NORA HELMER is one of theatre’s greatest-ever characters. The hero of Henrik Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House, which shocked audiences in 1879 when it was first produced, hers is a revolutionary tale, a journey of self-emancipation culminating in her decision to leave her husband and children.

At the time, deserting a marriage was scandalous enough — abandoning children was considered depraved.

It’s easy to make the mistake that such attitudes are in the past. What few choices we had back then, we might say with relief, aren’t things so much better now?