A Doll’s House : Summary

Summary

Background

Henrik Ibsen wrote A Doll’s House (Et Dukkehjem) in 1879, and in the same year it was first staged in Copenhagen. The inspiration for the play came from a real-life incident. Ibsen’s close friend Laura Kieler forged her husband’s signature to raise money for his medical treatment. When the truth was revealed, society and her family harshly rejected her. This incident deeply moved Ibsen, and it led him to write A Doll’s House as a protest against social hypocrisy, patriarchal traditions, and the lack of women’s rights in society.

Ibsen himself had observed the limited freedom and imposed responsibilities of women in Norway’s middle-class society. In the play, the character of Nora Helmer represents that reality. Nora begins as an obedient wife and mother, but, in the end, leaves her husband and children to search for her own independent identity. This was a revolutionary idea in 19th-century Europe. The play is divided into three acts:

• The outer picture of Nora’s “happy” household, where she is trapped inside the “doll’s house.”
• The revelation of Nora’s secret deed (the loan and forged signature) under the pressure of Torvald Helmer’s authority and societal norms.
• Nora’s realization, rebellion, and decision for self-liberation, where she breaks family ties and leaves home to find her freedom.

Through the play, Ibsen showed that a woman is not merely a decorative part of a household, but an independent individual. After its publication, the play created widespread debate in Europe and was recognized as a milestone in women’s emancipation. A Doll’s House marked a new chapter in the history of modern drama. It brought together the realities of daily life, social hypocrisy, and the question of individual freedom. The play’s ending, Nora shutting the door and walking out, remains not only one of the most powerful moments in theatre history but also a universal symbol of women’s liberation in world literature.

Plot Summary 

Christmas Eve – Nora and Torvald: At the beginning of the play, Nora Helmer enters the comfortable and tastefully decorated living room carrying several gift packages. It is Christmas Eve. Nora cheerfully brings in a Christmas tree with the help of the Porter, to whom she gives a shilling. She then tells Helen, the maid, to hide the tree so that the children will not see it. After secretly eating some macaroons, Nora goes near her husband’s study door and listens. Torvald Helmer calls her from the study, affectionately addressing her with pet names such as “my little lark” and “my little squirrel.”

Through their conversation, it is revealed that while Torvald treats Nora kindly and lovingly, he also teases her about her spending habits and scolds her a little for wasting money. Nora is happy with the gifts she has bought for Christmas, but Torvald reminds her that it is not wise to be careless with money. Their dialogue makes it clear that the Helmer family has struggled financially for the past few years. However, Torvald has recently been appointed the new manager of a bank. Though he has not yet received his large salary, the family is hopeful that their financial condition will soon improve. Because of this, Nora dares to spend a little more this Christmas.

The Arrival of Mrs. Linde and Nora’s Past: Helen, the Helmer family’s maid, announces that a lady has come to visit. She turns out to be Mrs. Linde, Nora Helmer’s old school friend. They have not seen each other for nine or ten years. At first, Nora does not recognize her, but soon she is surprised and delighted to meet her again. Just then, Dr. Rank arrives while Mrs. Linde and Nora are talking. He goes into the study to meet Torvald.

During their conversation, Nora learns that Mrs. Linde’s husband died many years ago, leaving her without any wealth or property. They had no children either. As a result, Mrs. Linde was left alone and had to struggle through life on her own. In response, Nora recalls the early years of her own marriage. She tells Mrs. Linde that at that time she and Torvald Helmer lived in poverty, and both had to work hard to support the household. But soon after their marriage, Torvald fell seriously ill. The doctors said his life could only be saved if he went to the south, to Italy. So, Nora and Torvald had to make the journey to Italy, which became a significant event in their lives.

Mrs. Linde’s Emptiness and Nora’s Secret Loan: Afterward, Nora Helmer inquires about her old friend Mrs. Linde’s life. Mrs. Linde explains that for many years she had to take care of her ailing mother and raise her two younger brothers. Now her mother has died, and her brothers are grown and self-sufficient. As a result, she no longer has anyone to take care of, and her life feels empty and joyless. She has come to the city to start anew. She hopes that since Torvald Helmer has recently become the new bank manager, he might be able to arrange a job for her. Nora promises that she will talk to Torvald about it.

During the conversation, Nora reveals a big secret to Mrs. Linde, one that Torvald does not know. Nora says that when Torvald had fallen ill, the doctors advised that his life could only be saved if he went south to Italy. But such a trip required a large sum of money. Nora arranged the money illegally. In fact, she forged her father’s signature to take out a loan. To Torvald, she had said that the money had come from her father. Since then, Nora has been secretly repaying the debt by working on her own, sewing and copying work. She proudly tells Mrs. Linde that very soon the debt will be fully paid off.

Krogstad’s Past and Nora’s Secret Loan: Krogstad works in a low position at Torvald Helmer’s bank. Long ago, his reputation was tarnished due to forgery. In the past, Krogstad worked as a lawyer, but at one point, he committed forgery, which destroyed his social reputation. People in society began to see him as untrustworthy and immoral. This disgrace ruined his life severely. Because of financial struggles, he had to accept a low position at Torvald Helmer’s bank. Even though he had a job, he always felt that people despised him for his past and that his position could be taken away at any time. His standing at the bank was weak, so when Torvald considered giving a job to Mrs. Linde, Krogstad’s own job became threatened.

One day, Krogstad comes to the Helmer household. Seeing him, Nora Helmer feels uneasy. She thinks Krogstad is a man of low morals. Torvald Helmer talks with him separately in another room. Later, Torvald informs Nora that Mrs. Linde will be given a position at the bank. Meanwhile, Dr. Rank goes into the study, and Mrs. Linde also leaves from there. Nora is left alone in the room. A little later, Nora’s children return home with their nurse, Anne-Marie. Nora happily plays with her children.

Krogstad’s Threat: Suddenly, Krogstad enters the room again. He tells Nora that Torvald is about to dismiss him from his job. He wants Nora to persuade Torvald to let him keep his position. Because if he loses his job, his reputation and future will be completely destroyed. If Nora refuses, Krogstad will expose her big secret. The truth is that Nora forged her father’s signature in order to borrow money from Krogstad. At the time when Krogstad was still a lawyer, his financial condition was fairly stable.

During that period, he had enough means to lend money to Nora Helmer. Nora herself was not legally qualified to take out a loan. In 19th-century Norwegian society, a woman could not independently borrow a large sum of money without her husband’s permission or her father’s guarantee. Therefore, Krogstad prepared a legal bond, which required her father’s signature to be valid. But the problem was that Nora had not asked her father’s permission. Instead, she secretly forged his signature. This became her “big secret” and the main weapon of Krogstad’s blackmail. He threatens that he will tell Torvald that Nora forged her father’s signature in order to get the money for Torvald’s medical treatment. This threat terrifies Nora.

Nora’s Recommendation: For this reason, Nora Helmer requests Torvald Helmer to let Krogstad keep his job. But Torvald becomes very angry and firmly insists that Krogstad is an immoral man. He once committed forgery and destroyed his own reputation. Torvald believes that as a bank manager, it is his duty to dismiss such a man, because an employee like Krogstad would ruin the bank’s good name. Not only that, Torvald also personally despises Krogstad. He tells Nora that when Krogstad speaks to him, he calls him by name, which Torvald considers disrespectful. Torvald makes it absolutely clear that no matter how hard Nora tries, he will never allow Krogstad to remain in his job.

Nora’s Anxiety and Dr. Rank’s Confession: The next day, Act II begins. It is Christmas Day. Nora Helmer is tidying up the living room, and she appears very anxious. After a while, Mrs. Linde arrives. She helps Nora adjust her costume for the evening’s fancy-dress party (the tarantella dress). During their conversation, Nora tells Mrs. Linde that Dr. Rank is suffering from a terminal illness (spinal disease), which he inherited from his father.

Noticing Nora’s unusual behavior, Mrs. Linde begins to suspect that perhaps Nora had borrowed the money from Dr. Rank. But Nora firmly denies this and says that she has never taken money from Dr. Rank. She insists that she will never reveal the real source of the loan. At that moment, Torvald Helmer enters the room. Once again, Nora pleads with him to let Krogstad keep his job. But Torvald refuses. He reminds Nora of Krogstad’s forgery and immoral acts. At the same time, Torvald reveals his personal dislike, such as how Krogstad calls him by his first name, which Torvald considers disrespectful.

After Torvald goes back into his study, Dr. Rank enters the living room. He tells Nora Helmer that he is seriously ill and does not have long to live. Hearing this tragic news, Nora tries to cheer him up, making jokes and light conversation to ease the atmosphere. Nora had been planning to ask Dr. Rank to use his influence on Torvald to save Krogstad’s job. But at that very moment, Dr. Rank suddenly confesses his deep love for Nora. This shocks and embarrasses her greatly. As a result, Nora decides not to make any request to him and does not bring up the matter of Krogstad at all.

Krogstad’s Letter and Linde’s Reunion: After Dr. Rank leaves, Krogstad comes again to the Helmer household. He blackmails Nora Helmer once more. This time, he does not just beg to keep his job but also demands a higher position at the bank. He threatens clearly that if Nora does not help him, he will reveal to Torvald Helmer the truth about Nora’s loan and the forged signature of her father. Then Krogstad writes a detailed letter and drops it into the Helmers’ letterbox. Seeing the letter, Nora collapses in fear. She confesses everything to Mrs. Linde. Mrs. Linde advises her to delay Torvald from reading the letter for as long as possible until she can talk to Krogstad. Mrs. Linde promises that she will meet Krogstad on Nora’s behalf. Meanwhile, Nora convinces Torvald not to check the letterbox until they return from the party. In this way, she manages to prevent him from reading the letter for a while.

During the party, Mrs. Linde meets Krogstad and speaks with him. From their conversation, it is revealed that they were once deeply in love. But at that time, for financial security, Mrs. Linde had to marry a wealthy man and leave Krogstad. Now her husband is dead, her mother has also passed away, and her brothers are grown up. Therefore, she has no ties left. She tells Krogstad that if he wishes, they can start a new life together. Krogstad is overjoyed by this proposal. However, Mrs. Linde insists that Torvald must learn Nora’s secret. So she decides to let the letter remain in the letterbox. Krogstad agrees to this decision and promises that no matter what happens with Nora and Torvald, he will stand by Mrs. Linde.

Torvald’s Anger and Krogstad’s Letter of Forgiveness: Nora Helmer and Torvald Helmer return home from the party. Torvald opens the letterbox and takes out the letters. First, he finds Dr. Rank’s visiting card. On the card is a black cross, which clearly signifies that Dr. Rank will soon die. Then Torvald reads the letter written by Krogstad. It reveals Nora’s loan and the forgery of her father’s signature. After reading this, Torvald becomes furious. He calls Nora a liar and an irresponsible wife. He declares that Nora will no longer be allowed to raise the children because she is unfit to be a mother. This cruel blow shatters Nora. Just then, Helen brings another letter. This one is also from Krogstad. In it, he states that he is withdrawing all accusations against Nora and is returning the bond.

Actually, after receiving Mrs. Linde’s proposal, Krogstad begins to see a new ray of hope. He no longer feels the need to live with inferiority or take revenge. He realizes that love and family are far more valuable than vengeance. The bond was the legal document on which Nora Helmer had signed to borrow money from Krogstad. When Torvald Helmer reads Krogstad’s second letter, he understands that there are no more accusations against Nora and that the bond has been returned. This news overwhelms Torvald with joy. Immediately, he tells Nora that everything will return to the way it was before. In his eyes, this is freedom; the problem is solved, so their married life will once again be normal.

Nora’s Farewell and Declaration of Independence: But this time, Nora speaks in a calm and firm voice. She says that Torvald never truly loved her. Instead, throughout their eight years of marriage, he has always treated her like a “doll.” Nora explains that just as in her father’s house, she was like a doll, so too in Torvald’s house she has lived like one. Torvald never acknowledged her as an independent human being. Her wishes, opinions, and feelings were never valued. Nora clearly states that although they were husband and wife, they never truly knew each other. This realization shakes her deeply. Therefore, she decides that she will no longer live like a doll. She will leave her husband and children to search for her own freedom, identity, and dignity. Her departure is not just a rebellion against Torvald but also a historic declaration of a woman’s self-respect and independent existence.

Torvald Helmer tries hard to stop her. He says that for the sake of the children, Nora should stay. But Nora firmly declares that her first duty now is to herself. She must first discover her identity, freedom, and self-respect as a human being. Nora says that she can no longer live in a “doll’s house.” Then she walks out through the door. In the very last stage direction of the play, it is written, Nora closes the door behind her, and the sound of that door becomes the symbol of the play’s ending.