How did Henrik Ibsen influence August Strindberg and George Bernard Shaw?

Henrik Ibsen was a pivotal figure in 19th-century European drama, known for introducing realistic, contemporary plays that challenged social conventions and exposed societal hypocrisy. His work significantly influenced both August Strindberg and George Bernard Shaw by establishing the "problem play"—a drama centered on specific social issues.123

• August Strindberg: Influenced by Ibsen’s early work, such as Brand, Strindberg adopted a similar spirit of revolt against religious, moral, and political orthodoxies. While Ibsen focused on the futility of the idealist’s effort to reform society, Strindberg channeled this influence into his own exploration of naturalism, focusing specifically on the destructive effects of sexual maladjustment and psychic imbalance in plays like The Father and Miss Julie.34
• George Bernard Shaw: Shaw was a prominent "Ibsenite" who drew inspiration from Ibsen’s social dramas to create his own "drama of ideas". Shaw’s early works, such as Widowers’ Houses, directly mirrored Ibsen’s approach by tackling sober social themes like slum landlordism and prostitution, eventually evolving his style to use comedy as a tool to encourage audiences to reexamine their own moral positions.2