A Doll's House

by Henrik Ibsen

my little lark

my little squirrel

Has my little spendthrift been wasting money again?

takes her playfully by the ear.)

There can be no freedom or beauty about a home life that depends on borrowing and debt.

my little skylark must not droop her wings.

you extravagant little person,

And I would not wish you to be anything but just what you are, my sweet little skylark.

Hasn’t Miss Sweet-Tooth been breaking rules in town today?

Nora, haven’t you learnt sense yet? In our schooldays you were a great spendthrift.

He was rich at that time, then?

I will broach the subject very cleverly—I will think of something that will please him very much. It will make me so happy to be of some use to you.

You are a child, Nora.

No, a wife cannot borrow without her husband’s consent.

how painful and humiliating it would be for Torvald, with his manly independence, to know that he owed me anything! It would upset our mutual relations altogether; our beautiful happy home would no longer be what it is now.

Many a time I was desperately tired; but all the same it was a tremendous pleasure to sit there working and earning money. It was like being a man.

My sweet little baby doll!

nice little dolly children.

Is a daughter not to be allowed to spare her dying father anxiety and care? Is a wife not to be allowed to save her husband’s life? I don’t know much about law; but I am certain that there must be laws permitting such things as that.

(Shakes his finger at her.) My little song-bird must never do that again. A song-bird must have a clean beak to chirp with—no false notes!

my obstinate little woman

Because such an atmosphere of lies infects and poisons the whole life of a home. Each breath the children take in such a house is full of the germs of evil.

Almost everyone who has gone to the bad early in life has had a deceitful mother.

my sweet little Nora

Torvald is so absurdly fond of me that he wants me absolutely to himself, as he says.

you little rogue,

If your little squirrel were to ask you for something very, very prettily—?

my skylark does that anyhow.

And it is just by interceding for him that you make it impossible for me to keep him.

Do you suppose I am going to make myself ridiculous before my whole staff, to let people think that I am a man to be swayed by all sorts of outside influence?

What are you saying? Narrow-minded? Do you think I am narrow-minded?

my own darling

frightened dove’s eyes!

Those who are gone are soon forgotten.

You are a riddle to me.

you see there are some people one loves best, and others whom one would almost always rather have as companions.

being with Torvald is a little like being with papa—

fine, spoilt lady

Nora, you are dancing as if your life depended on it.

So it does.

The child shall have her way.

it is simply nothing more than this childish nervousness I was telling you of.

Where’s my little skylark?

this sweet little person.

my charming little Capri maiden—my capricious little Capri maiden, I should say—on

Everything you do is quite right, Torvald.

Now my little skylark is speaking reasonably.

you fascinating, charming little darling!

my dearest treasure?—at

my shy little darling!