Plot events
What do Nora and Torvald bicker about in the beginning of the play?
Money
What do Nora's macaroons represent in Act 1?
Nora's disobedience and deceit
List three character traits of Krogstad
Deceitful, cruel, untrustworthy
In what year was "A Doll's House" published?
1879
What are some of the gender expectations that are placed on Nora?
List at least two
-Keep the house nice, take care of the kids, cater to husband's needs
Why is Mrs. Linde broke?
Her husband died and left her with no money
Death
What relationship did Mrs. Linde have with Krogstad in the past?
They had once been engaged.
What genre of literature is "A Doll's House"?
Drama
What are some of the gender expectations placed on Torvald?
List at least two
-Support the family financially, be tough,
What crime have both Nora and Krogstad committed?
What is the symbolism behind the door slamming at the end of Act 3?
Nora is "closing the door" on a chapter of her life in search of her own happiness.
What are three differences between Nora and Mrs. Linde?
1) Nora is wealthy, Mrs. Linde is not
2) Nora is married, Mrs. Linde's husband is deceased
3) Mrs. Linde grew up with many troubles, Nora grew up privileged
What is the significance of the title "A Doll's House"? How does this relate to the way Torvald treats Nora?
Torvald treats Nora like a child.
Why doesn't Nora want Torvald to open the letter from Krogstad in Act 2?
The letter will expose her secrets and lies to her husband?
At the end of Act 3, Nora compares herself to a doll. Why does she make this comparison? What is the symbolism here?
She is being "toyed" with by Torvald and is treated like a child or dress-up doll, rather than a grown adult.
Why does Nora begin wildly dancing the "tarantella" at the end of Act 2?
How does this dance portray a change in her character?
-She is letting loose and not following the rules
-She has always been confined to be a rule follower
At the time when "A Doll's House" was published, what was the role of women in society?
To cook, clean, tend to the house, and cater fully to their husbands.
Some may say that the word "deceitfulness" is a good word to describe the theme of this play. Describe an example in "A Doll's House" that supports that statement.
Nora is deceitful towards her husband, Krogstad is deceitful towards Nora.
What happens when Torvald finds out Nora has borrowed the money?
He calls her names, forbids her to see the children, and is only concerned about his own reputation.
What is the symbolism behind Nora wanting to rip her tarantella costume "in a million pieces"?
1) Nora is realizing that she no longer needs to be treated like a doll and dress up and wear costumes
2) Nora is now aware of the fakeness of her marriage. The costume represents a show-like front that Nora and Torvald put on for others.
Consider the character of Torvald. Is Torvald an antagonist? Or is Torvald just as much as a victim of 19th century societal norms as Nora?
(You must reference two examples from the text to support your answer in order to receive your points)
Answer is up to one's own opinion so long as that opinion is backed up by details from the text.
Why did Henrik Ibsen receive so much criticism for "A Doll's House?
It went against societal norms at the time and portrayed women with emotions, actions, and feelings that were not considered appropriate.
Describe how "A Doll's House" portrays the message that appearances can be false.
Reference a situation from the text to support your answer.
Nora and Torvald's marriage- appears great on the outside to people such as Mrs. Linde, however the marriage is actually falling apart.