A Doll's House

Quote

Character

Act

“There’s a krone. No, keep the change.”

Nora

1

“Has my little featherbrain been out wasting money again?

Torvald

1

“Now, now, my little song-bird mustn’t be so crestfallen. Well? Is the squirrel sulking? [Taking out his wallet] Nora... guess what I have here!”

Torvald

1

“Look, here’s a new suit for Ivar, and a sword too. Here’s a horse and a trumpet for Bob; and here’s a doll and a doll’s bed for Emmy. They’re rather plain, but she’ll soon smash them to bits anyway.”

Nora

1

“I wish I’d inherited more of papa’s good qualities.”

Nora

1

“[wagging a finger at her] Surely your sweet tooth didn’t get the better of you in town today?”

Torvald

1

“Yes, with odds and ends of needlework – crochet and embroidery and so on.”

Nora

1

“I ran a little shop, then a small school, and anything else I could turn my hand to.”

Mrs Linde

1

“But of course I’m proud – and glad – to know that I was able to make Mother’s last days a little easier.”

Mrs Linde

1

“Because a wife can’t borrow without her husband’s consent.”

Mrs Linde

1

“Besides, Torvald has his pride – most men have – he’d be terribly hurt and humiliated if he thought he owed anything to me.”

Nora

1

“In business, you know, there are things called ‘quarterly payments’ and ‘instalments’, and they’re always dreadfully hard to meet, so you see, I’ve had to scrape together a little bit here and a little bit there, whenever I could.”

Nora

1

“So whenever Torvald gave me money for new dresses and things, I never spent more than half of it – I always bought the simplest, cheapest things.”

Nora

1

“Macaroons? Now, now! I thought they were forbidden here!”

Dr Rank

1

“The thing is, he’s afraid I shall spoil my teeth with them.”

Nora

1

“I take it that you’re a widow, Mrs Linde?”

Torvald

1

“Come along, Mrs Linde, this is no place for anyone but a mother!”

Torvald

1

“Hasn’t a wife the right to save her husband’s life?”

Nora

1

“Aha! My little obstinate one’s out of her depth and wants someone to rescue her?”

Torvald

1

“Nearly all young men who go to the bad have had lying mothers.”

Torvald

1

“I’ve often wondered, how did you ever have the heart to hand over your child to strangers?”

Nora

2

“... Torvald wants me to go as a Neapolitan fisher-girl and dance the tarantella that I learnt in Capri.”

Nora

2

“A man can straighten out these things so much better than a woman.”

Nora

2

“I’ll be a fairy and dance on a moonbeam for you, Torvald.”

Nora

2

“Now you must rehearse your tarantella – with the tambourine.”

Torvald

2

“When I lived at home, naturally I loved Papa best, but I always found it terribly amusing to slip into the servants’ hall because they always talked about such interesting things, and they never lectured me at all.”

Nora

2

“Slower – slower! / Nora: I can only do it this way. / Helmer: Not so violently Nora!”

Torvald and Nora

2

“Nora dances more and more wildly. Helmer, taking up a position by the stove, gives her frequent directions as she dances. She seems not to hear them, her hair comes down and falls over her shoulders, but she goes on dancing without taking any notice.”

Stage directions

2

“And some macaroons, Helena – lots and lots, just for once,”

Nora

2

“Was there anything to understand – except what was so obvious to the whole world: a heartless woman throwing a man over when someone richer turns up?”

Krogstad

3

“You mustn’t forget that my mother was quite helpless, and that I had two small brothers. We couldn’t wait for you, Nils.”

Mrs Linde

3

“It’s nothing but a woman’s exaggerated sense of nobility prompting her to sacrifice herself.”

Krogstad

3

“A key turns, and Helmer pulls Nora almost forcibly into the room.”

Stage directions

3

“You know, it’d be much better if you did embroidery.”

Torvald

3

“You know, Nora, I’ve often wished that you could be threatened by some imminent danger so that I could risk everything I had – even my life itself – to save you.”

Torvald

3