A Doll's House: English
What is a universal theme?
a message about the human condition that people, regardless of differences, understand on a personal level
Read the excerpt from act 3 of A Doll's House. Nora: Alas, Torvald, you are not the man to educate me into being a proper wife for you. Helmer: And you can say that! Nora: And I—how am I fitted to bring up the children? Helmer: Nora! Nora: Didn't you say so yourself a little while ago—that you dare not trust me to bring them up? Helmer: In a moment of anger! Why do you pay any heed to that? Nora: Indeed, you were perfectly right. I am not fit for the task. There is another task I must undertake first. I must try and educate myself—you are not the man to help me in that. I must do that for myself. And that is why I am going to leave you now. How does Nora's character develop the theme that taking ownership of your own life is sometimes necessary?
Nora decides that her decisions to be a wife and raise children were wrong, so she is leaving in order to educate herself properly.
Read the passage from A Doll's House. Helmer: What are little people called that are always wasting money? Nora: Spendthrifts—I know. Let us do as you suggest, Torvald, and then I shall have time to think what I am most in want of. That is a very sensible plan, isn't it? Helmer: [smiling] Indeed it is—that is to say, if you were really to save out of the money I give you, and then really buy something for yourself. But if you spend it all on the housekeeping and any number of unnecessary things, then I merely have to pay up again. Nora: Oh but, Torvald— Helmer: You can't deny it, my dear little Nora. [Puts his arm round her waist.] It's a sweet little spendthrift, but she uses up a deal of money. One would hardly believe how expensive such little persons are! Nora: It's a shame to say that. I do really save all I can. Helmer: [laughing] That's very true,—all you can. But you can't save anything! Nora: [smiling quietly and happily] You haven't any idea how many expenses we skylarks and squirrels have, Torvald. Based on this passage, which statement is the best inference about Torvald's character?
He loves his wife, but he treats her like a child rather than an adult.
Read the excerpt from act 2 of A Doll's House. Nora: You must not think of anything but me, either today or tomorrow; you mustn't open a single letter—not even open the letter-box— Helmer: Ah, you are still afraid of that fellow— Nora: Yes, indeed I am. Helmer: Nora, I can tell from your looks that there is a letter from him lying there. Nora: I don't know; I think there is; but you must not read anything of that kind now. Nothing horrid must come between us until this is all over. Rank: [whispers to HELMER] You mustn't contradict her. Helmer: [taking her in his arms] The child shall have her way. But tomorrow night, after you have danced— Nora: Then you will be free. [The MAID appears in the doorway to the right.] Maid: Dinner is served, ma'am. Nora: We will have champagne, Helen. Maid: Very good, ma'am. [Exit.] Helmer: Hullo!—are we going to have a banquet? Nora: Yes, a champagne banquet until the small hours. [Calls out.] And a few macaroons, Helen—lots, just for once! Helmer: Come, come, don't be so wild and nervous. Be my own little skylark, as you used. Nora: Yes, dear, I will. But go in now and you too, Doctor Rank. Christine, you must help me to do up my hair. Rank: [whispers to HELMER as they go out] I suppose there is nothing—she is not expecting anything? Helmer: Far from it, my dear fellow; it is simply nothing more than this childish nervousness I was telling you of. [They go into the right-hand room.] Nora: Well? Mrs. Linde: Gone out of town. Nora: I could tell from your face. Mrs. Linde: He is coming home tomorrow evening. I wrote a note for him. Nora: You should have let it alone; you must prevent nothing. After all, it is splendid to be waiting for a wonderful thing to happen. Mrs. Linde: What is it that you are waiting for? Nora: Oh, you wouldn't understand. Go in to them, I will come in a moment. [MRS. LINDE goes into the dining-room. NORA stands still for a little while, as if to compose herself. Then she looks at her watch.] Five o'clock. Seven hours until midnight; and then four-and-twenty hours until the next midnight. Then the Tarantella will be over. Twenty-four and seven? Thirty-one hours to live. Helmer: [from the doorway on the right] Where's my little skylark? Nora: [going to him with her arms outstretched] Here she is! What evidence from the text supports the prediction that Helmer will learn the contents of the letter? Select three options.
Helmer knows that there is a piece of mail from Krogstad in the box. Helmer thinks that Nora is nervous and dismisses her pleas about the mail. Mrs. Linde fails to find Krogstad so he can take back the piece of mail.
Read the excerpt from act 2 of A Doll's House. Nurse: What, out again? In this horrible weather? You will catch cold, ma'am, and make yourself ill. Nora: Well, worse than that might happen. How are the children? Nurse: The poor little souls are playing with their Christmas presents, but— Nora: Do they ask much for me? Nurse: You see, they are so accustomed to have their mamma with them. Nora: Yes, but, nurse, I shall not be able to be so much with them now as I was before. Nurse: Oh well, young children easily get accustomed to anything. Nora: Do you think so? Do you think they would forget their mother if she went away altogether? Nurse: Good heavens!—went away altogether? How does the interaction between the nurse and Nora advance the plot?
It demonstrates that Nora is considering leaving her children.
Read the excerpt from act 3 of A Doll's House. Helmer: You have no idea what a true man's heart is like, Nora. There is something so indescribably sweet and satisfying, to a man, in the knowledge that he has forgiven his wife—forgiven her freely, and with all his heart. It seems as if that had made her, as it were, doubly his own; he has given her a new life, so to speak; and she has in a way become both wife and child to him. So you shall be for me after this, my little scared, helpless darling. Have no anxiety about anything, Nora; only be frank and open with me, and I will serve as will and conscience both to you—. What is this? Not gone to bed? Have you changed your things? Nora [in everyday dress]: Yes, Torvald, I have changed my things now. Which views from the late 1800s does this passage best support? Select two options.
Men often considered women to be their personal property. Society considered women to be lesser than men.
Read the excerpt from act 3 of A Doll's House. Krogstad: If it were as you say, why did you write to me as you did at the time? Mrs. Linde: I could do nothing else. As I had to break with you, it was my duty also to put an end to all that you felt for me. Krogstad [wringing his hands]. So that was it. And all this—only for the sake of money! Mrs. Linde: You must not forget that I had a helpless mother and two little brothers. We couldn't wait for you, Nils; your prospects seemed hopeless then. Which theme is best developed through the events described in this passage?
Monetary concerns can sometimes outweigh personal desires.
Read the excerpt from act 2 of A Doll's House. Mrs. Linde: When you introduced him to me yesterday, he declared he had often heard my name mentioned in this house; but afterwards I noticed that your husband hadn't the slightest idea who I was. So how could Doctor Rank—? Nora: That is quite right, Christine. Torvald is so absurdly fond of me that he wants me absolutely to himself, as he says. At first he used to seem almost jealous if I mentioned any of the dear folk at home, so naturally I gave up doing so. But I often talk about such things with Doctor Rank, because he likes hearing about them. Mrs. Linde: Listen to me, Nora. You are still very like a child in many things, and I am older than you in many ways and have a little more experience. Let me tell you this—you ought to make an end of it with Doctor Rank. What prediction does this excerpt best support?
Mrs. Linde will accuse Nora of having an affair.
Read the passage from A Doll's House. Mrs. Linde: Listen to me, Nora dear. Haven't you been a little bit imprudent? Nora: [sits up straight] Is it imprudent to save your husband's life? Mrs. Linde: It seems to me imprudent, without his knowledge, to— Nora: But it was absolutely necessary that he should not know! My goodness, can't you understand that? It was necessary he should have no idea what a dangerous condition he was in. It was to me that the doctors came and said that his life was in danger, and that the only thing to save him was to live in the south. Do you suppose I didn't try, first of all, to get what I wanted as if it were for myself? I told him how much I should love to travel abroad like other young wives; I tried tears and entreaties with him; I told him that he ought to remember the condition I was in, and that he ought to be kind and indulgent to me; I even hinted that he might raise a loan. That nearly made him angry, Christine. He said I was thoughtless, and that it was his duty as my husband not to indulge me in my whims and caprices—as I believe he called them. Very well, I thought, you must be saved—and that was how I came to devise a way out of the difficulty— Mrs. Linde: And did your husband never get to know from your father that the money had not come from him? Nora: No, never. Papa died just at that time. I had meant to let him into the secret and beg him never to reveal it. But he was so ill then—alas, there never was any need to tell him. Mrs. Linde: And since then have you never told your secret to your husband? Nora: Good Heavens, no! How could you think so? A man who has such strong opinions about these things! And besides, how painful and humiliating it would be for Torvald, with his manly independence, to know that he owed me anything! It would upset our mutual relations altogether; our beautiful happy home would no longer be what it is now. Which statement best compares Nora and Mrs. Linde's traits?
Nora believes that lying with good intentions is fine, while Mrs. Linde believes that lying to one's husband is wrong.
Read the excerpt from act 2 of A Doll's House. Nora: That letter is from Krogstad. Mrs. Linde: Nora—it was Krogstad who lent you the money! Nora: Yes, and now Torvald will know all about it. Mrs. Linde: Believe me, Nora, that's the best thing for both of you. Nora: You don't know all. I forged a name. Mrs. Linde: Good heavens—! Nora: I only want to say this to you, Christine—you must be my witness. Mrs. Linde: Your witness? What do you mean? What am I to—? Nora: If I should go out of my mind—and it might easily happen— Mrs. Linde: Nora! Nora: Or if anything else should happen to me—anything, for instance, that might prevent my being here— Mrs. Linde: Nora! Nora! you are quite out of your mind. Nora: And if it should happen that there were some one who wanted to take all the responsibility, all the blame, you understand— Mrs. Linde: Yes, yes—but how can you suppose—? Nora: Then you must be my witness, that it is not true, Christine. I am not out of my mind at all; I am in my right senses now, and I tell you no one else has known anything about it; I, and I alone, did the whole thing. Remember that. Which statement best describes the conflict?
Nora has forged her father's name on the loan she received from Krogstad, and he is threatening to expose her to Helmer.
Read the excerpt from act 2 of A Doll's House. Nora: [going up to HELMER] I have wanted you so much, Torvald dear. Helmer: Was that the dressmaker? Nora: No, it was Christine; she is helping me to put my dress in order. You will see I shall look quite smart. Helmer: Wasn't that a happy thought of mine, now? Nora: Splendid! But don't you think it is nice of me, too, to do as you wish? Helmer: Nice?—because you do as your husband wishes? Well, well, you little rogue, I am sure you did not mean it in that way. But I am not going to disturb you; you will want to be trying on your dress, I expect. Nora: I suppose you are going to work. Helmer: Yes. [Shows her a bundle of papers.] Look at that. I have just been into the bank. [Turns to go into his room.] Nora: Torvald. Helmer: Yes. Nora: If your little squirrel were to ask you for something very, very prettily—? Helmer: What then? Nora: Would you do it? Helmer: I should like to hear what it is, first. Nora: Your squirrel would run about and do all her tricks if you would be nice, and do what she wants. Helmer: Speak plainly. Nora: Your skylark would chirp about in every room, with her song rising and falling— Helmer: Well, my skylark does that anyhow. Nora: I would play the fairy and dance for you in the moonlight, Torvald. What prediction does this excerpt best support?
Nora is going to beg Helmer to let Krogstad keep his job.
Read the excerpt from act 2 of A Doll's House. Rank: And what other nice things am I to be allowed to see? Nora: Not a single thing more, for being so naughty. [She looks among the things, humming to herself.] Rank: [after a short silence] When I am sitting here, talking to you as intimately as this, I cannot imagine for a moment what would have become of me if I had never come into this house. Nora: [smiling] I believe you do feel thoroughly at home with us. Rank: [in a lower voice, looking straight in front of him] And to be obliged to leave it all— Nora: Nonsense, you are not going to leave it. Rank: [as before] And not be able to leave behind one the slightest token of one's gratitude, scarcely even a fleeting regret—nothing but an empty place which the first comer can fill as well as any other. Nora: And if I asked you now for a—? No! Rank: For what? Nora: For a big proof of your friendship— Rank: Yes, yes! Nora: I mean a tremendously big favour— Rank: Would you really make me so happy for once? Nora: Ah, but you don't know what it is yet. Rank: No—but tell me. Nora: I really can't, Doctor Rank. It is something out of all reason; it means advice, and help, and a favour— Rank: The bigger a thing it is the better. I can't conceive what it is you mean. Do tell me. Haven't I your confidence? Nora: More than anyone else. I know you are my truest and best friend, and so I will tell you what it is. Well, Doctor Rank, it is something you must help me to prevent. You know how devotedly, how inexpressibly deeply Torvald loves me; he would never for a moment hesitate to give his life for me. What does the audience know that Doctor Rank does not?
Nora is manipulating Doctor Rank for a favor.
Read the excerpt from act 2 of A Doll's House. Mrs. Linde: Listen to me, Nora. You are still very like a child in many things, and I am older than you in many ways and have a little more experience. Let me tell you this—you ought to make an end of it with Doctor Rank. Nora: What ought I to make an end of? Mrs. Linde: Of two things, I think. Yesterday you talked some nonsense about a rich admirer who was to leave you money— Nora: An admirer who doesn't exist, unfortunately! But what then? Mrs. Linde: Is Doctor Rank a man of means? Nora: Yes, he is. Mrs. Linde: And has no one to provide for? Nora: No, no one; but— Mrs. Linde: And comes here everyday? Nora: Yes, I told you so. Mrs. Linde: But how can this well-bred man be so tactless? Nora: I don't understand you at all. Mrs. Linde: Don't prevaricate, Nora. Do you suppose I don't guess who lent you the two hundred and fifty pounds? What is the dramatic irony in this passage?
The audience knows that Krogstad loaned Nora money, but Mrs. Linde does not know this.
Read the excerpt from act 2 of A Doll's House. Rank: Let me play for her. Helmer [getting up]. Yes, do. I can correct her better then. [RANK sits down at the piano and plays. NORA dances more and more wildly. HELMER has taken up a position beside the stove, and during her dance gives her frequent instructions. She does not seem to hear him; her hair comes down and falls over her shoulders; she pays no attention to it, but goes on dancing. Enter MRS. LINDE:] Mrs. Linde: [standing as if spell-bound in the doorway] Oh!— Nora: [as she dances] Such fun, Christine! Helmer: My dear darling Nora, you are dancing as if your life depended on it. Nora: So it does. Helmer: Stop, Rank; this is sheer madness. Stop, I tell you! [RANK stops playing, and NORA suddenly stands still. HELMER goes up to her.] I could never have believed it. You have forgotten everything I taught you. Nora: [throwing away the tambourine]. There, you see. Helmer: You will want a lot of coaching. Nora: Yes, you see how much I need it. You must coach me up to the last minute. Promise me that, Torvald! Helmer: You can depend on me. Which statement best describes the dramatic irony in this passage?
The audience knows that Nora is intentionally failing to dance correctly, but Helmer does not.
One topic of a story is innocence. Which statements are universal themes associated with this topic? Select three options.
The loss of innocence is a result of gaining experience and making mistakes. Protecting the innocence of others prevents them from taking risks in their lives. The path from innocence to experience can be long and difficult.
Read the excerpt from act 2 of A Doll's House. Nora: [putting her arms round her neck] Dear old Anne, you were a good mother to me when I was little. Nurse: Little Nora, poor dear, had no other mother but me. Nora: And if my little ones had no other mother, I am sure you would—What nonsense I am talking! [Opens the box.] Go in to them. Now I must—. You will see tomorrow how charming I shall look. How does Ibsen use dramatic irony to create the suspense in this passage?
The nurse does not know that Nora will leave her children, but the audience does.
Read the passage from A Doll's House. Nora: Good gracious, can't you understand? There was no old gentleman at all; it was only something that I used to sit here and imagine, when I couldn't think of any way of procuring money. But it's all the same now; the tiresome old person can stay where he is, as far as I am concerned; I don't care about him or his will either, for I am free from care now. [Jumps up.] My goodness, it's delightful to think of, Christine! Free from care! To be able to be free from care, quite free from care; to be able to play and romp with the children; to be able to keep the house beautifully and have everything just as Torvald likes it! And, think of it, soon the spring will come and the big blue sky! Perhaps we shall be able to take a little trip—perhaps I shall see the sea again! Oh, it's a wonderful thing to be alive and be happy. [A bell is heard in the hall.] How does the author use Nora to explore a social issue?
by exploring the benefits of living with no debt
Read the passage from A Doll's House. Nora: Speak low. Suppose Torvald were to hear! He mustn't on any account—no one in the world must know, Christine, except you. Mrs. Linde: But what is it? Nora: Come here. [Pulls her down on the sofa beside her.] Now I will show you that I too have something to be proud and glad of. It was I who saved Torvald's life. Mrs. Linde: "Saved"? How? Nora: I told you about our trip to Italy. Torvald would never have recovered if he had not gone there— Mrs. Linde: Yes, but your father gave you the necessary funds. Nora: [smiling] Yes, that is what Torvald and all the others think, but— Mrs. Linde: But— Nora: Papa didn't give us a shilling. It was I who procured the money. How does the author develop a social issue in this passage?
by introducing the conflict that Nora is proud of her accomplishment but has to keep it secret
Read the passage from A Doll's House. Helmer: That is like a woman! But seriously, Nora, you know what I think about that. No debt, no borrowing. There can be no freedom or beauty about a home life that depends on borrowing and debt. We two have kept bravely on the straight road so far, and we will go on the same way for the short time longer that there need be any struggle. Nora: [moving towards the stove]. As you please, Torvald. Helmer: [following her]. Come, come, my little skylark must not droop her wings. What is this! Is my little squirrel out of temper? [Taking out his purse.] Nora, what do you think I have got here? Nora: [turning around quickly]. Money! Helmer: There you are. [Gives her some money.] Do you think I don't know what a lot is wanted for housekeeping at Christmas-time? Nora: [counting]. Ten shillings—a pound—two pounds! Thank you, thank you, Torvald; that will keep me going for a long time. Helmer: Indeed it must. How does the author use the character of Torvald Helmer to explore a social issue?
by revealing attitudes related to spending and saving that many men held during the Victorian era
Read the passage from A Doll's House. Helmer: Nora! [Goes up to her and takes her playfully by the ear.] The same little featherhead! Suppose, now, that I borrowed fifty pounds today, and you spent it all in the Christmas week, and then on New Year's Eve a slate fell on my head and killed me, and— Nora: [putting her hands over his mouth]. Oh! don't say such horrid things. Helmer: Still, suppose that happened, —what then? Nora: If that were to happen, I don't suppose I should care whether I owed money or not. Helmer: Yes, but what about the people who had lent it? Nora: They? Who would bother about them? I should not know who they were. Helmer: That is like a woman! But seriously, Nora, you know what I think about that. No debt, no borrowing. There can be no freedom or beauty about a home life that depends on borrowing and debt. We two have kept bravely on the straight road so far, and we will go on the same way for the short time longer that there need be any struggle. Nora: [moving towards the stove]. As you please, Torvald. Helmer: [following her]. Come, come, my little skylark must not droop her wings. What is this! Is my little squirrel out of temper? [Taking out his purse.] Nora, what do you think I have got here? Which lines support the inference that Torvald sometimes treats Nora like a child? Select three options.
"The same little featherhead!" "That is like a woman!" "What is this! Is my little squirrel out of temper?"
Read the excerpt from act 3 of A Doll's House. Nora: And I—how am I fitted to bring up the children? Helmer: Nora! Nora: Didn't you say so yourself a little while ago—that you dare not trust me to bring them up? Helmer: In a moment of anger! Why do you pay any heed to that? Nora: Indeed, you were perfectly right. I am not fit for the task. There is another task I must undertake first. I must try and educate myself—you are not the man to help me in that. I must do that for myself. And that is why I am going to leave you now. Helmer [springing up]: What do you say? Nora: I must stand quite alone, if I am to understand myself and everything about me. It is for that reason that I cannot remain with you any longer. Which 1800s societal expectation does the excerpt most challenge?
(NOT) Women were obligated to share the same opinions as men.
Read the excerpt from act 3 of A Doll's House. Krogstad: But, tell me, wasn't it for that very purpose that you asked me to meet you here? Mrs. Linde: In my first moment of fright, it was. But twenty-four hours have elapsed since then, and in that time I have witnessed incredible things in this house. Helmer must know all about it. This unhappy secret must be disclosed; they must have a complete understanding between them, which is impossible with all this concealment and falsehood going on. Krogstad: Very well, if you will take the responsibility. But there is one thing I can do in any case, and I shall do it at once. What widely accepted archetype of the late 1800s does this text challenge?
(NOT) the woman as a caregiver
Read the excerpt from act 2 of A Doll's House. Helmer: Rank led me to expect a splendid transformation. Rank: [in the doorway] I understood so, but evidently I was mistaken. Nora: Yes, nobody is to have the chance of admiring me in my dress until tomorrow. Helmer: But, my dear Nora, you look so worn out. Have you been practising too much? Nora: No, I have not practised at all. Helmer: But you will need to— Nora: Yes, indeed I shall, Torvald. But I can't get on a bit without you to help me; I have absolutely forgotten the whole thing. Helmer: Oh, we will soon work it up again. Nora: Yes, help me, Torvald. Promise that you will! I am so nervous about it—all the people—. You must give yourself up to me entirely this evening. Not the tiniest bit of business—you mustn't even take a pen in your hand. Will you promise, Torvald dear? Helmer: I promise. This evening I will be wholly and absolutely at your service, you helpless little mortal. Ah, by the way, first of all I will just— [Goes towards the hall door.] Nora: What are you going to do there? Helmer: Only see if any letters have come. Nora: No, no! don't do that, Torvald! Helmer: Why not? Nora: Torvald, please don't. There is nothing there. How does Ibsen use dramatic irony to create suspense in this passage?
Nora tells Helmer that there are no letters in the box, while the audience knows that there is a letter from Krogstad.
Read the excerpt from act 3 of A Doll's House. Helmer [walking up and down]: He had so grown into our lives. I can't think of him as having gone out of them. He, with his sufferings and his loneliness, was like a cloudy background to our sunlit happiness. Well, perhaps it is best so. For him, anyway. [Standing still.] And perhaps for us too, Nora. We two are thrown quite upon each other now. [Puts his arms round her.] My darling wife, I don't feel as if I could hold you tight enough. Do you know, Nora, I have often wished that you might be threatened by some great danger, so that I might risk my life's blood, and everything, for your sake. What evidence from the passage best supports the theme that society placed expectations on men and women based on gender?
"I have often wished that you might be threatened by some great danger, so that I might risk my life's blood, and everything, for your sake."
Which elements of a play are considered technical elements? Select three options.
special effects scenery costumes
Read the passage from A Doll's House. Nora: And when she heard you had been appointed manager of the Bank—the news was telegraphed, you know—she travelled here as quick as she could. Torvald, I am sure you will be able to do something for Christine, for my sake, won't you? Helmer: Well, it is not altogether impossible. I presume you are a widow, Mrs. Linde? Mrs. Linde: Yes. Helmer: And have had some experience of book-keeping? Mrs. Linde: Yes, a fair amount. Helmer: Ah! well, it's very likely I may be able to find something for you— Nora: [clapping her hands] What did I tell you? What did I tell you? Helmer: You have just come at a fortunate moment, Mrs. Linde. Mrs. Linde: How am I to thank you? Helmer: There is no need. [Puts on his coat.] But today you must excuse me— Rank: Wait a minute; I will come with you. [Brings his fur coat from the hall and warms it at the fire.] Which element in this passage tells the reader who the characters are?
the speaker tags
Read the excerpt from act 3 of A Doll's House. Mrs. Linde [looking at her watch]: Not yet—and the time is nearly up. If only he does not—. [Listens again.] Ah, there he is. [Goes into the hall and opens the outer door carefully. Light footsteps are heard on the stairs. She whispers.] Come in. There is no one here. Krogstad [in the doorway]: I found a note from you at home. What does this mean? Mrs. Linde: It is absolutely necessary that I should have a talk with you. Krogstad: Really? And is it absolutely necessary that it should be here? Mrs. Linde: It is impossible where I live; there is no private entrance to my rooms. Come in; we are quite alone. The maid is asleep, and the Helmers are at the dance upstairs. Which statement best explains how the conventions of plot and setting contribute to the theme?
The use of letters and secret meetings develops the theme that hiding the truth will eventually lead to hardship.
Which descriptions are examples of archetypes? Select three options.
a recurring model for a setting that is accepted by most people a reflection of the traditions common throughout a society a character who is an embodiment of the human experience
Which elements of a play are considered literary elements? Select three options.
characters and dialogue setting and plot stage directions
What types of evidence support inferences about characters in a play? Select three options.
characters' thoughts and actions characters' appearances and ways of dressing characters' responses to other characters
