Ghosts

"Ghosts" is a play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, first performed in 1882. The narrative centers on Mrs. Helen Alving, who is preparing to inaugurate an orphanage in memory of her late husband, Captain Alving. Her son, Oswald, returns home after years abroad, and as the story unfolds, hidden truths about the family's past emerge. Mrs. Alving reveals that her husband was unfaithful and morally corrupt, a stark contrast to the respectable image upheld in public. This legacy of deceit has profound consequences: Oswald has inherited syphilis from his father, symbolizing the inescapable transmission of sin and suffering. The play delves into themes of societal hypocrisy, the repercussions of hidden immorality, and the struggle between duty and desire. Ibsen critiques the moral standards of 19th-century society, illustrating how the "ghosts" of past actions and societal expectations haunt the present.