Read the excerpt from act 3 of A Doll's House . Mrs. Linde: We have a great deal to talk about. Krogstad: I shouldn't have thought so. Mrs. Linde: No, you have never properly understood me. Krogstad: Was there anything else to understand except what was obvious to all the world—a heartless woman jilts a man when a more lucrative chance turns up? Mrs. Linde: Do you believe I am as absolutely heartless as all that? And do you believe that I did it with a light heart? Krogstad: Didn't you? Mrs. Linde: Nils, did you really think that? Krogstad: If it were as you say, why did you write to me as you did at the time? Mrs. Linde: I could do nothing else. As I had to break with you, it was my duty also to put an end to all that you felt for me. Krogstad [wringing his hands] : So that was it. And all this—only for the sake of money! Mrs. Linde: You must not forget that I had a helpless mother and two little brothers. We couldn't wait for you, Nils; your prospects seemed hopeless then. Krogstad: That may be so, but you had no right to throw me over for anyone else's sake. Mrs. Linde: Indeed, I don't know. Many a time did I ask myself if I had the right to do it. How does Ibsen use dramatic irony to heighten suspense in this scene?
Answer
A
Krogstad has always been in love with Mrs. Linde, and the audience knows it, but Mrs. Linde does not know this at the beginning of the scene.
B
Mrs. Linde knows that she is taking Krogstad's job, and so does the audience, but Krogstad does not know that this will happen.
C
Mrs. Linde knows that she has always loved Krogstad, and so does the audience, but Krogstad does not know this at the beginning of the scene.
D
Krogstad is going to try to take his job back from Mrs. Linde, and the audience knows it, but Mrs. Linde does not know that this will happen.
Explanation
Mrs. Linde explains that she left Krogstad because she had to support her mother and brothers, not because she was heartless or had stopped loving him. The audience understands that she still cares for him, while Krogstad initially believes she left him for money. That gap in what the characters know creates dramatic irony and suspense as he learns the truth. The correct choice is “Mrs. Linde knows that she has always loved Krogstad, and so does the audience, but Krogstad does not know this at the beginning of the scene.”
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