Audiences in this period were often shocked by the topics included in certain plays, and if not shocked by the topics, questioned the topics in a political position, questioning their ideals of governments or leading figures. Three of the playwrights considered the most influential of the era were Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906), Anton Chekhov (1860-1904), and George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), all notable in the theater industry during this period . their times due to their new, shocking and what could be considered revolutionary thoughts and statements made by the characters in their performance