A Doll's House

By Henrik Ibsen

Book Overview

If I get run over tomorrow, how are you paying the Amex off?
If you get run over tomorrow, why should I care because I am flinging myself into the road after you.

Nora and Torvald's marriage vows are a binding contract, but when scandal threatens to wreck their lives, it's time to renegotiate the terms. Money, sex, power - this time nothing's off the table.

This new version by Critics' Circle Theatre Award winner Anya Reiss (Becoming Elizabeth; The Seagull) is a provocative drama about the lies we tell to keep things sweet at home.

This edition was published to coincide with the production at Almeida Theatre in spring 2026.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1350655139
• ISBN13: 9781350655133
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: Methuen Drama
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 0.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

A Dolls House

Classic tale of women's liberation. This book is a fabulous read and short enough for a young teen to grasp the concept. I would recommend this to any student.

Ladies Be Carefull

Ladies, if you're unhappy at home, this book is definately for you. Timeless, controversial, and very telling about the said plight of overly self-sacrificing women. It saddens me every time like the painful struggle of some sick child. Guys, think you have a good perspective of women? Read this book and find out. A must have for any strongly introspective individual, be it man or woman. Enjoy!

if you like plays

I had to read this play for a class and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The play was very interesting and had a lot that one could think about after reading. With a controversial ending (because of the time this play was written)I would recommend this for anyone to read, even more than once.

An intriguing 3-act play!

Major playwright, Norwegian Henrik Ibsen, was born in 1828 and wrote Doll House in 1879. It was performed in London 1889 and Paris 1894, Ibsen died in 1906. The twisting and advancing plot revolves around several themes, illusion in marriage, conflict with society, feminism, wealth, betrayal, family, and intrigue. The dramatic play is rich in symbolism, but the most profound is the title, A Doll House, which exemplifies the nature of the relationship that Nora and her husband Torvald have long since demonstrated; she is his little doll. Torvald portrays the "man" in control of finances and the home; he conducts his life the way society dictates. Nora is the sweet submissive wife who plays along with her husband dominant role, just as was the relationship with her father. Torvald 's endearments of Nora are belittling, "little squirrel", little spendthrift, little lark." But their illusional marriage takes a turn, Through a past incident for the love of her husband, Nora's secret is about to be divulged. Through that experience she no longer functions in submissive role and makes a grand stand. During this, Torvald is driven to a wimpering soul. The story is in three acts and each act reveals different character attitudes and Nora's fight and progression. The interesting story culminates with a dramatic twist.....MzRizz

A Portrait of Marriage in Ibsen's A Doll's House

The Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen subjects his writing to the intricacies of marriage time and time again. He seems to have an omniscient power and ability to observe the sacrament itself, along with the fictional characters whom he creates to engage in these marital affairs. Such is the case with his classic drama, A Doll's House. The play raises questions about female self-sacrifice in a male-dominated world. Nora is a "wife and child" to Torvald Helmer, and nothing more. She is his doll, a plaything on display to the world, of little intellectual value and even less utility in his life. Thus it is logical for Helmer to act so shockingly upon his discovery that Nora has managed financial affairs (typically a family responsibility reserved for the patriarch) without so much as his consent or knowledge. What, then, is the play saying about women by allowing Nora to act alone and independently, all the while allowing her to achieve little success in doing so? Such an apparent doubt by the playwright of the abilities of women is quickly redeemed by Nora's sudden mental fruition, as though she, in the course of a day or so, accomplishes the amount of growing up to which most persons devote years and years. She has developed the intuition and motivation to leave behind everything she has lived for during she and Helmer's eight years of marriage in exchange for an independent life and the much-sought virtue of independent thought. Nora suddenly wishes to be alone in the world, responsible for only her own well-being and success or failure. She is breaking free of her crutches (Helmer, her deceased father, the ill-obtained finances from Krogstad) and is now appetent to walk tall and proud. Through the marital madness of Helmer and Nora, Ibsen is questioning the roles of both husband and wife, and what happens when one person dominates such a relationship in a manner that is demeaning to the other, regardless of whether such degradation is carried out in a conscious, intended frame of mind. Ibsen is truly a master playwright, and his play A Doll's House is truly a masterpiece.