Question

read the excerpt from act 2 of a dolls house.
nora: putting her arms round her neck dear old anne, you were a good mother to me when i was little.
nurse: little nora, poor dear, had no other mother but me.
nora: and if my little ones had no other mother, i am sure you would—what nonsense i am talking! opens the box. go in to them. now i must—. you will see tomorrow how charming i shall look.
how does ibsen use dramatic irony to create the suspense in this passage?
○ nora does not know that the nurse was her only mother, but the audience does.
○ nora does not know if she will leave her children, but the audience knows that she will.
○ the nurse does not understand how important she is to nora, but nora does.
○ the nurse does not know that nora will leave her children, but the audience does.

Explanation:

Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows key information that a character does not. In this passage, the audience is aware Nora will eventually leave her children, while the nurse (a character in the scene) has no knowledge of this impending choice. This gap in knowledge creates suspense as the audience waits for the event to unfold, knowing the nurse is unaware of Nora's secret plan. The other options are incorrect: Nora knows the nurse was her primary mother figure, Nora herself is uncertain about leaving (so the audience can't know for sure yet at this point in the play), and Nora does understand the nurse's importance to her.

Answer:

D. The nurse does not know that Nora will leave her children, but the audience does.