Ibsen was born in 1828 in a small town in Norway. When he was fifteen years old, Ibsen left his family's home to begin an apprenticeship as an apothecary. Two years later, Ibsen fathered a child with an older housemaid, and he was obligated to provide financial support over the next fifteen years.

In the late 1840s, he began to prepare for university examinations. Once at university in Christiana (present-day Oslo), Ibsen became very involved with journalism. He edited a student paper, contributed articles to another paper, and worked on a satirical journal. He also spent a great deal of time on his writing. He completed and published his first play, Catiline, by 1849, and published poetry in a journal. In 1859, his one-act play, The Warrior's Barrow, becomes the first of his plays to be staged.

In 1851, when he was only twenty-three, Ibsen was engaged as playwright...