A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen

Study Guide/AP English Literature & Composition

 

Examples of self-awareness:

 

 

Find examples where the character recognizes or understands something important about him/herself. For each example, explain whether or not you think the character’s “revelation” is honest or ironic.

Helmer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nora

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mrs. Linde

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Rank

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Men’s and Women’s Roles:

In 2003, men’s and women’s social and family roles are far more blurred than they were in Ibsen’s day. Find instances in the play where characters reveal their beliefs about what men and women should be or how they should act/behave. Then, for each example, write your reaction to the idea.

 

Example of role

My reaction

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Developing characters:

 

Nora and her husband Torvald have both contributed to the fact that their home is a Doll House. Each also has a chance to make it something less, to make their marriage more a shared experience. Track the changes each experiences in their character development.

 

 

Nora

Helmer

How does this character behave toward the other in the beginning of the play?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In what ways does this character contribute to the Doll House?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is this character’s opportunity for positive change?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How does this character change positively or how does this character fail to change?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Personal Response:

Choose one of the following to respond to. Use textual evidence to support your claims.

 

  • Which character do you most sympathize with and why?

  • Which character would most easily fit into contemporary society and why?

  • If you were Nora, how would you have behaved differently and why?

  • If you were Torvald, how would you have behaved differently and why?

  • What didn’t happen in the play that you were expecting to happen? Why do you think the play evolved differently than you expected it to?

 

 

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