Krogstad

Getting Started

• For a lot of the play, Krogstad is the antagonist. He is the force that our protagonist, Nora, is constantly butting up against. It's pretty ironic that all of his actions are motivated by a desire to be seen as a respectable person by the community. In the end, however, Krogstad is reformed. When Christine, offers her love, Krogstad is reborn and retracts his threatening letter to Torvald. It's too late for the Helmers, though; the damage has been done. He is a villain at the start, but, now, maybe he's a hero. If he'd never put Nora through all that turmoil, she'd never have woken up to the emptiness of her life. Nora would still be nothing but a doll.

• Interrupting Nora's game of hide and seek, Krogstad appears as evil. He is the malign force who will destroy the family's peace. At first he asks Nora to use her influence with her husband but, when she disclaims any such pwer, he is provoked into threatening to reveal all to Helmer. The dran out process of question and answer by which he demontrates his detailed knowledge of her forgery underlines his unpleasant enjoyment of the fact that she is in his power.
• However, at this point we can still see him in  possible greater light than many other men. He states he will fight for his 'little job t the bank as' he would fight for his life'. The reasoning however, is for his sons for their sake; i must try to regain what respectability i can'. This is his motive, He thereforre can empathise with Nora when he says 'the law does not concern itself with motives (his sons). he must gain prestigious respectability as this is what society demands.It is torvald who is stopping him. Helmer says Krogstad is poisinig his children yet Torvald has no interest in his chilren (have you and your husband thought of mine?), he calls his own children 'your children' or 'the children'. It is Torvald who has ruined his career and therefore torvald he despises, not nora. Nora is simply te only way he will be able to influence torvld.
• IThe contempt that Krogstad feels to Helmer however is not extended to Nora. in his second apppearance he is oddly compassionate in his warning against suicide 'most of us tink of that at first' he may be brutal  ' under the ice? down i the cold black water?' + leaves to post the letter, but it is an apologetic kind of brutality that never reaches the level of 'Helmers rage against Nora in act 3.
• in act 3 there is a complete transformation. it takes time for him to accept mrs lindes care for him. ' life has taught me not to beleive in fine speeches' he sounds extremely passionate and kind 'it was just as though all solid ground had een swept from under my feet' 'i'm a shipwrecked man' 'i've never been so happy i my life before!'
• once secure in the knowledge of love he is decisive, immediately returning nora's note of hand. his role as antagonist now morphs into a heroic figure. given that this now means he has no evidence of the lon, he is reaching out to the person hom he has seen throughout the play as his double-nora- at some coast to himself. If it also benefits the man for whom he has such contempt, his admirable lack of bitterness appears to accept this.

• He worksfor his children. contrast to torvald
• He spells a Noras ignorance for her own sake
• He is compassionate in relation to noras thoughts of suicide
• he is determined to redeem himself from being 'chucked in the mud' by helmer. he does not dislike nora, in fact he has covered her crime for a while. she just happens to be the only way to influnce helmer. 'and remember, it's your husband who has forced me to act like this'