George Brandes once insisted that the only way literature could be made into a vital and living piece of art would be by "subjecting problems to debate" Indeed, it was the `problem' at the heart of Henrik Ibsen's plays that caused most of the controversy that surrounded them. Whereas other theatrical productions of Ibsen's time adhered to a standard plot and set of characters, Ibsen chose to break free of conventions by introducing topical issues into his drama, challenging contemporary assumptions about the role of women, the institution of marriage and the state of society.

A close friend of George Brandes, Ibsen shared his view that only free individuals could create a free society, and that without truth there could be no genuine freedom. Ibsen believed that the morality of Victorian society was simply a façade and that "this kind of society could not satisfy the natural...