Cover of Ghosts

Ghosts

by Henrik Ibsen

First published
1881
Reading level
Easy
Price
Free

About the book

"Ghosts" by Henrik Ibsen is a play written in 1881. This controversial drama follows widow Helen Alving as she prepares to dedicate an orphanage in memory of her unfaithful late husband. When her son Oswald returns home, long-buried family secrets begin to surface, threatening to destroy the carefully maintained façade of respectability. The play explores the devastating consequences of following society's moral code, confronting taboo subjects that scandalized 19th-century audiences and challenged conventional notions of duty, truth, and maternal sacrifice.

  • Families
  • Europe
  • Tragedies (Drama)
  • Mothers and sons
  • Norwegian drama
  • Domestic drama

Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #8121. Ghosts on Wikipedia.

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