Ghosts

Henrik IbsenMar 2015

3.8

Word count: 32K words
Chapters: 11

Summary

Powerful psychological drama (1881) exposes the hypocrisy of social conventions and society's moral codes. Mrs. Helen Alving is haunted by her husband's infidelities and the disease he has passed to their son. For years she has hidden the truth behind a facade of respectability, but the past cannot stay buried. As the ghosts of old sins return to torment the living, she is ultimately forced to acknowledge the truths that have kept her from living just for the joy of life.

Editor's review

Ghosts is a realist play that Ibsen wrote in 1881, gradually revealing the cracks beneath the Alving family's respectable life. Its power does not depend on exaggerated plot but on dialogue that advances layer by layer: what the characters avoid, what they admit, and what they push onto fate create strong psychological tension. The "ghosts" are both the family's shadow and the inherited old ideas and rigid morality that still rule people who believe themselves free. The play's questioning of marriage, duty, illness and truth is cold and sharp, making it a good introduction to modern drama and the drama of social problems. Pay attention to the stage directions and subtext, and you will find that every ordinary remark is gathering force for the final collapse; it offers no cheap consolation, but it can make one re-examine the cost of "normality" and "respectability".

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers and theatre lovers interested in realist drama and the drama of social problems
Readers interested in family ethics, the truth of marriage and the situation of women
Students or researchers who need to analyse play structure, dialogue and subtext
Readers who enjoy modern drama classics by Ibsen, Chekhov and others

Not a good fit for

Readers looking for light entertainment and a warm, healing reading experience
Readers sensitive to depictions of illness, family trauma and moral hypocrisy
Readers who only want a plot summary and do not wish to enter dense dialogue

Reading tips

First get clear on the relationships between the characters, then read the whole play; on a second pass, focus on avoidance and implication in the dialogue.
Treat "ghosts" as the central metaphor and mark the context each time it appears.
After reading, compare it with Ibsen's other plays of social problems and think about the relation between the individual and institutions.
If the script feels abstract, look for a filmed stage production to help understand the staging.

Copyright information
Chapter1
INTRODUCTION.
Chapter2
GHOSTS
Chapter3
ACT FIRST.
Chapter4
ACT SECOND.
Chapter5
ACT THIRD.

FAQ

What do the "ghosts" in Ghosts refer to?

They are not real ghosts but the old ideas, hypocritical morality and rigid institutions handed down from generation to generation. Mrs Alving believes she is escaping the past, only to find that her husband's shadow, society's expectations and her son's fate still entangle her; the title thus points to how people are ruled by dead ideas.

Is Mrs Alving a victim or an accomplice?

Both. She endures her husband's betrayal, yet she long maintains the appearance of respectability, covers for him and sends her son away from the family. The play forces readers to judge where the line falls between endurance and complicity within an oppressive moral order. There is no single answer.

Is this play suitable for secondary-school students?

It can be used as extension reading, but it needs guidance. The play involves marital betrayal, hereditary illness and family collapse, and its mood is heavy; it is better suited to students of upper-secondary age or above with some experience of reading drama, discussed with a teacher or parent, and should not be read as a light story.

Should I read the script or see a production first?

Either is fine, and the purposes differ. Reading the script first lets you examine dialogue, stage directions and structure closely; seeing a production first makes it easier to grasp relationships and atmosphere. If time is limited, read it once and then look for excerpts of a production to compare, noting how different versions handle the ending.

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About the author

Henrik Ibsen Author

Henrik Ibsen was a Norwegian playwright and one of the key founders of modern realistic drama. He often used domestic and everyday settings to reveal his characters’ inner conflicts and the pressure of social norms, with dialogue that is concise and rich in symbolic meaning. His plays typically explore personal conscience, free choice and moral responsibility, allowing readers to sense deep tensions beneath apparently ordinary conversation. The library holds his play Ghosts, which uses family secrets and heredity as its thread to examine the tension between truth, responsibility and personal choice, reflecting Ibsen’s characteristic approach of calmly dissecting social reality and focusing on individual spiritual dilemmas. Publicly available information about his life and creative career is limited in this library, so it is not elaborated here.