Facebook
Twitter
Linkedin
Whatsapp
Description
Table of contents
Biographical note
Excerpt
User Reviews
A Doll’s House is a famous three- act play written by Henrik Ibsen. Set in late 19th- century Norway, the play explores the themes of gender roles, societal expectations and personal freedom through the story of Nora Helmer, a seemingly contented housewife.
The play opens with Nora, a young wife and mother, living a seemingly idyllic life with her husband, Torvald. However, beneath the surface, Nora is harbouring a secret. She has taken out a loan to save Torvald’s life, forging her father’s signature to secure the funds. Nora’s actions were driven by her desire to protect her husband’s health, but they also highlight her insecurity and struggle for independence in a patriarchal society.
As the play unfolds, Nora’s secret is gradually revealed, leading to a series of dramatic confrontations and revelations. Nora’s friend, Kristine Linde, enters the scene, searching for employment and rekindling Nora’s desire for a meaningful life beyond her domestic role. Additionally, Krogstad, the man from whom Nora borrowed the money, uses her secret to manipulate her, threatening to expose her actions to Torvald.
Through the course of the play, Nora begins to question the societal norms and expectations placed upon her as a woman. She confronts her role as a doll-like figure in her marriage, designed to please and entertain her husband without any consideration for her own needs and desires. Nora comes to realize that she has never truly been treated as an equal partner by Torvald, who values appearances and societal standing over authentic emotional connections. In a climactic scene, Nora makes a bold decision to leave her husband and children, seeking self- discovery and personal freedom. This shocking conclusion sparked intense debate and controversy when the play was first performed, as it challenged traditional gender roles and societal norms of the time.
A Doll’s House remains a significant work of literature, as it explores themes that are still relevant today, including gender inequality, the importance of individuality and the struggle for personal freedom. It is a thought- provoking play that forces the audience to question societal expectations and the true nature of happiness and fulfillment.
A Doll’s House is a famous three- act play written by Henrik Ibsen. Set in late 19th- century Norway, the play explores the themes of gender roles, societal expectations and personal freedom through the story of Nora Helmer, a seemingly contented housewife.
The play opens with Nora, a young wife and mother, living a seemingly idyllic life with her husband, Torvald. However, beneath the surface, Nora is harbouring a secret. She has taken out a loan to save Torvald’s life, forging her father’s signature to secure the funds. Nora’s actions were driven by her desire to protect her husband’s health, but they also highlight her insecurity and struggle for independence in a patriarchal society.
As the play unfolds, Nora’s secret is gradually revealed, leading to a series of dramatic confrontations and revelations. Nora’s friend, Kristine Linde, enters the scene, searching for employment and rekindling Nora’s desire for a meaningful life beyond her domestic role. Additionally, Krogstad, the man from whom Nora borrowed the money, uses her secret to manipulate her, threatening to expose her actions to Torvald.
Through the course of the play, Nora begins to question the societal norms and expectations placed upon her as a woman. She confronts her role as a doll-like figure in her marriage, designed to please and entertain her husband without any consideration for her own needs and desires. Nora comes to realize that she has never truly been treated as an equal partner by Torvald, who values appearances and societal standing over authentic emotional connections. In a climactic scene, Nora makes a bold decision to leave her husband and children, seeking self- discovery and personal freedom. This shocking conclusion sparked intense debate and controversy when the play was first performed, as it challenged traditional gender roles and societal norms of the time.
A Doll’s House remains a significant work of literature, as it explores themes that are still relevant today, including gender inequality, the importance of individuality and the struggle for personal freedom. It is a thought- provoking play that forces the audience to question societal expectations and the true nature of happiness and fulfillment.
Henrik Johan Ibsen, as his full name goes, was born on 20 March 1828. He was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director of considerable repute. He has been regarded as one of the founders of modernism in theatre. Such was the impact of his writings that Ibsen is often referred to as ‘the father of realism’. The immense influence of his writing had made him quite a powerful literary figure of his times. Some of his major works can be cited as Brand, Peer Gynt, An Enemy of the People, Emperor and Galilean, A Doll’s House, Hedda Gabler, Ghosts, The Wild Duck, When We Dead Awaken, Rosmersholm and The Master Builder. All of these plays portray powerful, dynamic and challenging characters that continue to live in the minds of his audience.
Ibsen shares a stature just below Shakespeare when it comes to the frequency of plays being performed on stage among all dramatists that have lived. A Doll’s House was immensely popular and remained the most performed play across the world in 2006. Ibsen intended to use his talent in art to advocate social justice and women’s rights. It is precisely this quality of his that earned him the badge of being called the ‘father of Realism’.
Some prominent names in the literary history of playwrights and dramatists such as George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, Arthur Miller, Marguerite Yourcenar, James Joyce, Eugene O’Neill and Miroslav Krleža were veritably under the influence of Ibsen and his writings. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature three times in the years 1902, 1903 and 1904. After suffering from a series of strokes Ibsen died on 23 May 1906.
Books that Speak to us Across Time
Books have a magical and timeless appeal. They inform, educate and entertain us. We love and cherish the books we grow up with, and explore the fascinating world they present all through our lives.
Trove seeks to preserve the tradition of reading by publishing books from the past. It is a treasure chest of the most precious works across various genres. Our vision is to keep alive works that have stood the test of time and pass them on to the next generation of readers.
Readers can browse and purchase titles in the Trove collection, gleaned from the huge ocean of treasured writings in the public domain, and republished. What’s more, Trove books can be read on paper or screen as they are available in a variety of formats.
Trove goes to great lengths to recover and refurbish old content, so readers can discover them in all their glory. Some treasures are indeed found not in caves but between the covers of a book.
Also from Trove
1. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
2. Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw
3. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
4. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
5. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
6. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
7. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
8. A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man by James Joyce
9. The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
10. The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy
11. Moby Dick or The Whale by Melville Herman
12. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
13. Animal Farm by George Orwell
14. Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne
15. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
16. She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith
17. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
18. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
19. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
20. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
Visit us: www.trovebooks.in
Phone: +91-72002 58368
A Doll’s House
by Henrik Ibsen
Newgen Knowledge Works Offices
Chennai Pondicherry Pune Kottayam Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
Leipzig (Germany) Amsterdam (Netherlands) Stroud (UK) Texas (USA)
First published in 1879 by Dover Publications
This book has been inspired from the original version of A Doll’s House: a play first published in 1879, available in the public domain. Due care and diligence have been taken while bringing out this edition; neither the author nor the publishers of the book hold any responsibility for any mistake that may have inadvertently crept in. The publishers shall not be liable for any direct, consequential, or incidental damages arising out of the use of the book.
© Trove Books Edition, 2023
Paperback ISBN: 978-81-19316-94-6
eBook ISBN: 978-81-19316-90-8
WebPDF: 978-81-19316-96-0
Published by
Trove Books
Imprint of M/S Newgen KnowledgeWorks (P) Ltd
2/579, Singaravelan Street
Chinna Neelankarai
Chennai – 600 041
India
www.trovebooks.in
shop@trovebooks.in
Call: 91-72002 58368
About the Author
Henrik Johan Ibsen, as his full name goes, was born on 20 March 1828. He was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director of considerable repute. He has been regarded as one of the founders of modernism in theatre. Such was the impact of his writings that Ibsen is often referred to as ‘the father of realism’. The immense influence of his writing had made him quite a powerful literary figure of his times. Some of his major works can be cited as Brand, Peer Gynt, An Enemy of the People, Emperor and Galilean, A Doll’s House, Hedda Gabler, Ghosts, The Wild Duck, When We Dead Awaken, Rosmersholm and The Master Builder. All of these plays portray powerful, dynamic and challenging characters that continue to live in the minds of his audience.
Ibsen shares a stature just below Shakespeare when it comes to the frequency of plays being performed on stage among all dramatists that have lived. A Doll’s House was immensely popular and remained the most performed play across the world in 2006. Ibsen intended to use his talent in art to advocate social justice and women’s rights. It is precisely this quality of his that earned him the badge of being called the ‘father of Realism’.
Some prominent names in the literary history of playwrights and dramatists such as George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, Arthur Miller, Marguerite Yourcenar, James Joyce, Eugene O’Neill and Miroslav Krleža were veritably under the influence of Ibsen and his writings. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature three times in the years 1902, 1903 and 1904. After suffering from a series of strokes Ibsen died on 23 May 1906.
About the Book
A Doll’s House is a famous three-act play written by Henrik Ibsen. Set in late 19th-century Norway, the play explores the themes of gender roles, societal expectations and personal freedom through the story of Nora Helmer, a seemingly contented housewife.
The play opens with Nora, a young wife and mother, living a seemingly idyllic life with her husband, Torvald. However, beneath the surface, Nora is harbouring a secret. She has taken out a loan to save Torvald’s life, forging her father’s signature to secure the funds. Nora’s actions were driven by her desire to protect her husband’s health, but they also highlight her insecurity and struggle for independence in a patriarchal society.
As the play unfolds, Nora’s secret is gradually revealed, leading to a series of dramatic confrontations and revelations. Nora’s friend, Kristine Linde, enters the scene, searching for employment and rekindling Nora’s desire for a meaningful life beyond her domestic role. Additionally, Krogstad, the man from whom Nora borrowed the money, uses her secret to manipulate her, threatening to expose her actions to Torvald.
Through the course of the play, Nora begins to question the societal norms and expectations placed upon her as a woman. She confronts her role as a doll-like figure in her marriage, designed to please and entertain her husband without any consideration for her own needs and desires. Nora comes to realize that she has never truly been treated as an equal partner by Torvald, who values appearances and societal standing over authentic emotional connections. In a climactic scene, Nora makes a bold decision to leave her husband and children, seeking self-discovery and personal freedom. This shocking conclusion sparked intense debate and controversy when the play was first performed, as it challenged traditional gender roles and societal norms of the time.
A Doll’s House remains a significant work of literature, as it explores themes that are still relevant today, including gender inequality, the importance of individuality and the struggle for personal freedom. It is a thought-provoking play that forces the audience to question societal expectations and the true nature of happiness and fulfillment.
