<Tr> <Th> Genre </Th> <Td> Naturalistic / realistic problem play Modern tragedy </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Setting </Th> <Td> The home of the Helmer family in an unspecified Norwegian town or city, circa 1879 . </Td> </Tr> <P> A Doll's House (Bokmål: Et dukkehjem; also translated as A Doll House) is a three - act play written by Henrik Ibsen . It premiered at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having been published earlier that month . The play is set in a Norwegian town circa 1879 . </P> <P> The play is significant for the way it deals with the fate of a married woman, who at the time in Norway lacked reasonable opportunities for self - fulfillment in a male dominated world . It aroused a great sensation at the time, and caused a "storm of outraged controversy" that went beyond the theatre to the world newspapers and society . </P>

When was a doll's house first performed