A Doll's House Quotes

Themes covered- gender, appearances, concealment, morality, familial obligations

==*'my little...'*==

Helmer Act One

(Gender)

'my little… 'lark' 'songbird' 'squander-bird' 'squirrel'

==*'...how like...'*==

Helmer Act One

(Gender)

'O Nora, how like a woman!'

==*'…tired…pretty eyes &…'*==

Helmer Act One

(Gender)

'you don't have to tire your pretty eyes and delicate little hands'

==*'…proud...man…completely wreck'*==

Helmer Act One

(Gender)

‘he’s so proud of being a man’ if he knew about the loan it would ‘completely wreck our relationship’

==*'How on earth... influence'*==

Nora Act One

(Gender)

'How on earth could you imagine that I would have any influence over my husband?'

==*‘…can’t get…’*==

Nora Act One

(Gender)

‘I cant get anywhere without your help’

==*‘ship-…survival’*==

Mrs Linde Act Three

(Gender, love)

‘two ship-wrecked souls… better chance of survival together’

==*‘mine…x3’ (follows)*==

Helmer Act Three

(Gender)

‘mine, mine alone, all mine’ (follows her)

==*‘you’re… mistress’ /…’bride… /trembling…’*==

Helmer Act Three

(Gender)

‘you’re my secret little mistress’ ‘young bride’ who is ‘trembling and beautiful’

==*‘Don’t want?…husband?’*==

Helmer Act Three

(Gender- marriage)

‘Don’t want? Don’t want? Aren’t I your husband?'

==*‘she…property…double sense… not only…’*==

Helmer Act Three

(Gender- marriage)

‘she has become his property in a double sense… she is not only his wife but also his child’

%%*‘sacred duties… towards yours’*%% *Helmer*

==‘*my…myself’*== Nora Act Three

(Gender, marriage, familial obligations)

‘sacred duties… duties towards your husband and children’

‘My duty towards myself’

==*‘lean… counsel’*==

Helmer to Nora Act Three

(Gender)

‘Just lean on me I will counsel you’

==*‘first and*== %%*foremost…’*%% Helmer

==*‘…human…like’*== Nora Act Three

(Gender, marriage, familial obligations)

‘First and foremost you are a wife and mother’

‘I am first and foremost a human being, like you’

==*‘…true man.. feminine… doubly…’*==

Helmer to Nora Act Three

(Gender)

‘I would not be a true man if your feminine helplessness did not make you doubly attractive in my eyes’

==*‘…is slammed…’*==

Nora (stage directions) Act Three

(Gender, freedom)

The street door is slammed shut downstairs

*(…maca*^^*roons…)*^^

Nora Act One

(Maintaining appearances, concealment)

(hiding the bag of macaroons)

*‘heaps… Oh God’*

Nora Act One

(Maintaining appearances)

‘heaps and heaps’ ‘Oh God oh God’

*‘dance.. dre*==*ss… fool’*==

Nora Act One

(Maintaining Apperances, Gender)

‘dance and dress up and play the fool for him’

*‘couldn’t…decide… go as… ought to….?’*

Nora Act One

(Maintaining Appearances)

‘couldn’t you help me decide what I shall go as and what kind of costume I ought to wear?’

*‘he must we*@@*ar a mask…presence…’*@@

Helmer about Korgstad Act One

(Maintaining Appearances, morality)

‘he must wear a mask even in the presence of those who are dearest to him’

*(…Christmas tree… stripped)*

Stage Directions Act Two

(Maintaining Appearances)

(The Christmas tree stands, stripped and dishevelled)

*‘hates… ugly’*

Rank about Helmer Act Two

(Maintaining Appearances)

‘he hates anything ugly’

*‘…dare… risk’*

Krogstad about Helmer Act Two

(Maintaining Appearances)

‘He wont dare risk a scandal’

*‘his suffering loneliness… dark background… sunlight…’*

Helmer about Rank Act Two

(Maintaining Appearances)

‘his suffering and loneliness seemed to provide a kind of dark background to the happy sunlight of our marriage’

*(…dance*==*s more…)*==

Nora’s tarantella Act Two

(Maintaining Appearances, Gender)

Nora dances more and more wildly

*‘happy and…’*

Rank about N + H’s home

(Maintaining Appearances)

‘happy and peaceful’

*‘…worth looking*==*…? Isn’t…?’*==

Helmer to Mrs Linde about Nora Act Three

(Maintaining Appearances, Gender)

‘Isn’t she worth looking at?’ ‘Isn’t she beautiful

*‘…bore…is’*

Helmer about Mrs Linde Act Three

(Maintaining Appearances)

‘dreadful bore that woman is’

*(takes off…) (in everyday…) ‘Yes Torvald…’*

Nora Act Three

(Maintaining Appearances)

(takes off fancy dress)

(in everyday dress)

‘Yes Torvald I have changed’

@@*‘…in …blood… hereditary…’*@@

Helmer to Nora Act One

(Morality, inherited sickness)

‘it’s in your blood… these things are hereditary’

@@*‘moral cripple…’*@@

Helmer about Krogstad Act One

(Morality)

‘moral cripple… crippled all right: morally twisted’

@@*‘poisoning… with his lies…’*@@

Helmer about Krogstad Act One

(Morality)

‘poisoning his children with his lies and pretences’

@@*‘… all young criminals… mothers… liars’*@@

Helmer Act One

(Morality inherited)

‘nearly all young criminals and children of mothers who are constitutional liars’

@@*‘corrupt… poison’*@@

Nora Act One

(Morality)

‘Corrupt my children! Poison my home!’

@@*‘his father…frightful… kept mistresses’ … ’Rank… sickly… was child’*@@

Helmer about Rank Act One

(Morality)

‘his father was a frightful creature who kept mistresses… as a result Dr Rank has been a sickly child ever since he was a child’

@@*‘all you father’s… handed on…’*@@

Helmer to Nora Act Three

(Morality, inherited traits)

‘all your father’s recklessness and instability has been handed on to you’

\

@@*‘…know… religion means’ ‘… can’t accept…laws’*@@

Nora to Helmer Act Three

(Morality)

‘I don’t really know what religion means’ ‘I can’t accept that such laws can be right’

%%*‘not even… sorrow’*%%

Mrs Linde about death of husband Act One

(Familial obligations)

‘not even a feeling of loss or sorrow’

%%*‘no one…’*%%

Mrs Linde Act One

(Familial obligations)

‘no one to live for’

%%*‘…foolish… save…?’*%%

Nora Act One

(Familial obligations, sacrifice)

‘is it foolish to save one’s husband’s life?’

%%*‘…their sake… respectability…’*%%

Krogstad Act One

(Familial obligations)

‘for their sake I must try to regain what respectability I can’

%%*‘hasn’t… the right… save…’*%%

Nora Act One

(Familial obligations, sacrifice)

‘hasn’t a wife the right to save her husband’s life?’

%%*‘miracle of…’*%%

Nora Act Two & Helmer Act Three

(Familial obligations, sacrifice)

‘miracle of miracles’ N

‘miracle of miracles?’ H

%%*‘terrible.. threaten… offer…sake’*%%

Helmer to Nora Act Three

(Familial obligations, sacrifice)

wishes ‘a terrible danger might threaten you so I could offer… everything for your sake’

%%*‘Yes… beginning…’ ‘…don’t believe…’*%%

Nora to Helmer Act Three

(Sacrifice)

‘Yes. Now I’m beginning to understand’ ‘I don’t believe in miracles any longer’

%%‘gone…free’%% Nora

%%*‘assist… slightest’*%% Helmer Act Three

(Familial obligations, sacrifice)

‘When I am gone from this world you will be free’

‘wouldn’t assist me in the slightest’

%%*‘no man… sacrifice…even…’*%% Helmer

==*‘millions…’*== Nora Act Three

(Sacrifice, Gender)

‘no man can be exepected to sacrifice his honour, even for the person he loves’

‘millions of women have done it’

^^*‘Hide… tree’*^^

Nora Act One

(Concealment)

‘Hide the Christmas tree carefully’

^^*‘no… certainly… promise’*^^

Nora to Helmer Act One

(Concealment, secrecy)

‘no… Certainly not… Torvald I promise you’

^^*‘…mustnt…’*^^

Nora about Helmer Act One

(Concealment, secrecy)

‘he mustn’t know’ (about the loan)

^^*‘…anyone been…?’*^^ Helmer

‘…no’ Nora Act One

(Concealment)

‘Has anyone been here?’

‘Here? No.’

^^*‘unhappy… revealed’*^^

Mrs Linde to Krogstad about Nora Act Three

(Concealment)

‘This unhappy secret of Nora must be revealed’

^^*‘must not… letter’*^^

Mrs Linde to Krogstad Act Three

(Secrecy)

‘No Nils you must not ask for that letter back’