DH.+Act+Three

=** ACT III PANEL **=

My parts are intertwined with Valerie's parts (during our outline, we alternate while presenting information) so I couldn't really post my commentary in the "correct" order since I do not have Valerie's parts. :( media type="file" key="ADH ACT III COMMENTARY.m4a" width="300" height="50"media type="file" key="ADH ACT III COMMENTARY.m4a" width="300" height="50" Maryanne: In Act Three, many changes can be seen in relationships and individuals. Kristine and Krogstad have relit their old romance and Nora and Helmer have formally ended theirs. The turning of their relationships can be represented through the letter as a motif. It is the prop that drives the plot, where Kristine and Krogstad play an important role in instigating Helmer’s discovery of Nora’s loan and her eventual departure. Through the progression of the play, Nora has walked down a path of thought and action towards individuality, and shortly after Torvald’s scene where he announces his disgust and fury towards Nora, she finally sees that she cannot be herself around her own husband. This progression of thought and action can be seen throughout the beginning acts of the play through her craving of macaroons and her need to keep the loan that helped saved her husband’s life a secret from him. These changes can be seen in the appearance black clothing worn by Nora and Helmer as well as he black cross drawn by Dr. Rank in order to bring a sense of finality to Nora’s relationship with Helmer and Dr. Rank’s life. Also, Helmer’s voice is indicative of the climax as it is the moment where his volume on stage draws louder and suddenly drops as he receives the second letter
 * Jocelyn's Audio**

Valerie

In Act III， Krogstad receives a note from Mrs. Linde, asking him to meet her. Their dialogues with each other reveal that they once had a romantic relationship, however Mrs. Linde broke it off to marry Mr. Linde, who was rich at the time and could support her family. She tells Krogstad that she wants to get back together with him as it will benefit the both of them. Overjoyed, Krogstad offers to retrieve the letters, however Kristine stops him as she feels it’s best for Torvald to discover the truth about the fraud. Meanwhile, Nora and Torvald returns from the party. Nora rejects Torvald’s advance towards her and he goes to retrieve his mail. When the secret is finally revealed near the end of the play, Torvald is shocked and upset by her actions. He blatantly blames her for ruining his reputation. However to his relieve, Krogstad writes that he has decided to stop blackmailing Nora, and includes her promissory note. Torvald tells Nora that their life can go back to normal, and that he forgives her. By this point, Nora has already begun to recognize the truth about her marriage, and she leaves for the better.

The purpose of the act is to provide closure to the characters in the play as well as build up to a powerful ending.

Nora is perhaps the character with the most noticeable change within the entire play and in act III. While Torvald remains static throughout the play, Nora changes from a dependent, child-like “toy”, to a strong individual who makes her own call/judgement. While she has a rebellion attitude from the start, shown through stage directions such as eating the macaroons behind Torvald’s back and forging her father’s signature for the loan, she has never openly defied him (when she decides to leave for good.)

Nora’s change of character is most likely propelled by Torvald’s reaction towards the letter. She expected compassion from him, as she had sacrificed so much for him, instead all Torvald cared was his appearance. The play was set in a time period where gender roles were clearly defined: woman were responsible for anything within the household, while the men contributed financially, therefore Nora’s act of borrowing a loan at that time would be looked down upon. Nora hoped he would overlook it and acknowledge her noble intent.

When Krogstad’s second letter arrives, Torvald exclaims that “He’s saved”. Nora immediately asks what about her, and he casually replies. “you too.” indicating Torvald’s selfish nature. Torvald’s reaction opened Nora’s eyes to the truth about their relationship – that it was an illusory relationship. This particular scene builds up to the final climax, where Nora decides to leave. .