A Doll's House · Henrik Ibsen · 1879

NORA

A wife of eight years who has just watched her husband fail a test she didn't know she was giving him.

1:04Dramatic25–35AdvancedPublic domain — Archer translation, 1889

The speech104 words · 4 beats

0:00 / 1:04

I have been your doll-wife, just as at home I was papa's doll-child. And the children, in their turn, have been my dolls.

I thought it fun when you played with me, just as the children did when I played with them. That has been our marriage, Torvald.

I must stand quite alone if I am ever to know myself and my surroundings; so I cannot stay with you.turn

I must set about it alone. And that is why I am leaving you now.

Speaking to: Her husband, across a table, both of them still in evening clothes.
What just happened: The blackmail is over. He was cruel for four minutes and then relieved, and expected everything to go back. She has changed her dress and asked him to sit down.
Objective: To be understood once, accurately, before she goes.
The turn: The pivot from describing the past to naming what she now owes herself.
Watch out for: Translation-sensitive — the Archer text here is period-formal. Compare editions before you choose your words.

Full work: A Doll's House

NORA

A Doll's House · Henrik Ibsen · 1:04 · 104 words

I have been your doll-wife, just as at home I was papa's doll-child. And the children, in their turn, have been my dolls. I thought it fun when you played with me, just as the children did when I played with them. That has been our marriage, Torvald. I must stand quite alone if I am ever to know myself and my surroundings; so I cannot stay with you. I must set about it alone. And that is why I am leaving you now.

Public domain — Archer translation, 1889 · wrote