Ibsen A Doll's House Quotes

You have never loved me. You have only thought it pleasant to be in love with me.

You see, there are some people that one loves, and others that perhaps one would rather be with.

I must make up my mind which is right – society or I.

Helmer: I would gladly work night and day for you. Nora- bear sorrow and want for your sake. But no man would sacrifice his honor for the one he loves. Nora: It is a thing hundreds of thousands of women have done.

HELMER: But this is disgraceful. Is this the way you neglect your most sacred duties? NORA: What do you consider is my most sacred duty? HELMER: Do I have to tell you that? Isn't it your duty to your husband and children? NORA: I have another duty, just as sacred. HELMER: You can't have. What duty do you mean? NORA: My duty to myself.

I believe that before all else I am a reasonable human being, just as you are--or, at all events, that I must try and become one.

But no man would sacrifice his honor for the one he loves." "It is a thing hundreds of thousands of women have done.

NORA: I must stand on my own two feet if I'm to get to know myself and the world outside. That's why I can't stay here with you any longer.

Mrs LINDE: When you've sold yourself once for the sake of others, you don't do it second time.

With me you could have been another person.

I believe that before anything else I'm a human being -- just as much as you are... or at any rate I shall try to become one. I know quite well that most people would agree with you, Torvald, and that you have warrant for it in books; but I can't be satisfied any longer with what most people say, and with what's in books. I must think things out for myself and try to understand them.

When I lost you, it was as if all the solid ground dissolved from under my feet. Look at me; I'm a half-drowned man now, hanging onto a wreck.

Our home has been nothing but a playroom. I have been your doll-wife, just as at home I was papa's doll-child; and here the children have been my dolls.

I'm also like a half-drowned woman on a wreck. No one to suffer with; no one to care for.

I'll risk everything together with you.

There are people one loves and others one likes to talk to

Anyone who's sold herself for somebody else once isn't going to do it again.

How can I hold you close enough?

You arranged everything according to your own taste, and so I got the same tastes as you - or else I pretended to. I am really not quite sure which - I think sometimes the one and sometimes the other.

[From below comes the noise of a door slamming.]

I am afraid, Torvald, I do not exactly know what religion is. ... When I am away from all this, and am alone, I will look into that matter too. I will see if what the clergyman said is true, or at all events if it is true for me.

Nora: It's true Torvald. When I lived at home with Papa, he used to tell me his opinion about everything, and so I had the same opinion. If I thought differently, I had to hide it from him, or he wouldn't have liked it. He called me his little doll, and he used to play with me just as I played with my dolls. Then I came to live in your house - Helmer: That's no way to talk about our marriage! Nora [undisturbed]: I mean when I passed out of Papa's hands into yours. You arranged everything to suit your own tastes, and so I came to have the same tastes as yours.. or I pretended to. I'm not quite sure which.. perhaps it was a bit of both -- sometimes one and sometimes the other. Now that I come to look at it, I've lived here like a pauper -- simply from hand to mouth. I've lived by performing tricks for you, Torvald. That was how you wanted it. You and Papa have committed a grievous sin against me: it's your fault that I've made nothing of my life.

Nora: Torvald, don't look at me like that! Torvald: Can't I look at my richest treasure? At all that beauty that's mine, mine alone-completely and utterly.

HELMER:—To forsake your home, your husband, and your children! You don’t consider what the world will say. NORA:—I can pay no heed to that. I only know what I must do. HELMER:—It is exasperating! Can you forsake your holiest duties in this world? NORA:—What do you call my holiest duties? HELMER:—Do you ask me that? Your duties to your husband and your children. NORA:—I have other duties equally sacred. HELMER:—Impossible! What duties do you mean? NORA:—My duties towards myself. HELMER:—Before all else you are a wife and a mother. NORA:—That I no longer believe. I think that before all else I am a human being, just as much as you are—or at least I will try to become one.

However wretched I may feel, I want to prolong the agony as long as possible. All my patients are like that. And so are those who are morally diseased..

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

Torvald: I would gladly work night and day for you, Nora--bear sorrow and want for your sake. But no man would sacrifice his honour for the one he loves. Nora: But hundreds of thousands of women have done!

لن تفقدوني طويلاً، فالراحلون سرعان ما ينطوون في زوايا النسيان.

it was a tremendous pleasure to sit there working and earning money. It was like being a man.

Zar nije neobično dražesna? To je bilo mišljenje i čitavog društva. Ali užasno je tvrdoglavo - to slatko malo stvorenje.

I must stand quite alone, if I am to understand myself and everything about me.

Laughter's all the damned thing's fit for.

[Gospođa Linde:]Čovek mora da živi, gospodine doktore. [Rank:]Da, uobičajeno je shvatanje da je to tako neophodno.

What good would that ever do me if you were gone from this world, as you say? Not the slightest.

When I was at home with papa, he told me his opinion about everything, and so I had the same opinions; and if I differed from him I concealed the fact, because he would not have liked it. He called me his doll-child, and he played with me just as I used to play with my dolls.

I have existed merely to perform tricks for you, Torvald.

When I lost you, it was as if all the solid ground went from under my feet. Look at me now—I am a shipwrecked man clinging to a bit of wreckage.

Odlazak uvijek mora biti efektan.

As soon as your fear was over--and it was not fear for what threatened me, but for what might happen to you--when the whole thing was past, as far as you were concerned it was exactly as if nothing at all had happened. Exactly as before, I was your little skylark, your doll, which you would in future treat with doubly gentle care, because it was so brittle and fragile.

Fru Linde: "Man må jo leve, herr doktor." Rank: "Ja det er jo den almindelige mening at det skal være så nødvendig.

Helmer: Nem voltál boldog? Nóra: Nem; csak vidám.

Sometimes one has a tiny little bit of influence, I should hope. Because one is a woman, it does not necessarily follow that––

KROGSTAD: The law cares nothing about motives. NORA: Then it must be a very foolish law.

أنا ارى الناس صنفين .. صنف تعشقه المرأة، وصنف تحب أن تتجاذب معه أطراف الحديث.

A Doll’s House is about money, about the way it turns locks.

It is a loss you would easily recover from. Those who are gone are soon forgotten.

لا يمكن أن يحس المرء بالحرية أو الجمال في حياة منزلية تعتمد في كيانها على الديون والقروض .

Helmer: But no man would sacrifice his honour for the one he loves. Nora: It is a thing hundreds of thousands of women have done.

Nevertheless the severance is rather casual and it drops a stain on our admiration of Nora. Ibsen has put the leaving of her children on the same moral and emotional level as the leaving of her husband and we cannot, in our hearts, asssent to that. It is not only the leaving but the way the play does not have time for suffering, changes of heart. Ibsen has been too much a man in the end. He has taken the man's practice, if not his stated belief, that where self-realization is concerned children shall not be an impediment.

Nóra: Más feladat az, amit előbb meg kell oldanom. Magamat kell megnevelnem. S te nem vagy az a férfi, aki segíthetsz ebben. Ezt egyedül kell megcsinálnom. (…) Ha meg akarom érteni magamat, s az egész környezetemet, egészen egyedül kell állnom.

Nóra: ...Azt hiszem, hogy legelsősorban ember vagyok, éppen úgy, mint te - vagy mindenesetre meg kell kísérelnem, hogy az legyek. Jól tudom, hogy a legtöbben neked adnak igazat, Torvald; valami olyasmi van a könyvekben is. De én nem törődhetek vele tovább, hogy a többség mit mond, s mi van a könyvekben. Magamnak kell a dolgokat átgondolnom, s tisztába jönnöm velük.

NORA: No; only merry. And you were always so friendly and kind to me. But our house has been nothing but a nursery. Here I have been your doll-wife, just as at home I used to be papa's doll-child. And my children were, in their turn, my dolls. I was exceedingly delighted when you played with me, just as children were whenever I played with them. That has been our marriage, Torvald.

I believe that before all else I am a reasonable human being, just as you are--or, at all events, that I must try and become one. I know quite well, Torvald, that most people would think you right, and that views of that kind are to be found in books; but I can no longer content myself with what most people say, or with what is found in books. I must think over things for myself and get to understand them.

Helmer: To desert your home, your husband and your children! And you don‘t consider what people will say! Nora: I cannot consider that at all. I only know that it is necessary for me. Helmer: It‘s shocking. This is how you would neglect your most sacred duties. Nora: What do you consider my most sacred duties? Helmer: Do I need to tell you that? Are they not your duties to your husband and your children? Nora: I have other duties just as sacred. Helmer: That you have not. What duties could those be? Nora: Duties to myself. Helmer: Before all else, you are a wife and mother. Nora: I don‘t believe that any longer. I believe that before all else I am a reasonable human being, just as you are — or, at all events, that I must try and become one. I know quite well, Torvald, that most people would think you right, and that views of that kind are to be found in books; but I can no longer content myself with what most people say, or with what is found in books. I must think over things for myself and get to understand them.

Nora. I know nothing but what the clergyman said, when I went to be confirmed. He told us that religion was this, and that, and the other. When I am away from all this, and am alone, I will look into that matter too. I will see if what the clergyman said is true, or at all events if it is true for me.

A onda kad polazimo, i kad stavljam šal oko tvojih nježnih, mladenačkih ramena - na taj divni zatiljak - onda zamišljam da si ti moja mlada nevjesta i da upravo dolazimo iz crkve, da te po prvi put vodim u svoj stan, da sam po prvi put nasamo s tobom - sasvim sam s tobom, ti mlada, ustreptala ljepotice! Čitavo ovo veče bila si moja čežnja.

believe that before all else I am a reasonable human being, just as you are—or, at all events, that I must try and become one.

A ciertas personas se les tiene más cariño, y no obstante, se prefiere la compañía de otras.

Dejaría yo de ser un hombre si tu incapacidad de mujer no te hiciera el doble de atractiva a mis ojos.

could do nothing else. As I had to break with you, it was my duty also to put an end to all that you felt for me.

NORA. I have other duties just as sacred. HELMER. That you have not. What duties could those be? NORA. Duties to myself.

Henrik Johan Ibsen (1828–1906) was a nineteenth-century Norwegian theater producer, poet, and three-time nominee for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Kendimi ve hayatımı anlayacaksam önce kendi ayaklarımın üstünde durmam gerek. Bu yüzden artık burada seninle kalamam.

Unwilling to sacrifice his art for public acceptance, Ibsen displayed a steadfast devotion to his personal politics and beliefs, including love over duty and truth over comfort.

But no man would sacrifice his honour for the one he loves.

A Doll’s House,

I believe that I am first and foremost a human being, I, just as much as you, - or at least that I must try and become one.

I should not be a man if this womanly helplessness did not just give you a double attractiveness in my eyes.

You and papa have committed a great sin against me. It is your fault that I have made nothing of my life.

I believe that before all else I am a reasonable human being, just as you are—or, at all events, that I must try and become one.

I am going to see if I can make out who is right, the world or I.

Mrs. Linde: I have learned to act prudently. Life and hard, bitter necessity have taught me that. Krogstad: And life has taught me not to believe in fine speeches.

must try and educate myself—you are not the man to help me in that. I must do that for myself. And that is why I am going to leave you now.

must stand quite alone, if I am to understand myself and everything about me. It is for that reason that I cannot remain with you any longer.

I have other duties just as sacred. HELMER. That you have not. What duties could those be? NORA. Duties to myself. HELMER. Before all else, you are a wife and mother.

But no man would sacrifice his honour for the one he loves. NORA. It is a thing hundreds of thousands of women have done.

It's not so late yet. Sit down here, Torvald; you and I have a lot to talk about.

I cannot spend the night in a strange man's room.

before all else I am a reasonable human being. Just as you are

I should not be a man if this womanly helplessness did not just give you a double attractiveness in my eyes.

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

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

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

Ora ci siamo. Tu non mi hai mai compreso… Mi è stata fatta una grande ingiustizia, Torvaldo. Prima da mio padre, poi da te. Voi non mi avete mai amata. Vi è piaciuto soltanto ad essere innamorati di me

I would gladly work night and day for you, Nora—bear sorrow and want for your sake. But no man would sacrifice his honour for the one he loves. Nora. It is a thing hundreds of thousands of women have done.

Helmer: Just think how a guilty man like that has to lie and play the hypocrite with every one, how he has to wear a mask in presence of those near and dear to him, even before his own wife and children. And about the children--that is the most terrible part of it all, Nora. Nora: How? Helmer: 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.

Úgy értem, hogy papa kezéből a tiédbe kerültem. Itt te mindent a magad ízlése szerint rendeztél be, s így nekem ugyanaz lett az ízlésem, ami neked, vagy legalább úgy tettem, nem is tudom igazán… úgy gondolom, mindkettő igaz; hol az egyik, hol a másik. De ahogy most nézem, mintha úgy éltem volna itt, mint egy szegény ember, aki csak a betevő falatját keresi meg. Abból éltem, hogy mókáztam neked, Torvald. De hát te így akartad. Te és a papa nagy bűnt követtetek el ellenem. Ti vagytok a hibásak benne, hogy semmi sem lett belőlem.

No! Sono stata allegra! E tu fossi sempre tanto carino con me. Ma la nostra casa non è che è una stanza di ricreazione! A casa mia dal babbo, sono stata trattata come una bambola piccina. Qui da te, come una bambola grande. I bambini sono stati le mie bambole. [...]

Both you and I would have to be so changed that—. Oh, Torvald, I don't believe any longer in wonderful things happening. HELMER. But I will believe in it. Tell me? So changed that—? NORA. That our life together would be a real wedlock. Good-bye. (She goes out through the hall.)

Det stærkere træ tager livsbetingelserne fra det svagere og fører sig dem til nytte. Ligesaa mellem dyrene, de daarlige individer maa vige for de bedre. Og derfor gaar ogsaa naturen fremad. Det er bare os mennesker som holder fremgangen tilbage ved at tage sig af de daarlige individer.

But our home has never been anything but a playroom. I've been your doll-wife, just as I used to be papa's doll-child. And the children have been my dolls. I used to think it was fun when you came in and played with me, just as they think it's fun when I go in and play games with them. That's all our marriage has been, Torvald.

He shook his fist at her. He was the mildest of creatures and ventured upon no action of his life without consulting her. “No, Helene, I tell you this,” he shouted. “I would sooner my daughters were lying dead at my feet than see them listening to the garbage of that shameless fellow.” The play was The Doll’s House and the author was Henrik Ibsen.

I believe that I am first and foremost a human being, like you – or anyway, that I must try to become one. I know most people think as you do, Torvald, and I know there’s something of the sort to be found in books. But I’m no longer prepared to accept what people say and what’s written in books. I must think things out for myself, and try to find my own answer.

There is something so indescribably sweet and satisfying, to a man, in the knowledge that he has forgiven his wife—forgiven her freely, and with all his heart. It seems as if that had made her, as it were, doubly his own; he has given her a new life, so to speak; and she is in a way become both wife and child to him. So you shall be for me after this, my little scared, helpless darling.

Nora. I am afraid, Torvald, I do not exactly know what religion is. Helmer. What are you saying? Nora. I know nothing but what the clergyman said, when I went to be confirmed. He told us that religion was this, and that, and the other. When I am away from all this, and am alone, I will look into that matter too. I will see if what the clergyman said is true, or at all events if it is true for me.

NORA: Yes; it is just so, Torvald. While I was still at home with father, he used to tell me all his views, and so of course I held the same views; if at any time I had a different view I concealed it, because he would not have liked people with opinions of their own. He used to call me his little doll, and play with me, as I in my turn used to play with my dolls. Then I came to live in your house.

Nora. I assure you, Torvald, that is not an easy question to answer. I really don't know. The thing perplexes me altogether. I only know that you and I look at it in quite a different light. I am learning, too, that the law is quite another thing from what I supposed; but I find it impossible to convince myself that the law is right. According to it a woman has no right to spare her old dying father, or to save her husband's life. I can't believe that.

A room furnished comfortably and tastefully, but not extravagantly. At the back, a door to the right leads to the entrance-hall, another to the left leads to Helmer’s study. Between the doors stands a piano. In the middle of the left-hand wall is a door, and beyond it a window. Near the window are a round table, armchairs and a small sofa. In the right-hand wall, at the farther end, another door; and on the same side, nearer the footlights, a stove, two easy chairs and a rocking-chair; between the stove and the door, a small table. Engravings on the wall; a cabinet with china and other small objects; a small

Ma ti pare che sarei capace di farlo, io?! Di ripudiarti, o di farti soltanto un rimprovero? Oh tu non conosci la natura dell'uomo, Nora. Vedi per un uomo non c'è nulla di più carezzevole, di più sereno che il sentimento di aver perdonato alla propria moglie, di averle perdonato sinceramente di tutto cuore. Il tesoro che egli possiede in lei si raddoppia, è come se essa rinascesse e, direi quasi diventasse ad un tratto sua moglie sua figlia. E ciò tu sarai per me, d'ora in poi, smarrita e inesperta creatura. Non ti prender pensiero di nulla, mia Nora; sii solamente franca con me e allora io sarò in pari tempo la tua volontà e la tua coscienza.

NORA: nNon ci credo più. Prima di tutto credo invece che io sia un essere umano, come te, né più ne meno, o, infine, voglio procurare di diventarlo. So bene che la maggior parte della gente ti darà ragione, Torvaldo, e che qualche cosa di simile è scritto nei libri. Ma io non posso più contentarmi di ciò che dice la maggioranza e di ciò che è scritto nei libri. Devo riflettere - da me stessa su certe cose e rendermele pienamente - chiare. HELM: Ah, tu pensi e tu parli come una bambina in ragionevole.p NORA: Può essere. Ma tu non pensi e non parli come l'uomo al quale potrei appartenere. Torvaldo, in codesto momento ho compreso chiaramente che ho vissuto qui per otto anni continui insieme con un estraneo che mi ha fatto fare tre figliuoli! Oh, è un pensiero per me insopportabile! Potrei stritolarmi! Potrei farmi a pezzi!