The play A Doll House (1879), by Henrik Ibsen, has a realistic feel that compels the reader to identify with the main characters and the situation that they find themselves facing. The wife, Nora, is in all but one scene, and nearly all the scenes occur in a single room. She is the main character, and it is her unraveling and self-discovery that the reader is spectator to.

Act I begins by introducing Nora Helmer. She enters the room carrying packages and eating macaroons. Nora's husband, Torvald, enters the living room as Nora quickly hides her sweets from him. This interaction sets the world of the play, acting as the prologue. We learn that Torvald has forbidden her to eat macaroons, or any sweets, in order to keep her teeth nice. He does so as a parent admonishes a child instead of as a husband speaking to his wife...