In the 1800s the definition of an 'ideal life' came into question. The industrial revolutions led to an enormous amount of poverty and crime. Auguste Comte's philosophy of positivism was about studying the betterment of humans and sociality which is the highest form of science. Charles Darwin reinforced this with his 'Origin of the Species,' stating all forms of life developed gradually from a common force of ancestry and evolution. Evolution is explained by the survival of the fittest.
             Realism, originating in France, came into play to depict reality and the happenings proved by one of the five scenes. Theatre started to take its course. Playwrights were challenged to write portraying life and as they observed it. They wrote about contempory society and using theatre as a mirror to society. Playwrights had to develop structure. They went back to a dramatic structure, perfected by Eugene Scribe, called 'the well-made play'. This formula had a clear exposition of situation, careful preparation for future events, unexpected but logical reversals, continuous mounting suspense and an obligatory scene.
             Realism started to spread all through Europe. In France the most important realist was Alexandrè Du Mos, who wrote and dramatized 'Ladies of the Camellias' and later wrote even more realistic plays. In Norway, Hendrik Ibsen, father of realism, started writing. His famous works include 'Pillars of Society', 'A Doll's house' and 'Ghosts'. All of them dealing with terrible and very direct aspects of life, like syphilis and mental illnesses. He motivated all exposition; all scenes are casually related leading logically to the denouement. Dialogue, settings, costumes and stage business are selected to reveal character and setting. Each personality is shaped and caused by heredity and environmental circumstances. He made theatre an education and allowed audience members to interoperate what it meant in their lives.
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