Introduction

familyLesson Four - A Doll's House
Duration - 5 blocks (5 x 80 min + homework)

"Our home has been nothing but a playroom. I have been our doll-wife, just as at home I was papa's doll-child; and here the children have been my dolls." - Nora, to her husband, Torvald, in A Doll's House 

A Doll’s House, a realistic three-act play, focuses on late nineteenth century life in a middle-class Scandinavian household, in which the wife is expected to be contentedly passive and the husband paternally protective. Nora Helmer, however, has subverted this model. At that time, a woman could not sign a legal contract alone; thus, when her beloved husband, Torvald, became ill, Nora secretly obtained a loan by forging her father’s signature so that they could travel to a warmer climate. As the play opens, Torvald is about to become manager of the bank and Nora has almost repaid the loan through odd jobs and scrimping on the household expenses. Nora discloses her actions to her friend Kristine Linde and exults in her accomplishment. (enotes.com)