1882
Henrik Ibsen
HENRIK
IBSEN
Henrik Johan Ibsen
(20 March 1828 – 23 May
1906) was a
Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet.
He is often referred to as
"the father of realism" and is one of the founders of Modernism in theatre. He is the most frequently performed dramatist in the world after Shakespeare.
SET TING
All of the action we see happens in the same place. It's a big garden-room with three doors leading upstairs, to the kitchen, and to the garden.
Furniture-wise, there are two important pieces: a round table covered with books and periodicals, and a sofa with a little worktable.
CHARACTERS
Mrs. Helene Alving - she lives with her maidservant, Regina, in a mansion in
Norway's countryside.
Pastor Manders - he is a local priest from the nearby town. He often lectures others about morality and religion.
Oswald Alving - he feels a profound listlessness, for which he blames himself.
He also shows a romantic interest in Regina.
Regina Engstrand - she is Mrs. Alving's maidservant. She is believed to be the daughter of Jakob Engstrand, a carpenter, and the late Johanna, Mrs. Alving's former maid.
Captain Alving - he died ten years prior to the start of the play. He was a very famous man with a good reputation, and before he died he was made a chamberlain. Helena Alving and Oswald Alving
SUMMARY
For the characters in Ghosts, tomorrow is a big day. They are all convening on Rosenvold, the Alving estate, to dedicate the Captain Alving Memorial Orphanage. Mrs.
Alving is the widow of Captain Alving (also called
Chamberlain Alving), a gentleman widely respected in his community. Mrs. Alving kept his true behavior – alcoholism, womanizing, and illness – secret for twenty years. She sent her son, Oswald, away at age seven to protect him from the polluting influence of his father, who also had an illegitimate daughter by a servant. This daughter, Regina, was brought up by the carpenter
Engstrand and now works in Mrs. Alving's house.