Resumen
Resumen de Ghosts
Para quién es
For readers who love family drama, tense conversation and plays that fit in a single sitting, and anyone curious about the roots of modern theatre.
De qué trata este libro
Ghosts is a play in three acts by the Norwegian writer Henrik Ibsen. He wrote it in 1881, and it was first staged in the United States in 1882. It is set in one house in western Norway, over little more than a day. A widow named Helen Alving is about to open an orphanage in memory of her husband. Her son has come home to be there. Rain falls outside, and old secrets stir inside.
Ibsen wrote the play after A Doll's House, and it pushes the same questions further. What do families owe to duty? What do they hide in order to look respectable? What happens to the children when the hiding goes on for years? Many theatres and critics of the day refused it, and some called it filthy. Reading it now, you meet a tight, quiet drama with five characters and no wasted scene. You get a story of a mother, a son, a clergyman and two servants, and of a past that will not stay buried. Let us begin with the house, the widow and the day of the memorial.
En este resumen
- 1A widow prepares to honour her husbandFree
- 2Duty and appearances shape the pastor
- 3Osvald comes home from Paris
- 4Regina, Engstrand and the secrets of the house
- 5What the ghosts really are
- 6How Ibsen builds a quiet storm
Idea clave 1 de 6
A widow prepares to honour her husband
The play opens in the country house of Mrs Helen Alving. Her husband, Captain Alving, has been dead for ten years. Tomorrow would have been his birthday, and she plans to open an orphanage in his name. The building stands nearby, and the money for it comes from his estate.
The first scene is small. Regina, the maid, is speaking to the man she believes is her father, a carpenter named Jacob Engstrand, who has come to the house with a request. Through the window the rain keeps falling, and the mood is damp and shut in. We learn at once that these two do not trust each other, and that Regina wants to leave her father and his rough ways behind.
Then the visitors begin to arrive. Pastor Manders, the local clergyman, comes to help settle the business of the orphanage. He is an old friend of Mrs Alving, and also a man who thinks very carefully about what the town will say. Her son Osvald, a painter, has returned from years abroad, and the house is lively with plans for the memorial.
Ibsen uses this ordinary setting to plant a question. Everyone speaks of Captain Alving as a fine and useful man, a pillar of the community. Mrs Alving does not contradict them, at least at first. The listener begins to wonder what she knows, and why the praise comes out so smoothly, as if it has been rehearsed for many years.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Who’s who
- Helen Alving
- A widow preparing an orphanage in her husband's memory, she welcomes her son home and consults Pastor Manders.
- Osvald Alving
- Helen's son is a painter returning from Paris, whose presence delights his mother and attracts Regina.
- Pastor Manders
- The family's clergyman and longtime friend advises Helen, placing great weight on duty and public respectability.
- Regina Engstrand
- The Alvings' ambitious young maid is attracted to Osvald and hopes to leave domestic service behind.
- Jacob Engstrand
- A carpenter regarded as Regina's father, he presents himself piously and seeks support for a sailors' home.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 25,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 1 h 40 min
- Listening time2 h 50 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary; paperback, hardcover and large print at cost
- LanguagesEnglish and 12 other languages