Ghosts: A Domestic Tragedy in Three Acts
by Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906)
- Free to read
- 1 hour to read
- 3 chapters
- Reading level: 6th grade
"Ghosts: A Domestic Tragedy in Three Acts" by Henrik Ibsen is a play written in 1881. Mrs. Alving prepares to dedicate an orphanage in memory of her late husband, concealing his scandalous past. When her son Oswald returns home, devastating secrets emerge about inheritance, forbidden love, and the consequences of upholding society's moral code. The play's frank treatment of taboo subjects sparked immediate controversy, yet it became recognized as a groundbreaking work that questioned whether following conventional morality leads to tragedy.
- Families
- Europe · Social conditions · 19th century
- Tragedies (Drama)
- Mothers and sons
- Norwegian drama · Translations into English
Read the opening
Act I
(SCENE.—A large room looking upon a garden door in the left-hand wall, and two in the right. In the middle of the room, a round table with chairs set about it, and books, magazines and newspapers upon it. In the foreground on the left, a window, by which is a small sofa with a work-table in front of it. At the back the room opens into a conservatory rather smaller than the room. From the right-hand side of this, a door leads to the garden. Through the large panes of glass that form the outer wall of the conservatory, a gloomy fjord landscape can be discerned, half-obscured by steady rain.
ENGSTRAND is standing close to the garden door. His left leg is slightly deformed, and he wears a boot with a clump of wood under the sole. REGINA, with an empty garden-syringe in her hand, is trying to prevent his coming in.)
Regina (below her breath). What is it you want? Stay where you are. The rain is dripping off you.
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About this edition
This free edition of Ghosts: A Domestic Tragedy in Three Acts by Henrik Ibsen comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #2467, released 2001-01-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Plays/Films/Dramas.
Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).
