GhostsBy Henrik Ibsen
- Written and Published in 1881
- Performed in 1882
- The play is divided into 3 acts.
- Genre: Drama, Family Drama, Realism
- Setting: The Alving estate in western Norway
Characters
- Mrs. Helene Alving- a widow
- Captain Alving- Mrs. Alving’s husband
- Oswald- Son of Mr. and Mrs. Alving, an artist (syphilis-inherited from his father)
- Pastor Manders- Family friend
- Johanna- Johanna was the Alvings' servant.
- Jakob Engstrand- a carpenter
- Regina Engstrand- Jakob’s daughter, Biological daughter of Mr. Alving and Johanna.
Themes
Morality, Sex, Consequences of Past,
Reputation.
About Author
Henrik Ibsen is a Norwegian playwright and
theatre director.
Born: 20 March, 1928
Died: 23 May, 1906
Play’s Summary
“Ghosts” is a play written by prominent Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. Like of Ibsen’s play Ghosts is a scathing commentary on 19th-century morality. It was written during the autumn of 1881 and published in December of the same year. It was first staged in 1882 in Chicago. Ghosts is a scathing indictment of Victorian society in which Ibsen refuses the notion that if one simply fulfils one’s desires, then good and noble life can be achieved. Scandalous in its day for its frank discussion of venereal disease, marital infidelity, and incest, it immediately generated strong controversy and negative criticism.The play is set in late 19th-century Norway in the Rosenvold estate of Mrs. Alving, a wealthy widow. She prepares to open a new orphanage in memory of her death husband.
The author of the play Ghosts is a Norwegian playwright and a director Henrik Johan Ibsen. He is considered as “the father of realism” and one of the most influential playwrights of his time. He is also referred as the “father of modern theater." After Shakespeare, he is considered as the second most influential dramatist and poet of the 19th century. Henrik Ibsen’s major works include ‘Brand’, ‘Enemy of the People’, ‘A Doll’s House’, ‘The Wild Duck’, ‘When We Dead Awaken’, and ‘The Master Builder’. Other playwright and novelists such as James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde and Eugene O Neill were greatly inspired by Ibsen.
The play starts with Mrs. Alving, who decides to open an orphanage in memory of her death husband Captain Alving. It is the 10th anniversary of her husband's death and the orphanage’s grand opening is the next day. However, she is not happy with her husband because he drinks a lot. Pastor Manders comes to the Alving household to speak with Mrs. Alving about the orphanage. Pastor Manders is in charge of managing the orphanage’s finances. Mrs. Alving’s son Oswald has recently come home for the first time in a long while, returning from Parish. Alving continue their conversation, Oswald enters and greets them both. Despite the Pastor’s friendliness, Oswald is hesitant to show good will towards Manders.
Once Oswald has left the room, Pastor Manders tells Mrs. Alving that he has something to say to her. He reproaches her for leaving her husband in the early stages of their marriage. Apparently Mrs. Alving left Captain Alving shortly after their wedding because alcoholic and has bebaving like an adulterer. She went to Pastor Manders, but Manders insisted that she return home. Furthermore, he accuses Mrs. Alving of being a bad mother for sending Oswald away from home as a child, arguing that children should remain with their parents. Calling her selfish, he says that Mrs. Alving sent Oswald away because she couldn't handle the pressures of motherhood. After listening to the Pastor speak, Mrs. Alving informs him that he is talking about things; about which he knows very little. She tells Pastors, Captain Alving never reformed himself. In reality, he continued to drink heavily and sleep with other women, but Mrs. Alving helping him present himself as a respectable member of society. She explains, she heard Captain Alving approach the maid, Johanna. Mrs. Alving was in the very room in which she and Manders now sit, and she sexual advances of Johanna. This astounds Manders continuing her story, Mrs. Alving says that this was when she decided to sent young Oswald away from home, fearing that Captain Alving would negatively influence the boy. From that point on, she didn’t let Oswald come home until after his father had died.
Shortly after Mrs. Alving explains this both she and Pastor Manders hear Oswald make a sexual advance on Regine in the adjacent room. Rattled, Mrs. Alving says that hearing this makes her feel like she is confronting the ghost of her past and she reveals to Pastor Manders, Regine is the daughter of Johanna and Captain Alving.
Mrs. Alving tells him that Captain Alving gave Johanna a large amount of money to lie about who impregnant her. Johanna tells Engstrand that a wealthy foreign sailor impregnant her and gave her money to keep quite about it and she ultimately convinced Engstrand to marry her and pretend to be Regine’s true father. Later Engstrand also works in Mrs. Alving household. Enstrand and Manders set off to organize the ceremony. Mrs. Alving spends time with Oswald. At that time Oswald tells his mother that he is quite ill, explain that he went to a doctor in Paris, who told him that he has ‘syphilis’.
At present time Regine working as a maid for Mrs. Alving and Engstrand wants to open a hotel for sailors. However, he also says that he wants Regine to help him in hotel, leaving her job at Mrs. Alving house. But Regine tells Engstrand to leave and he chastises her for not being a dutiful daughter. Just then Regine looks out the window and sees that the orphanage is engulfed in flames. After the orphanage has burned Engstrand insists that Pastor Manders is the one responsible for the fire. Regine learns about Oswald’s illness, at which point Mrs. Alving tells them that Captain Alving was Regine’s true father. Upon hearing that Regine immediately leaves.
When Regine is gone Oswald tells his mother that she will need to enthusiasm him whenever his sickness overcomes him. Mrs. Alving initially refuses, she eventually tells him that she will give him the pills if it becomes necessary. At the end of the play Mrs. Alving stands before her son with the morphine unsure of what to do.
Thus, the paly “Ghosts” depicting the immortality that was inherent in the society during 19th century. The play has several themes such as – reputation, self sacrifice, the past inheritance, wealth, morality and many more. So, now we can say that “Ghosts” is the best play of Henrik Ibsen.
