A Doll's House

Henrik Ibsen, Thornton Wilder

• Publisher: Theatre Communications Group
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781559365253
• eBook ISBN: 9781559368506
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: American Drama
• Index: Literature

"In [Wilder's] A Doll's House . . . the relationship of dialogue to action is very special, like nothing that had been heard on stage before."—David Hammond, PlayMakers Repertory Company

Not staged since its Broadway premiere starring Ruth Gordon in 1937, the first-ever publication of this adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's classic drama is revitalized through the shrewd lens of American drama master, Thornton Wilder. With his famous, clarifying dialogue, Wilder uproots this classic from Norway and funnels it through an American lens. The marriage of Ibsen's famed naturalistic style melds with Wilder's knack for emotional nuance to create a rich, demonstrative edition of the revered standard A Doll's House.

Henrik Ibsen has often been referred to as the father of realistic drama. The Norwegian playwright is best known for his major works Brand, Peer Gynt, Emperor and Galilean, A Doll's House, Ghosts, An Enemy of the People, The Wild Duck, Hedda Gabler, and The Master Builder.

Thornton Wilder was an accomplished novelist and playwright in the twentieth century. Two of his four major plays garnered Pulitzer Prizes, Our Town (1938) and The Skin of Our Teeth (1943). His play The Matchmaker was later adapted into the record-breaking musical Hello, Dolly! The Bridge of San Luis Rey, one of his seven novels, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1928, and his next-to-last novel, The Eighth Day received the National Book Award (1968). Our Town continues to be the most produced American play in the world.

Act One

The home of Thorwald Helmer, an honest member of the middle class, in Norway, late in the nineteenth century.

It is a pleasant warm, conventional, comfortable room, an adequate shelter for a wife, a growing reputation, and a pair of children. On stage left, double windows and a stove are guarantees against the northern cold. On stage right a glassed-in corridor leads from the outer door directly to Helmer’s study, passing other doors to the dining room and kitchen. In the rear wall are a pair of identical double doors, revealing, when they open, on the left, Nora’s room, with the nursery beyond; on the right, Helmer’s study.

The room is furnished, for its time, simply. There is a splendid square piano center, and above it hang pictures, collected variously during eight years of marriage and probably not too closely regarded now. The piano is flanked by walnut side-chairs, relatives of two matching sofas, downstage right, with a small low table between them. Double doors, stage right, open in the center of the glassed-in wall. Stage left there are two windows, opening on the street, one story below. Between them stands the great stove, symbol of the secure comfort of the house. There are pleasant lamps of the period on a small table up left of the piano. There are small side tables beside a deep chair left, and to the right of the two matching sofas. There is a larger oval, inlaid table, up right, with a hanging shelf of books above it. There is some, but not too much, bric-a-brac, and on the piano some books of old tunes.

It is winter, the day before Christmas; the afternoon light is dying, casting shadows on the floor, the room is empty. The doors to Helmer’s study are closed; at the left, half of the doors to Nora’s room are slightly ajar. There is a short loud peal on the doorbell to the flat, then another, longer one. After a moment the maid, Ellen, comes from her kitchen quarters, up left in the corridor, to open the door.

NORA (Out of sight at the door): Oh, thank you, Ellen. You’d better help me.

(Her arms loaded with packages gaily wrapped, Nora surrenders some of them to Ellen, shoves open the doors, stage left center, and sweeps into the room. Behind her is the Porter, a basket of more parcels in one hand, a toy horse under one arm, a Christmas tree in his only remaining hand.)

You bring that in here. How much?

PORTER: Oh, whatever you like, ma’am. A few pennies will do.

(He sets down the tree, Nora takes the basket, he leaves the horse on the sofa.)

NORA: Here!

(She gives him a coin, takes up a box of flowers and crosses to the piano bench with them. Ellen has set down some of the packages on the oval table. The Porter fumbles for change.)

Oh, no, keep the change. Merry Christmas!

PORTER: Thank you, ma’am. Merry Christmas to you.

(He exits, cap in hand, as Nora quickly undoes the flowers.)

ELLEN: Oh . . . flowers, too, ma’am!

NORA: Yes, Ellen, and so awfully expensive!

ELLEN: Well, they’ll need some water. I’ll go fetch a vase.

(She starts out for the kitchen.)

NORA: Yes, Ellen . . . hurry! Oh, are the children home yet?

ELLEN: No, ma’am. They’re still out with Anna.

NORA: Oh! Come and take the tree into the kitchen . . . they mustn’t see it until tonight.

(Ellen returns to the room. She picks up the tree, starts out with it.)

ELLEN: Yes, ma’am. I understand. Mr. Helmer’s got home already. He’s in his study.

(She exits with the tree, through the vestibule, into the kitchen.)

NORA: Oh . . .

(Nora listens an instant at Helmer’s door, begins to remove her gloves, coat and hat. She whistles a pleasant, gay little tune.)

HELMER (At his desk, inside the study, behind the doors): Is that you, Nora?

NORA (Pushing open the double doors to his study and hurrying up to his desk): Oh, Thorwald, I’m so glad you’re at home. Come here! Come see what I’ve bought. The most wonderful bargains!

HELMER: My dear, I wish you wouldn’t interrupt me.

NORA: Do come here!

(At this moment Ellen has come out of the kitchen with a vase, crossed the vestibule, and entered the room. Nora runs merrily out of the study, taking the vase.)

Oh, thank you, Ellen . . . give that to me.

(Ellen turns to exit, sees the toy horse, bravely standing on the sofa right.)

ELLEN: Well, well . . .

NORA (Already at the piano, arranging her flowers): Oh, yes, that’s a horse.

(Ellen smiles and exits to the kitchen.)

Do come here, Thorwald!

(Helmer, disturbed at his work, must perforce rise, and he now saunters into the living room.)

Darling, you should see the tree! It’s the most wonderful bargain.

HELMER (Surveying the litter of packages): You mean to say you’ve bought all these?

NORA: Oh, just a few little things. For the children . . . and Ellen and Anna . . . and Doctor Rank.

HELMER (He picks up one of the packages, then examines another): How many toys does it take to amuse these children?

NORA (Flies down, tak...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Preface
• Production History
• Characters
• Act One
• Act Two
• Act Three
• Appendix
• Afterword
• Note on Sources
• Press Quotes for A Doll’s House, 1937
• About the Author
• About the Translator