A Doll's House study guide

Nora

Nora hides the financing of her husband Helmer's recovery and admits forging her father's signature. Her efforts to delay discovery give way to a decision to reject his forgiveness and leave to educate herself.

Key acts: 1, 2, 3

Helmer

Helmer is Nora's husband and prepares to manage the Bank, where he protects his authority by dismissing Krogstad. His condemnation of Nora and celebration of his own safety suggest the limits of his concern for her.

Key acts: 1, 2, 3

Mrs Linde

Mrs Linde is Nora's old friend, seeking work after years spent supporting relatives. She seeks Krogstad out and renews their relationship, but insists on disclosure rather than helping Nora keep her secret from Helmer.

Key acts: 1, 2, 3

Krogstad

Krogstad is a lawyer with a minor bank position who uses Nora's bond to demand advancement. His acceptance of Mrs Linde's partnership and return of the bond show a change from pressure toward cooperation.

Key acts: 1, 2, 3

Doctor Rank

Doctor Rank is a close family friend who declares his love for Nora while announcing his approaching death. He plays for her dance, then leaves marked cards that signal his withdrawal to die.

Key acts: 1, 2, 3

Anne

Anne cares for Nora's children and keeps them away when Nora refuses their company. Her account of giving her own daughter to strangers brings another experience of care and separation into the story.

Key acts: 1, 2

Secrecy and truth

Nora's hidden financial efforts and her dance to delay discovery show how secrecy shapes her actions within marriage. Mrs Linde's insistence on disclosure points to truth as a necessary test of the relationship, rather than simply another danger to avoid.

Where it shows: acts 1, 2, 3

Power and independence

Helmer's defense of his authority and Nora's account of her father's control show how power can limit another person's choices. Nora's departure to educate herself suggests that independence requires more than permission within an existing relationship.

Where it shows: acts 2, 3

Reputation and love

Nora's secret financing of Helmer's recovery contrasts with his condemnation when he learns the truth. His relief at his own safety and her rejection of forgiveness show a divide between an act of care and the response it receives.

Where it shows: acts 1, 3

Parenting and sacrifice

Nora's fear for her children and Anne's separation from her daughter show that care can involve anxiety and sacrifice. Nora's account of her father's control also suggests that parental influence can restrict the person it helps to shape.

Where it shows: acts 1, 2, 3

The bond

The bond works as a link between Nora's concealed act and Krogstad's power over her.

Acts 1, 2, 3

The dance

Nora's dance works as a way to control the moment of discovery. Helmer's coaching suggests an uneasy contrast between her visible performance and the secret she tries to keep him from reading.

Act 2

Rank's cards

They suggest how a small object can carry the weight of death and separation.

Act 3

Nora, Act 1. Nora speaks while revealing her secret financing to Mrs Linde.

Nora, Act 2. Nora speaks as she tries to delay discovery of Krogstad's letter. The counted hours suggest how completely fear narrows her sense of the future.

Nora, Act 3. Nora speaks as she chooses to leave her marriage and educate herself. The line presents independence as a condition for understanding, not simply an escape.