A woman questions her role in marriage — the play that launched modern drama.
Why this book matters
The door slam heard round the world: how Ibsen's A Doll's House upended marriage, theatre, and the idea of what a woman owes anyone.
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Free Audiobook · Act I
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_[SCENE.—A room furnished comfortably and tastefully, but not extravagantly. At the back, a door to the right leads to the entrance-hall, another to the left leads to Helmer’s study. Between the doors stands a piano. In the middle of the left-hand wall is a…
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The door slam heard round the world: how Ibsen's A Doll's House upended marriage, theatre, and the idea of what a woman owes anyone.
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- Nora Helmer (Torvald's 'little lark'/'squirrel')
- A seemingly carefree young wife and mother who secretly took out a loan years ago to save her husband's health, hiding the debt and her resourcefulness behind a playful, childlike manner.
- Torvald Helmer
- Nora's husband, a lawyer about to become bank manager, who prizes respectability, order, and his image as a caring protector, and treats Nora affectionately but condescendingly.
- Nils Krogstad
- A lower-level employee at Torvald's bank with a checkered past (a forgery conviction), who holds a secret loan document connected to Nora and is fighting to keep his job and reputation.
- Mrs. Kristine Linde (Christine)
- A widowed childhood friend of Nora's who arrives in town seeking work, having endured a difficult marriage and now hoping to rebuild an independent life.
- Dr. Rank
- A close family friend and physician, often at the Helmers' home, who suffers from a serious illness and speaks with wry, sometimes dark humor about mortality.
- Anne-Marie (the Nurse)
- The Helmer children's nurse, an older woman who once had to give up her own child to take the position, and who now cares devotedly for Nora's children.
Glossary
- Tarantella
- A fast, energetic Italian folk dance; Nora rehearses it obsessively in Act II partly to distract Torvald from the mail.
- Domino
- A loose cloak with a hood, worn as a costume or over evening dress, mentioned as part of Torvald's masquerade attire.
- Bond (with surety)
- A legal loan document; here it required a guarantor's signature, which Nora forged in her father's name to obtain money.
- Forgery
- The crime of falsifying a signature or document, central to the plot since both Nora and Krogstad have committed it.
- Macaroons
- Small sweet almond or coconut cookies Nora eats and hides, forbidden by Torvald who worries about her teeth — a small symbol of her secret disobedience.
- Doll-child
- Nora's own term for how her father treated her, later extended to describe her role as Torvald's plaything rather than an equal partner.
- Moral character (diseased)
- Period phrasing used by Torvald and Dr. Rank to describe someone seen as morally corrupt or degenerate, applied to Krogstad.
- Solicitor's clerk
- A law clerk working under a solicitor (lawyer); Krogstad's former occupation before his conviction ruined his career prospects.
- The Bank
- Refers to the bank where Torvald is about to become manager and where Krogstad currently holds a minor post, the workplace stakes driving the blackmail plot.
Table of contents
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