A Doll’s House: every role by lines, words, and stage time
Henrik Ibsen, translated by R. Farquharson Sharp. 10 speaking roles, 22,149 words, about 158 minutes of speech.
The Offbook team
Oct 8, 2026
Nora has the most to say in A Doll’s House: about 1,268 lines and 9,949 words, 44.9% of the play. A Doll’s House follows Nora, a wife who borrowed money in secret to save her husband’s life. Nora carries the play, with nearly half of all the words, and speaks in every act. Helmer has about a quarter. Krogstad and Mrs. Linde each hold about a tenth, and Rank speaks in all three acts with a smaller part.
- Speaking roles
- 10
- Scenes
- 3
- Words
- 22,149
- Speech time
- 158 min
Every role, largest first
| Role | Lines | Words | Share | Minutes | Scenes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nora | 1,268 | 9,949 | 44.9% | 71.1 | 3 |
| Helmer | 692 | 5,655 | 25.5% | 40.4 | 3 |
| Krogstad | 303 | 2,454 | 11.1% | 17.5 | 3 |
| Mrs. Linde | 322 | 2,311 | 10.4% | 16.5 | 3 |
| Rank | 194 | 1,463 | 6.6% | 10.5 | 3 |
| Nurse | 27 | 196 | 0.9% | 1.4 | 2 |
| Maid | 15 | 78 | 0.4% | 0.6 | 3 |
| Children | 3 | 24 | 0.1% | 0.2 | 1 |
| Servant | 2 | 18 | 0.1% | 0.1 | 1 |
| Porter | 1 | 1 | 0% | 0.0 | 1 |
Who speaks in which scene
Darker cells mean more words in that scene. Use it to plan rehearsal calls, or to see how long an actor waits between entrances.
| Role | Act 1 | Act 2 | Act 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nora | |||
| Helmer | |||
| Krogstad | |||
| Mrs. Linde | |||
| Rank |
The longest speeches
| Speech | Scene | Words | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helmer: “Yes, do. Try and calm yourself, and make your …” | Act 3 | 266 | 27 |
| Nora: “Yes—someday, perhaps, after many years, when I…” | Act 1 | 209 | 21 |
| Nora: “But it was absolutely necessary that he should…” | Act 1 | 193 | 20 |
| Nora: “Good gracious, can’t you understand? There was…” | Act 1 | 162 | 17 |
| Helmer: “Listen to her, Mrs. Linde! She had danced her …” | Act 3 | 157 | 16 |
| Helmer: “It is so incredible that I can’t take it in. B…” | Act 3 | 152 | 16 |
| Nora: “Maybe. But you neither think nor talk like the…” | Act 3 | 129 | 13 |
| Krogstad: “Your father died on the 29th of September. But…” | Act 1 | 128 | 13 |
| Helmer: “You have loved me as a wife ought to love her …” | Act 3 | 121 | 13 |
| Nora: “I mean that I was simply transferred from Papa…” | Act 3 | 114 | 12 |
Questions actors ask
Who has the most lines in A Doll’s House?
Nora, with about 1,268 lines and 9,949 words, 44.9% of everything spoken in the play. Helmer is next, with about 692 lines (25.5%).
How long is A Doll’s House?
The full text has 22,149 spoken words, about 158 minutes at 140 words a minute before pauses, scene changes, and cuts. Most productions cut the text, so running times vary.
How many speaking roles are in A Doll’s House?
10 named roles speak in this edition, across 3 scenes. 5 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.
Keep reading
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- How to Build a Character Backstory That Actually Changes Your PerformanceHow to write a character backstory that starts from the script’s facts, a short list of questions worth answering, how much to do for a small role, and a worked example from A Doll’s House, where one secret in the past changes every line about money.