Literary Devices in A Doll's House

In traditional Romantic dramas, soliloquies—speeches wherein characters reveal their inner thoughts out loud—were the primary way of offering insight into characters’ feelings and intentions. The “to be or not to be” speech in act III, Scene I of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, wherein Hamlet contemplates suicide, is a famous example of a soliloquy. Though Ibsen largely rejects traditional dramatic techniques in his works, he makes use of the soliloquy at the end of Act I and throughout the play to offer audiences the chance to see Nora’s inner thoughts and imagination at work.

The stage directions reveal Mrs. Linde’s emotional reaction to Krogstad’s entrance. Rather than joining the conversation and making her presence known, she turns to the window, effectively hiding her identity. To tremble is to shake involuntarily, typically due to fear or excitement. For a live audience, these actions would foreshadow Krogstad’s importance as a character.

This exchange about Doctor Rank adds realism to the dialogue while also introducing contextual information. Mrs. Linde has not been a part of the Helmers’ lives so this conversation provides an occasion for Nora to explain things that might otherwise seem obvious, such as the distinction that Doctor Rank is a family friend and not Torvald’s physician.

Notice the way that Ibsen characterizes the physical interactions between Nora and Torvald. Torvald seems to find Nora’s antics amusing, and he smiles and laughs at her. He also puts his arm around her waist, emphasizing her stature, both verbally and physically smaller than his own. On the other hand, Nora is characterized as nervous and subservient, speaking quickly, avoiding eye contact, and fidgeting.

This piece of foreshadowing further develops Torvald as a man who is out of touch with reality. Note how this line establishes Nora's secrets as gifts that will be "revealed" later in the play. This "reveal" is a classic construction in psychological dramas.

Note how Torvald's previous question about breaking rules sets the stage for his follow-up questions. His question about visiting the confectioner's and the next two about eating sweets are rules that Nora has broken, suggesting that she isn't even allowed to visit the confectioner's, let alone buy something.

Ibsen uses stage directions as a way to manipulate the dialogue, both affecting the tone (in making Nora seem distant) and inserting a natural pause (in Nora's first steps toward the stove). His stage directions distinguish him from classical and Elizabethan playwrights, who didn't primarily use them as characterization tools.

This early description of the house sets the tone for the rest of the play and introduces the financial circumstances of the Helmers: they live "comfortably" without being "extravagant" in their wealth. Ibsen also describes the house in extensive detail. This helps orient stage productions while also emphasizing the idea that the house is carefully arranged, much like a dollhouse.

Torvald's use of the word "recklessly" in the line above is meant in a disapproving way, but Nora picks up on the idea of being reckless as fun and childish. It is in her character to want to enjoy finer things, but this desire should indicate to the reader that money has been even tighter than the Helmers let on.