A Doll's House

At first glance, Nora Helmer appears to live the perfect life. She is married to the ambitious banker Torvald and is well provided for. But when she is blackmailed by one of her husband's colleagues, she is forced to re-examine her life along with her role as a frivolous, scatter-brained wife. First published in 1879, A Doll's House scandalized contemporary audiences and rewrote the rules of drama. It challenged notions of women's place in society and questioned every aspect of what constituted good conduct in domestic life. Ibsen's masterpiece was the first serious play to focus on ordinary people in everyday situations rather than on the lives of the upper classes.