William Archer

William Archer (1856-1924) was an influential drama critic, who championed the cause of modern drama of ideas and realistic representation. His own dramatic talent and long experience of watching plays enabled him to examine closely the details of form and content and pinpoint the artificialities which according to him, marred the staging of many an older play. He was also responsible for introducing Ibsen to the English stage, although his view of Ibsen cannot be regarded as balanced. His emphasis—as that of Shaw—was on the “social plays” of Ibsen.