A Doll's House
Et dukkehjem
- Author
- Henrik Ibsen
- Year
- 1879
- Country
- Norway
- Copyright
- Published 1879; Ibsen died in 1906. The original is public domain; translation rights vary, so no excerpt is shown.
When a secret loan turns into blackmail, a wife realises she has lived as a doll and walks out of her home.
Why it is a classic
The starting point of modern realist drama. Three days, one living room and one letter put a marriage and a society on trial. The final door slam became the archetype of an ending.
Structure breakdown
- 01Act 1 · Christmas Eve
Nora celebrates her husband Helmer's promotion and confides to Mrs Linde that she secretly borrowed money for his cure. The lender Krogstad, facing dismissal, threatens her over a forged signature.
- 02Act 2 · The letter
Krogstad drops a letter revealing everything into the letterbox. Nora stalls Helmer with a frantic tarantella rehearsal.
- 03Act 3 · No miracle
Helmer reads the letter and turns on Nora. When the threat is withdrawn he instantly 'forgives' her, but she sees the miracle she expected never came, and leaves, children and all.
What to steal for your own script
- Put the bomb (the letter) in a letterbox on stage and keep the audience looking at it.
- Place the real ending after the climax. The ending is not the threat lifting but the decision after seeing how the husband reacts.
- Character change comes not from the event but from the moment an expectation breaks.
Original excerpt
No excerpt is shown because translation rights may apply. Read the original at the archives below.