Henrik Ibsen, born in Norway but established internationally, was a painter as well as one of the most famous playwrights of the Realism period. Ibsen's works are well known for their themes of domestic and political issues and conflicts in the nineteenth century. Scholars call it “Ibsen's problem game” (Henrik Ibsen, 650). Furthermore, in Ibsen's works, the general themes that are usually discussed are the hypocrisy of society, the restriction of women, and self-sacrifice. Under the influence of the Industrial Revolution, the conflict between classes and the struggle between workers were becoming increasingly stronger. more intense, especially among women. Responding to the French Revolution, “Liberty” was the key word of the 19th century (The 19th Century, 509). Henrik Ibsen wrote a famous play called A Doll's House in 1879. Ibsen illustrates the status and confinement of women at the time, but his play does not attempt to solve the problems. However, A Doll's House expresses women's need and desire to escape the restrictions of nineteenth-century society. In the comedy A Doll's House, Nora Helmer is the protagonist as well as a symbol of most housewives. in the middle class of the 19th century. Furthermore, Nora's husband, Torvald Helmer, is another symbol that represents the majority of men of the time. Through their marriage and relationship, we can clearly see the recreation of the realistic role and characteristics of suffering women in the nineteenth century. First of all, nineteenth century society was a male-dominated society. Most women in the nineteenth century were perceived as foolish and dependent. In the opening act of the opera, Torvald speaks to Nora: “It's my little squi... middle of paper... tatus in a happy marriage. Nora's realization at the end of the show expresses the desire and need for women who suffer in their marriage to fight for equal rights, mutual respect, and to be themselves again. Works Cited Ibsen, Henrik. “A doll's house”. SparkNotes LLC. Sparknotes.com. nd Web. March 19, 2012. "Henrik Ibsen." The Norton Anthology of World Literature, second shorter edition, vol.2. Eds. Petter Simon and Conor Sullivan. New York, London: WW Norton& Company, inc., 2009. 649-653. Print.SparkNotes editor. "SparkNote on a Doll's House." SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2002. Web. 20 March 2012 “The Nineteenth Century: Realism and Symbolism”. The Norton Anthology of World Literature, second shorter edition, vol.2. Eds. Petter Simon and Conor Sullivan. New York, London: WW Norton& Company, inc., 2009. 509-515. Press.