Ghosts is the story of Helen Alving, a widow who is haunted by the many mistresses of her late husband and by her son who has inherited syphilis from his father. Ghosts is a scathing indictment of Victorian society in which Ibsen refutes the notion that if one simply does one's duty instead of following his wishes, a good and noble life will be achieved. Scandalous in its day for its frank discussion of venereal disease and marital infidelity, Ghosts remains to this day an intense psychological drama and sharp social criticism. Ghosts was written during the fall of 1881 and published in December of the same year. It was not performed in the theater until May 1882, when a Danish touring company produced it at Chicago's Aurora Turner Hall. Ibsen did not like translator William Archer's use of the word 'Ghosts' as the title of the work, while the Norwegian Gengangere would be more accurately translated as The Revenants, which literally means Those who return.
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