Scan barcode
leic01's review against another edition
3.0
“...and I am fighting my battle with ghosts, both within me and without.”
Ghosts is a play by Ibsen that touches on his signature themes of duty in opposition to happiness and joy, also, more specific the wife's duty towards her children and husband, and rules imposed on us by society and religion that shape all generations. Ibsen does not shy away from very controversial, taboo themes of philandering, incest, venereal diseases, euthanasia, and approaches them in a very empathetic and humane way, open-mindedly and revolutionary for those times. Critics and moralists hated him for that. The characters are influenced both by societal moral hypocrisy in view of family and sins, and heredity.
“It is not only what we have inherited from our father and mother that "walks" in us. It is all sorts of dead ideas, and lifeless old beliefs, and so forth. They have no vitality, but they cling to us all the same, and we cannot shake them off. Whenever I take up a newspaper, I seem to see ghosts gliding between the lines. There must be ghosts all the country over, as thick as the sands of the sea. And then we are, one and all, so pitifully afraid of the light.“
Mrs. Alving is a well-read, empathetic woman, struggling to find a balance between morals, duty and her own rebellion against a strict system in search of her own bliss. Father Manders is a representation of a person clinging to duty and ethical obligation, in the process losing the empathy and the perspective of life and the real world. Living more in the world of abstract ideas, he loses touch with what does it mean to be human and to live whole-heartedly in the fallen world of ghosts. Mrs. Alving, on the other hand, is a passionate, open-minded woman, and the voice which tries to open Manders eyes to the reality of the world.
“That doctrine will scarcely go down with warm-blooded young people who love each other.“
Father Manders, in his naivety, does not see the real nature of the situation, yet, wants to impose his own judgment about them on others. He is a symbol of the Church that has lost its connection with the hearts of real people, contrary to the deep wisdom it should have in helping souls to sail to the hopeful side of suffering. But grim, outdated, nonflexible ideas that are not in connection to the spirit of time only deepen the suffering. In father Manders's eyes; sacrifice of own ”joy of life” for duty is not only acceptable but desirable and noble.
It is the very mark of the spirit of rebellion to crave for happiness in this life. What right have we human beings to happiness? We have simply to do our duty, Mrs. Alving!
Mrs. Alving and Manders hold the opposite pole in the conflict of freedom vs. duty, expression ambiguity found in every person. Mrs. Alving even comes to the belief that her philandering, alcoholic husband was but a mere victim of a rigid system, in which the deep dissatisfaction and lack of joy were manifested through immoral behavior. Ibsen, thought Mrs. Alving, is adamant to tear apart the constricting doctrines of the victorian era, hoping to achieve a more liberated world without in which people are free to follow the desires of their heart.
MRS. ALVING. Yes—when you forced me under the yoke of what you called duty and obligation; when you lauded as right and proper what my whole soul rebelled against as something loathsome. It was then that I began to look into the seams of your doctrines. I wanted only to pick at a single knot; but when I had got that undone, the whole thing ravelled out. And then I understood that it was all machine-sewn.
Conventional morality is on trial and ultimately condemned. As Nietzsche said, God is dead, and the power of religious order is diminished, and people can chart their own paths. We are living in a new era of freedoms that were unimaginable for the times in which this play is set. The old victorian system of strict moral rules is torn apart and people in the western world have much more freedom to follow the desires of their hearts, even in an immoral way. The pitfall of the selfishness of living in that extreme is more explored in Ibsen's play [b:Peer Gynt|279221|Peer Gynt|Henrik Ibsen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389996366l/279221._SY75_.jpg|1661962], immensely relevant for a modern man.
But, even without a set of imposed rules, we are not free from our heritage and diseases, another theme of the play explored in young Oswald, Mrs. Alving's son. Living with syphilis inherited from his father, he despises the life he is condemned to live and wishes euthanasia.
OSWALD. I never asked you for life. And what sort of a life have you given me? I will not have it! You shall take it back again!
Both Oswald and Regina are innocent but brought into this world to have a tragic destiny due to the sins of their father.
“The sins of the father are visited upon the children.“
This play to the core of the theme of the play, described in the first quote. Everyone is predestined to combat with ghosts, both ones that are outside, in society rules that are always partially inclined to fight against the true expression of our authentic self, and in inner ghosts of our ancestors, parents who have their own faults and sins that shape our destiny of misfortune, sometimes written in our DNA. These ghosts do come alive in our thoughts, emotions and behavior and the specific way we ought to suffer. Ibsen wrote about the philosophy of Ghosts;
“They say, that the book preaches Nihilism. Not at all. It is not concerned to preach anything whatsoever. It merely points to the ferment of Nihilism going on under the surface, at home as elsewhere.”
Both psychological drama and social criticism, this work of Ibsen further prove how passionate and honest he was in search of understanding of all layers of human experience.
Ghosts is a play by Ibsen that touches on his signature themes of duty in opposition to happiness and joy, also, more specific the wife's duty towards her children and husband, and rules imposed on us by society and religion that shape all generations. Ibsen does not shy away from very controversial, taboo themes of philandering, incest, venereal diseases, euthanasia, and approaches them in a very empathetic and humane way, open-mindedly and revolutionary for those times. Critics and moralists hated him for that. The characters are influenced both by societal moral hypocrisy in view of family and sins, and heredity.
“It is not only what we have inherited from our father and mother that "walks" in us. It is all sorts of dead ideas, and lifeless old beliefs, and so forth. They have no vitality, but they cling to us all the same, and we cannot shake them off. Whenever I take up a newspaper, I seem to see ghosts gliding between the lines. There must be ghosts all the country over, as thick as the sands of the sea. And then we are, one and all, so pitifully afraid of the light.“
Mrs. Alving is a well-read, empathetic woman, struggling to find a balance between morals, duty and her own rebellion against a strict system in search of her own bliss. Father Manders is a representation of a person clinging to duty and ethical obligation, in the process losing the empathy and the perspective of life and the real world. Living more in the world of abstract ideas, he loses touch with what does it mean to be human and to live whole-heartedly in the fallen world of ghosts. Mrs. Alving, on the other hand, is a passionate, open-minded woman, and the voice which tries to open Manders eyes to the reality of the world.
“That doctrine will scarcely go down with warm-blooded young people who love each other.“
Father Manders, in his naivety, does not see the real nature of the situation, yet, wants to impose his own judgment about them on others. He is a symbol of the Church that has lost its connection with the hearts of real people, contrary to the deep wisdom it should have in helping souls to sail to the hopeful side of suffering. But grim, outdated, nonflexible ideas that are not in connection to the spirit of time only deepen the suffering. In father Manders's eyes; sacrifice of own ”joy of life” for duty is not only acceptable but desirable and noble.
It is the very mark of the spirit of rebellion to crave for happiness in this life. What right have we human beings to happiness? We have simply to do our duty, Mrs. Alving!
Mrs. Alving and Manders hold the opposite pole in the conflict of freedom vs. duty, expression ambiguity found in every person. Mrs. Alving even comes to the belief that her philandering, alcoholic husband was but a mere victim of a rigid system, in which the deep dissatisfaction and lack of joy were manifested through immoral behavior. Ibsen, thought Mrs. Alving, is adamant to tear apart the constricting doctrines of the victorian era, hoping to achieve a more liberated world without in which people are free to follow the desires of their heart.
MRS. ALVING. Yes—when you forced me under the yoke of what you called duty and obligation; when you lauded as right and proper what my whole soul rebelled against as something loathsome. It was then that I began to look into the seams of your doctrines. I wanted only to pick at a single knot; but when I had got that undone, the whole thing ravelled out. And then I understood that it was all machine-sewn.
Conventional morality is on trial and ultimately condemned. As Nietzsche said, God is dead, and the power of religious order is diminished, and people can chart their own paths. We are living in a new era of freedoms that were unimaginable for the times in which this play is set. The old victorian system of strict moral rules is torn apart and people in the western world have much more freedom to follow the desires of their hearts, even in an immoral way. The pitfall of the selfishness of living in that extreme is more explored in Ibsen's play [b:Peer Gynt|279221|Peer Gynt|Henrik Ibsen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389996366l/279221._SY75_.jpg|1661962], immensely relevant for a modern man.
But, even without a set of imposed rules, we are not free from our heritage and diseases, another theme of the play explored in young Oswald, Mrs. Alving's son. Living with syphilis inherited from his father, he despises the life he is condemned to live and wishes euthanasia.
OSWALD. I never asked you for life. And what sort of a life have you given me? I will not have it! You shall take it back again!
Both Oswald and Regina are innocent but brought into this world to have a tragic destiny due to the sins of their father.
“The sins of the father are visited upon the children.“
This play to the core of the theme of the play, described in the first quote. Everyone is predestined to combat with ghosts, both ones that are outside, in society rules that are always partially inclined to fight against the true expression of our authentic self, and in inner ghosts of our ancestors, parents who have their own faults and sins that shape our destiny of misfortune, sometimes written in our DNA. These ghosts do come alive in our thoughts, emotions and behavior and the specific way we ought to suffer. Ibsen wrote about the philosophy of Ghosts;
“They say, that the book preaches Nihilism. Not at all. It is not concerned to preach anything whatsoever. It merely points to the ferment of Nihilism going on under the surface, at home as elsewhere.”
Both psychological drama and social criticism, this work of Ibsen further prove how passionate and honest he was in search of understanding of all layers of human experience.
merxcutio's review against another edition
challenging
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
eveisatom's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ameliaelliott's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
jobridge's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
nakarem's review against another edition
4.0
Ich mag Ibsens Art. Keine Ahnung, wie ich das beschreiben soll, aber ich find's super.
kingofspain93's review against another edition
3.5
When you forced me under the yoke of what you called duty and obligation; when you lauded as right and proper what my whole soul rebelled against as something loathsome. It was then that I began to look into the seams of your doctrines. I wanted only to pick at a single knot; but when I had got that undone, the whole thing ravelled out. And then I understood that it was all machine-sewn.
In america alone there are ~380,000 religious congregations and 7 out of 10 people identify with some form of organized religion, so a natural byproduct of reading a still-relevant condemnation of the church written 100+ years ago is for me to feel fucking exhausted. Still, having never read Ibsen before his reputation as a feminist playwright holds up under scrutiny. I like especially that even progressive men are still shown as sexists who hold women emotionally captive for the purpose of their own apotheosis. Shout out to Regina, escaping. Bonus points for the attempt to de-moralize STDs and for a very pragmatic approach to brother-sister incest.
In america alone there are ~380,000 religious congregations and 7 out of 10 people identify with some form of organized religion, so a natural byproduct of reading a still-relevant condemnation of the church written 100+ years ago is for me to feel fucking exhausted. Still, having never read Ibsen before his reputation as a feminist playwright holds up under scrutiny. I like especially that even progressive men are still shown as sexists who hold women emotionally captive for the purpose of their own apotheosis. Shout out to Regina, escaping. Bonus points for the attempt to de-moralize STDs and for a very pragmatic approach to brother-sister incest.