A Doll's House: complete summary

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A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen


Main Characters:

  • Nora Helmer – A young, cheerful housewife
  • Torvald Helmer – Nora’s husband, a banker
  • Krogstad – A man who works at the bank
  • Mrs. Linde – Nora’s old friend
  • Dr. Rank – A friend of the Helmers, who is seriously ill

Act 1: Nora Helmer is a happy wife who loves her husband and children. Her husband, Torvald, is about to start a new job as a bank manager. He treats Nora like a little child or a doll, not as an equal. Nora has a secret—years ago, she took a loan to save Torvald’s life when he was sick. But she forged her father’s signature to get that money.

Now, the man who gave her the loan, Krogstad, works at Torvald’s bank. He is worried about losing his job and blackmails Nora—he says he will tell Torvald her secret if she doesn’t help him keep his job.

Act 2: Nora becomes very nervous. She tries to convince Torvald to let Krogstad keep his job, but Torvald refuses. He says Krogstad has a bad reputation and he doesn’t want to work with him.

Mrs. Linde, Nora’s old friend, comes to stay with the Helmers. She was once in love with Krogstad. Meanwhile, Dr. Rank, a family friend, secretly tells Nora he loves her, which makes her uncomfortable.

Nora fears that Krogstad will reveal her secret, and she thinks of running away or even worse.

Act 3: Mrs. Linde meets Krogstad and rekindles their old love. She tells him not to take back the letter he sent to Torvald, saying the truth must come out.

Torvald finally reads the letter and becomes very angry at Nora. He calls her a liar and says she has ruined his life. He does not care that she did it to save him.

Later, when Krogstad sends another letter saying he won’t tell anyone, Torvald calms down. But by then, Nora has understood the truth—Torvald does not truly love or respect her. He only cares about his reputation.

She decides to leave him and the children to find her own identity and live independently. It’s a shocking decision, but she feels it is the only way to grow as a person.

Main Themes:

  • Gender roles and marriage: The play questions traditional roles of husband and wife.
  • Freedom and identity: Nora wants to find out who she really is.
  • Truth and lies: Hiding the truth causes more pain in the long run.
  • Respect and love: Real love must come with mutual respect.


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