A Doll’s House
Overview
- Modern tragedy released in 1879 by Norwegian writer Henrik Ibsen.
- Composed of three acts, play is set in a Norwegian town of author’s present day and
concerns Nora and Torvald Helmer, whose marriage implodes under the weight of
Nora’s emotional, social, and political subjugation by Europe’s regressive gender
norms.
- Well known for exploring married woman’s bleak plight in a world dominated by
men, shedding light on problem that was underexposed in late 19th century.
- Also stirred outrage from dissidents who viewed its arguments as profane.
Act 1 Summary
- The play opens in a comfortable middle-class living room in late 1800s Norway. It’s
Christmastime, and the young mother of the family, Nora, comes home with a tree
and presents, ready to prepare festivities for her children.
- She’s also bought herself some macaroons on the sly—a treat her husband Torvald
usually forbids her.
- Torvald greets her and affectionately (if condescendingly) teases her over the money
she spent for Christmas. But he becomes sterner when she asks for her own
Christmas present: “You could always give me money, Torvald. Only what you think
you could spare. And then I could buy myself something with it later on”.
- Torvald scolds that Nora just fritters away the money he gives her and withdraws to
his study to meet with his friend, Dr. Rank.
- A visitor arrives. Nora doesn’t recognize her at first but soon realizes she’s an old
school friend, a widow named Kristine Linde. Kristine looks thin and pale, and has
obviously fallen on hard times, but Nora can’t quite summon any sympathy for her.
She’s too excited to tell Kristine about Torvald’s new job. He’s been promoted to
bank manager, and their family will be comfortably well-to-do.
- Kristine already knows about Torvald’s promotion and has come to see if he might
offer her a job. Since her husband and her mother died and her two sons grew up
and left home, she’s been impoverished and at loose ends; she needs both some
money and something to do.
- Nora is eager to help, but she also feels stung when Kristine observes that Nora
hasn’t really had it so hard. Trying to prove that she’s struggled, too, Nora lets slip a
little secret: Not so long ago, she concocted a secret scheme to pay for a trip to Italy,
a trip she credits with saving Torvald from a dangerous bout of illness.
- She’s coy about the details but suggests she might have gotten some funds from a
wealthy admirer—a thought Kristine finds alarming.
- Before the two women can talk more, Dr. Rank and Torvald appear. They briefly
discuss a man named Krogstad, an employee of Torvald’s whom Dr. Rank calls
“rotten to the core”.
- Seeming uncomfortable, Nora changes the subject, encouraging Torvald to offer
Kristine a job. Torvald seems amenable to this suggestion—especially because he
plans to fire Krogstad and will need someone to fill his position.
, - Everyone leaves, and Nora is playing happily with her children when she’s
interrupted by a less welcome visitor: Krogstad himself. This is the very man Nora
borrowed the Italy money from.
- Now, he’s come to blackmail Nora into persuading Torvald not to fire him. He’s
noticed that Nora’s father, who was supposed to have witnessed a document
recording the loan he made her, “signed” that document several days after his
death!
- Nora admits that she forged the signature and begs Krogstad not to reveal her secret
to Torvald. Krogstad threatens to do just that and to turn Nora in for fraud if she
doesn’t help him keep his job.
- Torvald returns, and Nora asks whether he’s going to fire Krogstad, and why. Torvald
tells her that Krogstad committed fraud; he disgustedly reflects on how Krogstad’s
moral turpitude will poison his children.
- As the act ends, a troubled Nora imagines that her fraud might also poison her
family. But she shakes this idea off: “It’s not true! It could never, never be true!”.
Act 2 Summary
- Christmas passes, and Nora is waiting for the other shoe to drop, jumping when the
mail comes or when somebody knocks on the door. She has withdrawn from her
children; their nursemaid, Anne Marie, tells Nora that they pine for her, but Nora is
haunted by the idea that she might poison them with her moral failings and refuses
to see them.
- It turns out that Anne Marie was Nora’s nurse as a child too; she took the position
when she got pregnant out of wedlock and needed a job.
- She has only heard from her own daughter a couple of times in her life: “She wrote
to me when she got confirmed, and again when she got married”.
- Nora tries to distract herself from her worries by preparing for a new year’s costume
ball. She’s going through a box of clothes when Kristine drops by. Kristine thinks
she’s guessed Nora’s secret, but she’s guessed wrong: She thinks Dr. Rank was the
mysterious donor of Nora’s Italy money. Nora pooh-poohs this idea.
- Torvald comes home, and Nora sends Kristine to play with the children while she
talks to him. She begs Torvald not to fire Krogstad, warning him that Krogstad (who’s
a journalist on the side) will slander him in the papers.
- Torvald takes offense at Nora’s “management” and sends off a letter firing Krogstad
on the spot. He plans to hire Kristine in Krogstad’s place. Nora is distraught. Torvald,
taking some pity on her, tells her he’s strong enough to deal with any consequences.
- Torvald leaves, and Dr. Rank drops by to tell Nora some terrible news: He’s dying of
spinal tuberculosis. Seemingly relieved that the terrible news isn’t about her own
problems, Nora waves off Dr. Rank’s misery as mere gloominess.
- Dr. Rank asks her to help hide his decline from Torvald, saying he’ll send her a card
with a black cross on it to let her know he’s dying. Nora is about to request a favor in
return when he abruptly confesses that he’s in love with her.
- Nora scolds him for his frankness, though she seems pleased at the compliment.
- Just then, a maid whispers to Nora that Krogstad is at the door. Nora sends Dr. Rank
to go talk to Torvald and braces herself for a confrontation.
Overview
- Modern tragedy released in 1879 by Norwegian writer Henrik Ibsen.
- Composed of three acts, play is set in a Norwegian town of author’s present day and
concerns Nora and Torvald Helmer, whose marriage implodes under the weight of
Nora’s emotional, social, and political subjugation by Europe’s regressive gender
norms.
- Well known for exploring married woman’s bleak plight in a world dominated by
men, shedding light on problem that was underexposed in late 19th century.
- Also stirred outrage from dissidents who viewed its arguments as profane.
Act 1 Summary
- The play opens in a comfortable middle-class living room in late 1800s Norway. It’s
Christmastime, and the young mother of the family, Nora, comes home with a tree
and presents, ready to prepare festivities for her children.
- She’s also bought herself some macaroons on the sly—a treat her husband Torvald
usually forbids her.
- Torvald greets her and affectionately (if condescendingly) teases her over the money
she spent for Christmas. But he becomes sterner when she asks for her own
Christmas present: “You could always give me money, Torvald. Only what you think
you could spare. And then I could buy myself something with it later on”.
- Torvald scolds that Nora just fritters away the money he gives her and withdraws to
his study to meet with his friend, Dr. Rank.
- A visitor arrives. Nora doesn’t recognize her at first but soon realizes she’s an old
school friend, a widow named Kristine Linde. Kristine looks thin and pale, and has
obviously fallen on hard times, but Nora can’t quite summon any sympathy for her.
She’s too excited to tell Kristine about Torvald’s new job. He’s been promoted to
bank manager, and their family will be comfortably well-to-do.
- Kristine already knows about Torvald’s promotion and has come to see if he might
offer her a job. Since her husband and her mother died and her two sons grew up
and left home, she’s been impoverished and at loose ends; she needs both some
money and something to do.
- Nora is eager to help, but she also feels stung when Kristine observes that Nora
hasn’t really had it so hard. Trying to prove that she’s struggled, too, Nora lets slip a
little secret: Not so long ago, she concocted a secret scheme to pay for a trip to Italy,
a trip she credits with saving Torvald from a dangerous bout of illness.
- She’s coy about the details but suggests she might have gotten some funds from a
wealthy admirer—a thought Kristine finds alarming.
- Before the two women can talk more, Dr. Rank and Torvald appear. They briefly
discuss a man named Krogstad, an employee of Torvald’s whom Dr. Rank calls
“rotten to the core”.
- Seeming uncomfortable, Nora changes the subject, encouraging Torvald to offer
Kristine a job. Torvald seems amenable to this suggestion—especially because he
plans to fire Krogstad and will need someone to fill his position.
, - Everyone leaves, and Nora is playing happily with her children when she’s
interrupted by a less welcome visitor: Krogstad himself. This is the very man Nora
borrowed the Italy money from.
- Now, he’s come to blackmail Nora into persuading Torvald not to fire him. He’s
noticed that Nora’s father, who was supposed to have witnessed a document
recording the loan he made her, “signed” that document several days after his
death!
- Nora admits that she forged the signature and begs Krogstad not to reveal her secret
to Torvald. Krogstad threatens to do just that and to turn Nora in for fraud if she
doesn’t help him keep his job.
- Torvald returns, and Nora asks whether he’s going to fire Krogstad, and why. Torvald
tells her that Krogstad committed fraud; he disgustedly reflects on how Krogstad’s
moral turpitude will poison his children.
- As the act ends, a troubled Nora imagines that her fraud might also poison her
family. But she shakes this idea off: “It’s not true! It could never, never be true!”.
Act 2 Summary
- Christmas passes, and Nora is waiting for the other shoe to drop, jumping when the
mail comes or when somebody knocks on the door. She has withdrawn from her
children; their nursemaid, Anne Marie, tells Nora that they pine for her, but Nora is
haunted by the idea that she might poison them with her moral failings and refuses
to see them.
- It turns out that Anne Marie was Nora’s nurse as a child too; she took the position
when she got pregnant out of wedlock and needed a job.
- She has only heard from her own daughter a couple of times in her life: “She wrote
to me when she got confirmed, and again when she got married”.
- Nora tries to distract herself from her worries by preparing for a new year’s costume
ball. She’s going through a box of clothes when Kristine drops by. Kristine thinks
she’s guessed Nora’s secret, but she’s guessed wrong: She thinks Dr. Rank was the
mysterious donor of Nora’s Italy money. Nora pooh-poohs this idea.
- Torvald comes home, and Nora sends Kristine to play with the children while she
talks to him. She begs Torvald not to fire Krogstad, warning him that Krogstad (who’s
a journalist on the side) will slander him in the papers.
- Torvald takes offense at Nora’s “management” and sends off a letter firing Krogstad
on the spot. He plans to hire Kristine in Krogstad’s place. Nora is distraught. Torvald,
taking some pity on her, tells her he’s strong enough to deal with any consequences.
- Torvald leaves, and Dr. Rank drops by to tell Nora some terrible news: He’s dying of
spinal tuberculosis. Seemingly relieved that the terrible news isn’t about her own
problems, Nora waves off Dr. Rank’s misery as mere gloominess.
- Dr. Rank asks her to help hide his decline from Torvald, saying he’ll send her a card
with a black cross on it to let her know he’s dying. Nora is about to request a favor in
return when he abruptly confesses that he’s in love with her.
- Nora scolds him for his frankness, though she seems pleased at the compliment.
- Just then, a maid whispers to Nora that Krogstad is at the door. Nora sends Dr. Rank
to go talk to Torvald and braces herself for a confrontation.
