Ghosts
Publisher: Standard Ebooks
Published: 2019
Language: eng
Subjects: Families -- Drama; Europe -- Social conditions -- 19th century -- Drama; Tragedies; Mothers and sons -- Drama; Norwegian drama -- Translations into English; Domestic drama
Description: <p>Written in 1881, when melodrama and farce were still at their peak of popularity, <a href="https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/henrik-ibsen">Ibsen’s</a> <i>Ghosts</i> is a three-act tragedy that explores uncomfortable, even forbidden themes. It is also a highly critical commentary on the morality of the day. The play centers around the widow of a prominent Norwegian sea captain whose son returns home and, with tragic consequences, revives the ghosts of the past that she has long labored to put to rest.</p>
			<p><i>Ghosts</i> immediately became a source of controversy for its inclusion of topics like venereal disease, incest, and euthanasia, and it was banned from being performed in England for many years. Its arrival signals a shift in the nature of theatre and, despite negative criticism, it was translated into other languages and performed in Sweden, Germany, and New York within a few years of its debut. It stands now as one of the works considered to have ushered in the era of modern drama.</p>