A Doll’s Houseby the Numbers

Year A Doll's House premiered at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen

1879

Year play was performed in Germany with alternate ending in which Nora does not leave Torvald

1880

Film versions released in 1973—an American version starring Jane Fonda as Nora and a British version starring Anthony Hopkins as Torvald

2

Year the play was included in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register

2001

Themes

Sexism

Torvald loves Nora only as his helpless

"little skylark."

Individual vs. Society

Nora defies societal norms to achieve

independence.

Honesty

Nora lies to save Torvald's pride; Mrs. Linde makes a

loveless match to save her family.

Self-Awareness

Torvald's rejection then "forgiveness" of Nora

forces her to face the lies in their marriage.

Torvald, Act III

should not be a man if this womanly helplessness did not just give you a

double attractiveness in my eyes.

Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica, IMDb, Henrik Ibsen: A Doll's House and Other Plays, Merriam-Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature, National Library of Norway, UNESCO, Writers Theatre

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Tarantella

Dance symbolizing Nora's desperate attempt to avoid

revealing her secret

Money

Symbolizes men's control over women, who are notallowed equal access to it

Birds

Represent Nora's flight to freedom and Torvald's view of Nora: merely a creature to entertain him, whom he

must protect

Symbols

The Norwegian playwright's emphasis on realism and social analysis made him the "father of modern drama." Though a classic today, A Doll's House initially caused controversy—many considered the play indecent because of its portrayal of a woman renouncing traditional roles of wife and mother for independence.

HENRIK IBSEN1828–1906

Author

NoraProtagonist, Torvald's

selfless "little songbird"

KrogstadNora's mercenary lender

TorvaldNora's condescending

husband

Mrs. Kristine LindeNora's principled friend

Dr. RankFamily friend who

loves Nora

Ivar, Bobby, and Emmy

Nora and Torvald’s children

Friendship Romantic relationship Married

BusinessFamily

Main CharactersMain Characters

Set in the 1870s, A Doll's House tells the story of Nora Helmer, a young wife and mother who tries to hide a secret forgery from her husband, Torvald, that could threaten their marriage. Torvald treats her as a pretty plaything without realizing Nora has a mind of her own—until she leaves him in the play's shocking conclusion.

A SkylarkTakes Flight

OVERVIEW

Act II Freedom from Expectations

Trying to maintain her role as wife and prevent her secret being revealed, Nora dances for her husband and finds hope in his potential courage.

Act III Freedom from Obligations

Understanding that her husband is not worth her love, Nora feels free to abandon traditional obligations and leave him.

Act I Freedom from Debt

Having secretly borrowed money to help her husband, Nora struggles diligently to pay it back.

Henrik Ibsen 1879 Norwegian

Play

Author Year Published Original Language

A Doll’s House

Drama