A Doll’s House - Explore Ibsen’s Presentation of Nora in the First Act of the Play

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properly. Ibsen highlights this by using sound and entrances. Just as Nora is imagining ‘being without a care in the world,’ the doorbell rings and Krogstad enters. This dramatic timing gives a sense of foreboding as well as showing Nora’s impractical nature. Finally, we lean that Nora is evasive, extremely good at lying and quick thinking. For example, when asking Dr Rank about Krogstad, she immediately corrects herself to say ‘this Mr Krogstad.’ This change in speech lack familiarity and ensures that no one will be able to suspect Nora’s private dealings with Krogstad.

Dr Rank is introduced as a comfortable and familiar figure in the household; however the effect he has on Nora is perhaps too comfortable. When Nora tells him she wants to say something ‘not very nice,’ he encourages her to say it even though he knows Torvald would not approve. This response not only shows the relationship between Nora and Dr Rank, but it also shows Nora streaks of mischief and boldness in Nora’s character. To add to this, Ibsen uses gesture to show Nora’s behaviour in front of Dr Rank as ‘she pops a macaroon into his mouth.’ This affectionate action hints at the fact that Nora perhaps does not have much interaction with the outside world and does not know what constitutes as appropriate or inappropriate behaviour.

Finally, another and perhaps even more surprising side of Nora’s character is presented to us through her interaction with her children. We can assume that an audience would hear the change in tone of Nora’s voice as her excitement builds when she sees her children. Ibsen uses numerous exclamation marks to show how happy she that they are here. At first, this seems like a standard motherly feeling, however as Ibsen explores her relationship with her children, we see that she is more of a friend than a mother. For example, movement is used to show Nora’s involvement in the game, ‘Nora hides under the table … she creeps out…’ To add to this, the sounds are also stated and Nora and her children become one sound source as they are ‘laughing and shrieking.’ This visual and aural picture of Nora interacting with the children almost shows them as equals and that Nora plays with them instead of raising them. This theory is further developed when Nora pleads the nanny to let her sort the children out but then ‘throws them down anywhere.’ This haphazard action shows that Nora does not have experience in looking after the children and does not even know trivial things such as where their hats and coats are kept. This adds to Nora’s lack of responsibility in her home, which she displays through her dialogue at the beginning of the act.

To conclude, Ibsen presents Nora through dialogue, sound, setting and gestures in the first act of the play. Nora is a very complex character but her characterisation mainly comes out when she interacts with various characters as each character brings out a different quality and so we learn more about Nora’s strengths and weaknesses as a person. For example, Torvald brings out Nora’s immaturity and lack of responsibility, while Dr Rank brings out the mischief in Nora’s personality.