This course deals with the relationship between modern thought, the realistic school of theatre and the unique characteristics of the fictional hero and his role in modern drama. Using the plays by Ibsen and Strindberg, written in the late 19^th century and early 20^th, we will review the connection between reality and fiction on the background of the historical, scientific, social and economic changes that influenced, at the time, man and woman’s self-awareness. Our analysis will evolve from Nietzsche’s “outrageous” announcement about God’s death to the one stating that the sole purpose of existence is existence itself that characterizes postmodern thought and human behavior.