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A Doll’s House

A Doll’s House. H enrik Ibsen. Characters in A Doll’s House. Torvald Helmer , a lawyer Nora, his wife Dr. Rank Mrs. Kristine Linde Nils Krogstad Anne Marie, the nursemaid Helene, the maid The Helmers ’ three children  A porter. Summary of plot.

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A Doll’s House

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  1. A Doll’s House Henrik Ibsen

  2. Characters in A Doll’s House • TorvaldHelmer, a lawyerNora, his wifeDr. RankMrs. Kristine LindeNils KrogstadAnne Marie, the nursemaidHelene, the maidThe Helmers’ three children A porter

  3. Summary of plot • Nora Helmer is apparently happily married to Torvald, a lawyer who is about to take over the post of director of the Joint Stock Bank. They have three small children. Nora has a secret to keep, however. Early in their marriage Torvald became seriously ill, and the doctors advised a stay in a more southerly climate. Nora had to get hold of the money for the journey in secrecy and so borrowed it from Krogstad, a lawyer who had been a fellow-student of Torvald`s. As security for the loan she forged her dying father`s signature. Ever since then she has saved some of the housekeeping money in order to pay back the loan with interest, and she has taken on small jobs to earn some money herself.

  4. When the play opens, an old friend of Nora`s, Mrs. Linde, has arrived in town to look for work, and Nora sees to it that Torvald gives her a post at the bank. But this means that Krogstad is dismissed from his post at the bank, and in desperation he goes to Nora and threatens to tell Torvald about the loan and the forgery unless he is allowed to keep his post. • Nora is in despair but at the same time convinced that in his love for her, Torvald will sacrifice himself and take full responsibility for what she has done, if he learns the truth. Nora considers asking Dr. Rank, an old friend of the family, for the money, but when he declares his love for her, she finds it impossible to ask him.

  5. Torvald finds out what has happened, and reacts with rage and revulsion, without any sign of being willing to accept responsibility for the forgery. Mrs. Linde, who was in love with Krogstad in the past, gets him to change his mind and withdraw his threats. But Nora has begun to understand that her marriage is not what she thought it was, and in the course of a dramatic conversation with Torvald she decides that her most important and only task is to go out into the world on her own to "bring herself up", and she leaves her husband and children. Source: Merete Morken Andersen, Ibsenhåndboken, GyldendalNorskForlag, 1995

  6. Discussion question: • What is revealed in the text in this opening section about Nora? • - in what she says; • - in what Torvald says to her • - in the stage directions

  7. The alternative ending: • NORA: … that our life together could become a real marriage. Goodbye. (She starts to go) • HELMER: Go then! (He seizes her arm) But first you shall see your children for the last time. • NORA: Let me go! I will not see them. I cannot! • HELMER: (dragging her to the door on the left). You shall see them! (He opens the door and says softly:) Look –there they are, sleeping peacefully and without care. Tomorrow when they wake and call for their mother, they will be… motherless! • NORA: (trembling) Motherless! • HELMER: As you once were. • NORA: Motherless! (After an inner struggle, she lets her bag fall, and says:) Ah, though it is a sin against myself, I cannot leave them! (She sinks to the ground by the door as the curtain falls).

  8. Excellent article on Why A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen is more relevant than ever • http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/aug/10/dolls-house-henrik-ibsen-relevant • Link to National Library of Norway, an excellent set of resources on Ibsen’s life and work: • http://ibsen.nb.no/id/11111004.0

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