Henrik Ibsen drew his plot for the play A Doll's House from the real-life experiences of his friend Laura Kieler, whose maiden name was Laura Smith Petersen.Just like Torvald in the play, Laura's husband Victor was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and his doctor counseled him to move to warmer southerly climates for a greater chance at recovery. Just like Nora, Laura took out a loanto pay for the trip. She ran into...
Henrik Ibsen drew his plot for the play A Doll's House from the real-life experiences of his friend Laura Kieler, whose maiden name was Laura Smith Petersen.
Just like Torvald in the play, Laura's husband Victor was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and his doctor counseled him to move to warmer southerly climates for a greater chance at recovery. Just like Nora, Laura took out a loan to pay for the trip. She ran into such difficulty repaying the loan, however, that she eventually resorted to forging a signature on a second loan to help pay for the first, just as Nora forged a signature to acquire her own loan to pay for her husband's care.
Unlike Nora's forgery in the play, Laura's forgery became public. Also, unlike Nora, once Laura's husband learned of the forgery, he immediately divorced Laura. During this time period, upon divorce, the husband was given legal possession of the children, so Laura's children were removed from her care. Laura's story also ends much more tragically than Nora's potentially optimistic ending. After losing her husband and children in the divorce, Laura fell into such a state of anxiety and heartbreak that she was committed to a mental hospital for a while, although she ultimately lived to be a successful playwright and historic novelist.
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