However Nora is undeterred, she sees her husbands promotion as the end of debt and her worries. With the money Torvald agrees to give her for Christmas she intends to pay off the last of the loan and be free off it once and for all. Her mood is shattered when an angry Krogstad approaches her. Krogstad works at Torvalds bank and is the person who dealt with Noras loan. Krogstad has been found guilty of fraud and Torvald has decided to relieve him from his position at the bank. What is more the person to replace him, Mrs Linde is a friend of Noras and a former lover of Krogstad. This infuriates Krogstad, as Nora is the reason Mrs Linde got the job and he begins to blackmail her.
This is the next key point in the play. Krogstad threatens Nora that if he loses his job, he will tell Torvald of the loan she took. Later Nora tries to persuade Torvald against laying Krogstad off, but is unsuccessful. Torvald tells her that Krogstads morally corrupt nature is too repulsive for him and there is no way he will work with him. It is also revealed that the act of fraud he committed was forging a signature. This leaves Nora worried
The next day, Christmas Day, Nora is still worrying but has to prepare her costume for a party and uses this to help take her mind of things. She invites Mrs Linde over to help, who can see something is wrong. Just then Torvald returns from the bank. Nora tries once more to persuade him to give Krogstad another chance. Her pleads anger her husband and cause him to send the letter off immediately. He then reassures Nora that he will take upon himself any problems that arise as a result. Nora is moved by this comment, and even sees that perhaps this can strengthen their marriage, however she is still distraught and considers suicide. Her thoughts are broken by the arrival of Dr Rank and she pulls herself together.
Nora learns that Dr Rank is dying, and that the end is now near. He tells her that he will send her a card with a black cross on it when final symptoms of his illness begin. They continue in an intermit conversation and Nora begins to tease and flirt with Dr Rank. The conversation culminates with Dr Rank professing his love to Nora just before she intends to ask him for a favour. His words make her request impossible to ask now and the conversation dies down to safer grounds. Before they can finish Krogstad arrives.
Krogstad now no longer wants to publicise Noras wrong doing but to blackmail Torvald instead so he can become assistant manager of the bank. Nora pleads against the association of her husband in the mater but Krogstad ignores her and proceeds to drop the letter in the letterbox anyway. Mrs Linde enters and realises what has happened. She goes off after Krogstad while Nora is left to deal with Torvald. She manages to persuade him to leave all his business until after the party.
Oliver Jewell
