Publisher's Synopsis
Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen
Jakob Engstrand tries to convince his supposed daughter Regina to come and work at the sailor's establishment he wants to open, but she is too proud of his job as Mrs. Alving's maid to do so. He leaves and Pastor Manders enters. The pastor tries to convince Regina to help her father, while she harasses him to find him a job somewhere in high society. She leaves and Mrs. Alving enters. Oswald, Mrs. Alving's son, goes downstairs. He has been traveling in Europe from a young age and has not returned home in years. He and the pastor argue over living out of wedlock. He leaves, and the pastor berates Mrs. Alving for letting her son grow up this way. He also blames her for leaving her husband once. Mrs. Alving replies that her husband made her miserable and that she sent her son away to save him from her husband's debauchery. She even admits to the pastor that Regina is the loving child of her husband and their former maid, Johanna. As dinner is about to begin, the two hear a scream from the kitchen. Apparently, Oswald is making headway on Regina.
After dinner, the pastor and Mrs. Alving discuss this strange development. The pastor realizes that Oswald is furious with Engstrand for never telling him the truth about Regina. Engstrand comes in and suggests that the pastor hold a prayer meeting at the orphanage. The pastor questions him and Engstrand convince him that it was only to save Johanna's reputation that he kept the truth from her. Engstrand and the pastor leave, and Mrs. Alving goes to speak to her son. Oswald drinks. She wants to tell him the truth about her father. He tells her about the disease he is suffering from. A doctor in Paris diagnosed it saying that the sins of the father visit the son. He goes on to complain about the misery and hypocrisy of gloomy Norway, contrasting it with the joy of living. Ms. Alving is about to tell him and Regina the truth, but then they notice that the orphanage has caught fire.
Engstrand and the pastor return home, announcing that the orphanage is lost in the flames. Engstrand convinces the pastor that there will be a public scandal, accusing the pastor of carelessly letting the prayer candles light the fire. He blackmails the pastor to finance his establishment of sailors, convincing the pastor that he will be dedicated to the reform of sailors. They leave and Mrs. Alving finally tells Regina and Oswald the truth about their father. Regina feels cheated and goes to claim part of her inheritance. Oswald is partly relieved but reveals to his mother that he is sick beyond all hope. He shows her morphine tablets and asks her to administer them in the event of a relapse. As the sun rises, he melts in his chair and begins to mumble nonsense. Ms. Alving is desperate for the pills, apparently having given up all hope for her son or anyone else.