Resumo de Ghosts - Henrik.J.Ibsen

Title:Ghosts
Author: Henrik.J.Ibsen

By having venereal disease as the theme of the play ?Ghosts?, Henrik Ibsen created a flutter in the literary circle by violating one of the major unwritten taboos of the nineteenth century.

Mrs. Alving, the central character of the play, is a dignified woman. She silently suffers the agony of her miserable marriage. Captain Alving, A rich man, is a free thinker and leads a life of promiscuity. Though aware of his infidelity, Mrs.Alving strives hard to save the respectability of her husband. She even takes care of Regina, his illegitimate child. She sends away her only son Oswald to boarding school to protect him from getting contaminated by his father.

Pastor Manders is not only a family friend but also a close confidante of Mrs.Alving, on whose advice she struggles hard to save her marriage. She takes reign of her husband?s business and manages it successfully.

Capt.Alving contracts venereal disease and succumbs to his promiscuous habits. Mrs.Alving, who does not want Oswald to inherit anything from his father, uses her husband?s wealth to build an orphanage.

Oswald, now a handsome man returns home and Mrs.Alving looks forward to a happy and peaceful life with her son. As she prepares herself to celebrate Oswald?s and her own emancipation, fate strikes, once again shattering her life. The physical distance from his father fails to protect Oswald from what belongs to him by inheritance. Ghosts of the past reincarnate themselves in him.

Oswald follows his father?s footsteps. He even develops immoral relationship with Regina, his half sister. Mrs.Alving tries her best to reform him but fails. Meanwhile the orphanage catches fire and is destroyed which signifies the pathetic end of Oswald.

Oswald suffers the consequences of his ?joy of life?. He begs his mother to free him from physical agony by administering extra dose of morphine. The irony is that Mrs.Alving who earlier declares ?My son shall have everything from me, I am determined? could not grant him his wish. The play ends with Oswald lying in his room and crying ?Give me the sun? and his mother standing outside his room, helplessly looking at the dawn.

Critics say, that instead of hiding the reality, if Mrs.Alving had made her son aware of his father?s immoral life, Oswald would have been more cautious in his life.

Henrik Ibsen?s plays are labeled as ?Problem plays? as they highlighted different problems of the society. When asked about his indefinite way of ending the plays, Ibsen answered, as a play write, it was his duty to raise the questions, but not to offer solutions.

The play?Ghosts? which was considered full of venom for twenty five years was suddenly prescribed as a medicine. During the war of 1914, the performance of this play was encouraged to create awareness in the war-time public, of certain dangers.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notes compiled by: J.Prabha.

Resumos Relacionados