symbols, the walls that this 'cave' creates physically symbolize the confinement Bride's surrounded in. The word 'rock', being an impenetrable mineral, is important here, as well, portraying the strength of the women's confinement in Andalusian society. Ibsen depicts this through a similar approach in Hedda Gabler. By deliberately setting all the activity of the play to take place in the scenery of Hedda's house, he calls attention to her limited area of movement and her monotonous lifestyle. The audience is invited to sympathize with the protagonist through this subtle observation learning in the course of the play that many ...

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