[leaning towards her]. Nora—do you think he is the only one—?
NORA:
[with a slight start]. The only one—?
RANK:
The only one who would gladly give his life for your sake.
NORA:
[sadly]. Is that it?
RANK:
I was determined you should know it before I went away, and there will never be a better opportunity than this. Now you know it, Nora. And now you know, too, that you can trust me as you would trust no one else.
NORA:
[rises, deliberately and quietly]. Let me pass.
RANK:
[makes room for her to pass him, but sits still]. Nora!
NORA:
[at the hall door]. Helen, bring in the lamp. [Goes over to the stove.] Dear Doctor Rank, that was really horrid of you.
RANK:
To have loved you as much as anyone else does? Was that horrid?
NORA:
No, but to go and tell me so. There was really no need—
HELMER:
Yes.
NORA:
If your little squirrel were to ask you for something very, very prettily—?
HELMER:
What then?
NORA:
Would you do it?
HELMER:
I should like to hear what it is, first.
NORA:
Your squirrel would run about and do all her tricks if you would be nice, and do what she wants.
HELMER:
Speak plainly.
NORA:
Your skylark would chirp about in every room, with her song rising and falling—
HELMER:
Well, my skylark does that anyhow.
NORA:
I would play the fairy and dance for you in the moonlight, Torvald.
HELMER:
Nora—you surely don’t mean that request you made to me this morning?
Ok sorry for the lengthy quotes but I think it is beneficial to see the entire exchange between characters to see their relationships so there they are. The first grouping examines the moment when Dr Rank confesses his love for Nora. Up until this point, Nora has been friendly and joking and yet as soon as his love is revealed she turns cold, a quick 180. While this is understandable, she is married after all, it almost makes me feel like she doesn’t understand truly how love can affect a person. The second exchange is between Nora and Torvald and once again I think her attempt to use his love for her to get what she wants shows that she just doesn’t understand how deep an emotion it typically is, and leads me to question whether or not Nora truly loves anyone in the play ay all.
I pulled those two passages from the e-notes version of A Doll House
