1. Before you read
A Doll’s House
Learn some history about the play, as well as
the reason some British words are used.

2. From reality to drama



The inspiration of A Doll’s House came from the
trials of Laura Petersen Kieler, whom Ibsen met in
1871 (Ibsen called her his “skylark.”
When Laura’s husband, a teacher, became ill with
tuberculosis, she secretly arranged a loan to pay
for the trip (a friend guaranteed it because women
couldn’t borrow money).
The friend could not pay off the loan, so Laura
tried to write a novel to make money. Ibsen said
the novel was not good, so Laura burned it.

3. The result of the forgery




When her husband discovered what Laura
had done, he demanded a separation from
her and called her an “unfit mother.”
Laura suffered a nervous breakdown and
was institutionalized.
After a month in an asylum, Laura begged
her husband to forgive her and take her
back, which he did.
In Rome, Ibsen heard of her plight and wrote
the play.

4. Notes Ibsen jotted down
while writing the play

“There are two kinds of moral laws,
two kinds of conscience, one for men
and one, quite different, for women.
They don’t understand each other,
but in practical life, woman is judged
by masculine law, as though she
weren’t a woman but a man.”
Remember this when you meet Nora.

5. Money terms are British




There were twenty (20) shillings per pound.
The shilling was subdivided into 12 pennies.
The penny was further subdivided into two
halfpennies or four farthings (quarter
pennies).
2 farthings = 1 halfpenny
2 halfpence = 1 penny (1d)
6 pence = 1 sixpence (a 'tanner') (6d)
12 pence = 1 shilling (a bob) (1s)
2 shillings and 6 pence = 1 half crown (2s 6d)
5 shillings = 1 crown (5s)

6. How much was money worth?





One pound in 1880 would be worth 75
pounds today ($150 U.S. dollars)
A crown would be $37.50 today
A shilling would then be $7.50 today
A penny would be almost 63 cents.
So, if Nora borrowed 250 pounds, what would
that be worth today in U.S. dollars?

7. Torvald Helmer is a barrister. What is that?


A barrister is a kind of lawyer. The other type of lawyer is mainly
a solicitor. Solicitors have more direct contact with the clients,
whereas barristers often only become involved in a case once
representation before a court is needed by the client. Barristers
are also engaged by solicitors to provide specialist advice on
points of law. Barristers are rarely instructed by clients directly.
Instead, the client's solicitors will instruct a barrister on behalf of
the client when appropriate.
The historical difference between the two professions is that
solicitors are attorneys, which means they can act in the place of
their client for legal purposes (as in signing contracts), and may
conduct litigation by making applications to the court. A barrister
is not an attorney and is usually forbidden, either by law or
professional rules or both, from conducting litigation.