Realism in the theatre was a general movement in the later 19th century that steered theatrical texts and performances toward greater fidelity to real life. The realist dramatists Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg in Scandinavia and Anton Chekhov and Maksim Gorky in Russia, among others, rejected the complex and artificial plotting of the well-made play and instead present a theatrical verisimilitude that would more objectively portray life as recognizable to the audience. This is accomplished through realistic settings and natural speech which give form to the general philosophy of naturalism which is, roughly, the view that man's life is shaped entirely by his social and physical environment.^[1] Photo of Henrik Ibsen in his older days Henrik Johan Ibsen (March 20, 1828 – May 23, 1906) was a major Norwegian playwright who was largely responsible for the rise of the modern realistic drama. ... August Strindberg Portrait of August Strindberg by Richard Bergh   (January 22, 1849 – May 14, 1912) was a Swedish writer, playwright, and painter. ... Scandinavia is a historical and geographical region centered on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. ... Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (Russian: , Anton Pavlovič ÄŒehov) (29 January 1860 [O.S. 17 January] – 15 July 1904 [O.S. 2 July]) was a physician, major Russian short story writer and playwright. ... Aleksei Maksimovich Peshkov (In Russian Алексей Максимович Пешков) (March 28; March 16 Old Style, 1868–June 14, 1936), better known as Maxim Gorky (Макси&#1084...

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