Some serious action occurs offstage in Ibsen's A Doll's House! The most important event that happens is that Nora has taken out a loan and forged her father's signature. Much of the play's conflict revolves around this act, yet the audience never actually sees it. The only way the events are represented on stage is through the characters' dialogue. Nora tells Mrs. Linde about what she's done, and this means that the actual event is seen through Nora, since she is explaining it. Another way the audience finds out about the event is when Krogstad visits the house and talks to Nora about getting a better job, reminding her about her crime as a form of blackmail.
Therefore, the action that occurs offstage is central to the plot of the story. Because Nora has broken the law and lied to her husband about it, she must play the part of trying to keep it from him while paying back the loan. It is interesting that Ibsen decided to keep this event off stage because it affects the audience's opinion of Nora. Without actually witnessing the event of the loan and forgery, the audience must rely on Nora's version of the event to decide how they feel about her and her subsequent actions.
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