Henrik Ibsen

Henrik Ibsen was born on March 20, 1828 in Skien, Norway. He was involved in theater for most of his life. He is considered "the father of realist theater" and his career is divided into three phases. His early works are poetic epics that include plays like "Peer Gynt". The middle phases consists of realistic classics like "A Doll's House." The last phase gravitated toward symbolism and include plays such as "When We Dead Awaken." His most famous phase is the middle phase which also happens to be his most censored. During a time of male dominance, Ibsen wrote about strong female characters. He also wrote about taboo topics and had a main character die from Syphillis in "Ghosts." Many playwrights, including Arthur Miller, have noted the impact of Ibsen's work on thier own plays. He died May 23, 1906 in Christiania.