Drama Terms
The author of a play is called a what?
playwright
This character chooses love over appearances/status and tries to change for the better.
Krogstad
What purchase did Nora make at the beginning of the play?
A Christmas tree and Christmas presents
Torvald and Nora are preparing the house for what at the beginning of the play?
Christmas
Give two pet names Torvald uses for Nora.
little lark
squirrel
sweet tooth
This type of drama shows the downfall or death of a hero or main character. In ancient Greek plays, the hero was a good person brought down by a flaw, or defect in character. These types of dramas emphasize human greatness.
Tragedy
To whom does Torvald compare to within the play?
Nora's Father
Why does Nora say they can spend money at the beginning of the play?
Torvald has a new salary and will soon be making lots of money
What reasons does Torvald give for really wanting to fire Krogstad?
Krogstad calls Torvald by his first name and it looks like Krogstad doesn't respect him.
Mrs. Linde and Torvald both call Nora a what?
A spendthrift
The playwright must write the [blank], or what the characters say to each other in conversation, so that the audience can understand how the play unfolds.
Dialogue
Who said, "I only feel my life unspeakably empty. No one to live for anymore"?
Mrs. Linde
What jobs does Nora do to earn money? (name at least two)
needlework, crocheting, embroidery, scribing
Nora flirts with Dr. Rank, showing him what?
Her silk stockings
Who is the playwright of A Doll's House?
Henrik Ibsen
This is the practice of putting on the play. Some of the details may be included within the script, but the director and the producer take what the playwright has described and bring it to life with their own ideas.
Stage Directions
Which character complains that society is being turned into a "sick house"?
Dr. Rank
What happened to Torvald that made the Helmers need money?
He became sick and they needed money to travel to Italy so he could get better.
What does Nora say/consider to be the greatest miracle? (what needs to happen for this to be considered the greatest miracle)
Torvald and Nora having a normal marriage and an equal partnership
A literary movement that developed in the middle of the 19th century in France and then spread like wildfire throughout the rest of Europe, all the way to Russia, and then overseas to the US, is all about portraying real life. These types of writers write about regular folks—bored housewives, petty government officials, poor spinsters, poor teenagers—living ordinary lives.
Realism
Describe how a play is divided.
A play is largely divided up into parts or acts. Acts may be further divided into scenes.
Nora's former nanny, who gave up her own daughter to "strangers" when she became, as she says, the only mother Nora knew. She now cares for Nora's children.
Anne Marie
How has Nora been making her payments to Krogstad?
Buys cheaper clothes, pays with money from Torvald, copy job
What dance is Nora going to do at the party (act 3)?
The tarantella
Explain the historical setting of the play and how it applies to the characters.
The play went against the traditional roles of men and women in 19th-century marriage.