Dynamic Characters In Henrik Ibsen's A Doll House

A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen, is a play that has two main characters who are dynamic and multiple static characters that can be described as foil characters. The main characters are Nora and Torvald Helmer, who are married. Throughout the play Nora proves to be the protagonists with the way she is involved with the entire play. Her character is developed throughout the dialogue between; Dr. Rank, Mrs. Linde, and Nils Krogstad. These three characters provide dialogue with Nora to give the reader more information of her and the traits she has as an individual. Some of the traits that are discovered are her abilities to be independent and mature even though at face value may not seem possible at the beginning of this play. The character that is …show more content…
This role switch between Krogstad and Torvald is the very reason Torvald is the antagonist, although this role switch was not abrupt as you look back through the play Torvald shows his true colors from the beginning of the …show more content…
He gives her many pet names that belittle her and make Nora his ‘play toy’ where Nora’s feeling for Torvald are not returned, but the money Torvald makes fills this void. So in a sense Torvald is paying for Nora and not with her for their mutual happiness. The tone he talks to Nora in also shows how he feels of her an example of this is when Torvald talks about playtime being over and now it’s time for schooling (1213). Although this shouldn’t be taken literally, he talks as if she has playtime. Nora responds in saying, “Whose schooling-mine or the children’s?” (1213). At this point towards the end of the play Nora herself is even unsure if her husband is referring to her or the kids because of the tone and the language he uses when conversing with her. This is another building block showing Torvald’s true motives and how he behaves as the antagonist in A Doll