A Doll's House Lecture Notes

Introduction

• Play: A Doll's House
• Main Characters: Nora Helmer, Torvald Helmer, Krogstad, Christine, Doctor Rank
• Key Symbols: Money, Tarantella Dance, Birds
• Key Themes: Sexism, Individual vs. Society, Self-awareness, Honesty

Plot Overview

Introduction

• Nora Helmer enters home with Christmas tree
• Husband Torvald calls out from office
• Torvald teases Nora for being wasteful

Rising Action

• Nora shows Torvald her presents; requests money
• Torvald gives money unaware of Nora's secret loan
• Christine, Nora’s childhood friend, visits
  • Discuss life changes
  • Nora offers to help Christine get a job at Torvald’s bank
• Nora saved Torvald's life by funding a trip to Italy
• Krogstad, Nora's lender, arrives
• Doctor Rank gossips about Krogstad

Conflict

• Torvald agrees to hire Christine
• Krogstad blackmails Nora about loan and forgery
• Nora fails to persuade Torvald not to fire Krogstad
• Krogstad warns Nora of the consequences
• Doctor Rank confesses his love for Nora

Climax

• Krogstad sends a letter revealing Nora's secret
• Christine attempts to retract the letter but decides against it

Falling Action

• Torvald read Krogstad's letter; calls Nora immoral
• Torvald is relieved with Krogstad’s new letter forgiving the loan

Resolution

• Nora realizes Torvald's lack of real love
• Decides to leave to find herself
• Play ends with door slamming

Key Characters

Nora Helmer

• Protagonist
• Cheerful, naive wife; secretly took a loan
• Develops resentment and desire for respect
• Realizes marriage is a sham
• Leaves to discover her identity

Torvald Helmer

• Patriarchal husband
• Condescending, sees Nora as inferior
• Exposes true nature when crisis hits
• Left in despair as Nora leaves

Krogstad

• Desperate for reputation restoration
• Blackmails Nora
• Saved by Christine’s offer of love and honesty

Christine

• Nora's friend; seeking purpose
• Drives Nora's realization for independence
• Finds second chance with Krogstad

Doctor Rank

• Friend of Helmers
• Faces reality; admits feelings for Nora

Symbols

Money

• Symbolizes male control over women
• Nora’s secret loan: a driving plot element
• Contrast with Christine’s capability to earn

Tarantella Dance

• Symbolizes pretense in Nora and Torvald's relationship
• Dance represents Nora’s attempt to please Torvald

Birds

• Represent different facets of Nora’s character
• Symbolize Nora’s eventual "flight" to freedom

Themes

Sexism

• Explores gender roles and stereotypes
• Nora's quest for independence

Individual vs. Society

• Nora and Krogstad’s struggles highlight societal constraints
• Contrast with Christine's independence

Self-awareness

• Nora’s journey from naivety to self-realization
• Doctor Rank contrast with Torvald’s delusions

Honesty

• Importance of truth in personal freedom
• Christine's role in unraveling lies

Conclusion

• Play closes with Nora’s liberation and Torvald’s despair
• Reinforcement of themes through character decisions and symbols