Henrik Ibsen

Introduction & Top Questions
Early life
First plays and directing
Self-imposed exile: Peer Gynt, A Doll’s House, and Ghosts
Later plays and legacy

Quotes References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

Portrait of Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian dramatist and poet, with glasses, prominent sideburns, and formal attire, photographed in 1901.

At a Glance

Henrik Ibsen summary

Quizzes

Illustration of "The Lamb" from "Songs of Innocence" by William Blake, 1879. poem; poetry

A Study of Poetry

4:043 Dickinson, Emily: A Life of Letters, This is my letter to the world/That never wrote to me; I'll tell you how the Sun Rose/A Ribbon at a time; Hope is the thing with feathers/That perches in the soul

Famous Poets and Poetic Form

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) only confirmed photograph of Emily Dickinson. 1978 scan of a Daguerreotype. ca. 1847; in the Amherst College Archives. American poet. See Notes:

Poetry: First Lines

Related Questions

How did Danish theatre traditions affect Henrik Ibsen’s early work?
How did Henrik Ibsen expose social problems through ordinary middle-class characters?
How did Henrik Ibsen influence August Strindberg and George Bernard Shaw?
How did Henrik Ibsen’s later plays move toward symbolism?
How did Henrik Ibsen’s realistic dialogue differ from earlier theatrical writing?
How did Henrik Ibsen’s strokes affect his final years?
How did Latin studies influence Henrik Ibsen’s play Catiline?
How does A Doll’s House use a past secret to build suspense?
How does Brand portray a pastor’s demand for “all or nothing”?
How does Ghosts show the harmful effects of hiding family truths?
How does The Master Builder differ from Henrik Ibsen’s earlier realistic plays?
How does The Wild Duck question whether painful truths should always be revealed?
How is Peer Gynt different from Brand?
What Norwegian folk tradition influenced Peer Gynt?
What adventures does Peer Gynt have after leaving home?
What happens to Hedda Gabler at the end of Hedda Gabler?
What job did Henrik Ibsen hold while studying for university entrance examinations?
What responsibilities did Henrik Ibsen have at the Bergen theatre?
What secret does Nora Helmer keep in A Doll’s House?
What social conventions does Ghosts criticize?
What social issues does The Pillars of Society explore?
When and where did Henrik Ibsen die?
When and where was Henrik Ibsen born?
When did Henrik Ibsen move to Christiania, later called Oslo?
When did Henrik Ibsen return permanently to Norway?
Which Henrik Ibsen plays were written in prose?
Which early play did Henrik Ibsen write while preparing for university?
Why are Henrik Ibsen’s plays called problem plays?
Why did Ghosts cause controversy when it was published?
Why did Henrik Ibsen leave Norway in 1864?
Why did Henrik Ibsen spend much of his career living outside Norway?
Why did Henrik Ibsen’s Brand become popular in Norway?
Why did the ending of A Doll’s House scandalize audiences?
Why do Johannes Rosmer and Rebecca West die at the end of Rosmersholm?
Why does Doctor Stockmann become an enemy of the people in An Enemy of the People?
Why does Gregers Werle disrupt the Ekdal family in The Wild Duck?
Why does Nora leave her husband and children at the end of A Doll’s House?
Why does Torvald Helmer react angrily when he learns Nora’s secret?
Why is Brand both a moral hero and a destructive figure?
Why was Emperor and Galilean difficult to stage?
Why was Henrik Ibsen asked to write a new play each year in Bergen?
Why was Henrik Ibsen’s Love’s Comedy unpopular with audiences?
Why is Henrik Ibsen important?
What was Henrik Ibsen’s childhood like?
What was Henrik Ibsen’s occupation?
Why is Federico García Lorca important?
What was Federico García Lorca’s childhood like?
How did Federico García Lorca die?
What is Shel Silverstein known for?
How did Shel Silverstein contribute to children’s literature?
What are some of Shel Silverstein’s notable songs?
Why is The Giving Tree considered controversial?

Literature Poetry Poets A-K

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External Websites

The Norwegian Ibsen Company - Henrik Ibsen
Ibsen Society of America - Life and Works
ABC listen - Radio National - Adaptations of Henrik Ibsen
University of Oslo - The Virtual Ibsen Centre - On Ibsen's life

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Henrik Ibsen - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Henrik Ibsen

Norwegian dramatist and poet

Also known as: Henrik Johan Ibsen

Written by

Robert M. Adams

Professor of English, University of California, Los Angeles, 1968–79. Author of The Land and Literature of England.

Robert M. Adams

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Sep. 22, 2026 •History

Henrik Ibsen (born March 20, 1828, Skien, Norway—died May 23, 1906, Kristiania [formerly Christiania; now Oslo]) was a major Norwegian playwright of the late 19th century who introduced to the European stage a new order of moral analysis that was placed against a severely realistic middle-class background and developed with economy of action, penetrating dialogue, and rigorous thought. Ibsen was born at Skien, a small lumbering town of southern Norway. His father was a respected...

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