Henrik Ibsen's famous play A Doll's House was first published in 1879 and contains elements and characters that appear to support feminism and attracted the attention of the women's rights movement. However, Ibsen himself stated that he was not a feminist; rather, her play is about human nature in general and is not specifically about women's rights. Over the years, this has been the view adopted by most scholars in interpreting the play, but more recently scholars have presented an opposing argument. Margaret Stetz, one of these scholars, writes that "calling Ibsen a feminist playwright or describing A Doll's House as a drama for women's rights is no longer controversial" (150). The most obvious example of Ibsen's view on gender roles is the relationship between Nora and Helmer and, most notably, Nora's discovery at the end of the play. But other characters, like Mrs. Linde and Krogstad, as well as Anne-Marie, play a role in defining gender roles in A Doll's House. In this essay, I will discuss how Ibsen represents gender roles in A Doll's House through the characters in his play and the divergent views on feminism and gender roles in the play. At the beginning of the play, the relationship between Nora and Helmer emerges. be a typical marriage in the 1800s. Helmer, as a man, is the head of the household and Nora is portrayed as a naive, "spendthrift" wife who has no connection with the family's financial situation. However, as the story evolves, another side of Nora emerges. She attempts to conform to society's views on gender roles in order to keep her "home beautiful and happy" and fears that telling her husband about what she has done will "completely upset the balance of [their] relationship." » (891). ...... middle of paper ...... and society, and the differences between Nora and Anne Marie, the nanny. Anne Marie, as Stetz points out, was forced “to abandon her own daughter, born out of wedlock, to take charge of raising Nora” (151). However, she does not seem unhappy with her position in life; in fact, she seems rather happy to have gotten "such a good situation" (905) by becoming Nora's nanny, and then Nora's children. Works Cited Kennedy, XJ and Dana Gioia. “A doll’s house.” Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. 4th ed. New York, New York Longman/Pearson, 2008. 881-939. Print Templeton, Joan. "The Doll's House Backlash: Criticism, Feminism, and Ibsen." PMLA 104.1 (1989): 28-40. Print. Stetz, Margaret D. "Ms. Linde, Feminism, and Women's Work, Then and Now ." Études Isben 7.2 (2007): 150-68. Print.