A Doll House () is an 1879 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. Written one year after The Pillars of Society, the play was the first of Ibsen's to create a sensation and is now perhaps his most famous play, and required reading in many secondary schools and universities. The play was controversial when first published, as it is sharply critical of 19th century marriage norms. It follows the formula of well-made play up until the final act, when it breaks convention by ending with a discussion, not an unravelling. It is often called the first true feminist play, although Ibsen denied this. The play is also an important work of the naturalist movement, in which real events and situations are depicted on stage in a departure from previous forms such as romanticism.

Plot summary

Characters

• Nora Helmer: wife of Torvald, mother of three, living out the ideal of the 19th century wife, but leaves her family at the end of the play.
• Torvald Helmer: Nora's husband, a newly promoted banker, suffocates but professes to be enamoured with his wife.
• Dr. Rank: Wealthy family friend, who is secretly in love with Nora. He is terminally ill, and it is implied that his "tuberculosis of the spine" originates from a venereal disease contracted by his father who had syphilis
• Kristine Linde: Nora's old school friend, widowed, seeking employment
• Nils Krogstad: Employee at Torvald's bank, single father, pushed to desperation. A supposed scoundrel, he is revealed to be a long-lost lover of Kristine.
• The children (Ivar, Bobby and Emmy)
• Anne Marie: Nora's old nanny, now cares for the children.
• Helene: The Helmers' maid.
• The Porter: Delivers a Christmas tree to the Helmer household at the beginning of the play.