For the majority of the play, we see Nils Krogstad as the antagonist. This is because of his cruel ways of manipulating Nora to make sure he achieves his agenda, which is to maintain his position at the bank and climb the corporate ladder to improve his reputation; all while using Nora to influence Torvald. In fact, both Torvald and Dr Rank call Krogstad “morally sick,” which then leads to Torvald lecturing Nora about how moral corruption comes from the mother. However, it is ironic that Torvald is disgusted towards Krogstad’s crime in forgery, yet Nora is in the same position as him. In fact, Ibsen makes explicit parallels between Nora and Krogstad; not only did they commit the same crime, they are also in the same position in the social hierarchy. This is because Nora believes that she has a certain amount of power over Torvald since she uses her position as a “helpless and naïve” woman to influence Torvald (and even boasts about it), and Krogstad believes that he has a level of power over the Helmers because he has the bond that shows Nora’s crime in forgery. However, both characters are suppressed by Torvald and society, whether it’s due to gender or social class.
