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Ghosts and Other Plays
‘I am haunted by ghosts. When I heard Regina and Osvald out there, it was just was if there were ghosts before my very eyes’
The plays in this volume focus on the family and how it struggles to stay together by telling lies – and exposing them. In Ghosts, Osvald Alving returns home only to discover the truth about the father he always looked up to, and learns the horrific effect his father’s debauchery has had on him. It was Ibsen’s most provocative drama, stripping away the surface of a middle-class family to expose layers of hypocrisy and immorality. A Public Enemy sets two brothers against each other when one wishes to make public the facts about the polluted water in the public baths of their home town. And When We Dead Wake tells of an artist meeting an old lover by chance and rejecting his wife, in a symbolic exploration of Ibsen’s own literary life and the sacrifices he made in his work.
Peter Watt’s translation maintains the colloquial tone of the original dialogue. He has also provided an introduction and notes on the texts.
Translated with an introduction by Peter Watts
The plays in this volume focus on the family and how it struggles to stay together by telling lies – and exposing them. In Ghosts, Osvald Alving returns home only to discover the truth about the father he always looked up to, and learns the horrific effect his father’s debauchery has had on him. It was Ibsen’s most provocative drama, stripping away the surface of a middle-class family to expose layers of hypocrisy and immorality. A Public Enemy sets two brothers against each other when one wishes to make public the facts about the polluted water in the public baths of their home town. And When We Dead Wake tells of an artist meeting an old lover by chance and rejecting his wife, in a symbolic exploration of Ibsen’s own literary life and the sacrifices he made in his work.
Peter Watt’s translation maintains the colloquial tone of the original dialogue. He has also provided an introduction and notes on the texts.
Translated with an introduction by Peter Watts
301 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1964
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298 people want to read
About the author
Henrik Ibsen
2,233 books2,106 followersHenrik Johan Ibsen was a major Norwegian playwright largely responsible for the rise of modern realistic drama. He is often referred to as the "father of modern drama." Ibsen is held to be the greatest of Norwegian authors and one of the most important playwrights of all time, celebrated as a national symbol by Norwegians.
His plays were considered scandalous to many of his era, when Victorian values of family life and propriety largely held sway in Europe and any challenge to them was considered immoral and outrageous. Ibsen's work examined the realities that lay behind many facades, possessing a revelatory nature that was disquieting to many contemporaries.
Ibsen largely founded the modern stage by introducing a critical eye and free inquiry into the conditions of life and issues of morality. Victorian-era plays were expected to be moral dramas with noble protagonists pitted against darker forces; every drama was expected to result in a morally appropriate conclusion, meaning that goodness was to bring happiness, and immorality pain. Ibsen challenged this notion and the beliefs of his times and shattered the illusions of his audiences.
His plays were considered scandalous to many of his era, when Victorian values of family life and propriety largely held sway in Europe and any challenge to them was considered immoral and outrageous. Ibsen's work examined the realities that lay behind many facades, possessing a revelatory nature that was disquieting to many contemporaries.
Ibsen largely founded the modern stage by introducing a critical eye and free inquiry into the conditions of life and issues of morality. Victorian-era plays were expected to be moral dramas with noble protagonists pitted against darker forces; every drama was expected to result in a morally appropriate conclusion, meaning that goodness was to bring happiness, and immorality pain. Ibsen challenged this notion and the beliefs of his times and shattered the illusions of his audiences.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
July 8, 2017
Recently, I had an overnight in Oslo, and my husband suggested we visit the Ibsen Museum. There I bought this edition of three of Ibsen's plays, which I loved. I also loved the foreward by translator Peter Watts, and I think he deserves a lot of credit for how utterly contemporary the plays feel. He notes that Ibsen expected his plays to be read like books, and you really can do that, given the detailed stage and set directions.
In "Ghosts," a strong woman has kept the secret of her husband's dissipations from her son but realizes too late that the "ghost" of the dead father is appearing in the young man. Ibsen plays around with different ways of seeing in this play, addressing the relationship between physical sight and insight.
I loved the doctor protagonist in "Enemy of the People," and was not surprised to read in the newspaper that the play is now being produced as a comment on the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. It is right on point. The doctor sticks with the dictates of conscience and tells the truth about a polluted water supply despite consequences to his family's economic future. He can't even be said to wrestle with the problem. Other people do, but he remains clear-eyed and idealistic throughout.
But for me, "When We Dead Wake" was the most riveting, with its attention to the competing tugs of artistic expression and the art of living a life. At first, I was reminded of the Sondheim musical "A Sunday in the Park with George" Seurat, a pointillist painter who is imagined putting art above his relationship. But that play justifies the artist's choices as necessary, whereas Ibsen toward the end of his life clearly had profound regrets about some of his past priorities.
The back and forth between sculptor Rubeck and the model who inspired him (and then disappeared because she realized she was only "an episode" to him) was fascinating to me. I felt that "art" in this play could stand in for many other kinds of pursuits that we think are important in life, until we realize we should have devoted more energy to love or family or other goods.
I also love that editions of Ibsen (and other Norwegian authors) use the art of fellow mournful Norwegian Edvard Munch for their covers. So appropriate!
In "Ghosts," a strong woman has kept the secret of her husband's dissipations from her son but realizes too late that the "ghost" of the dead father is appearing in the young man. Ibsen plays around with different ways of seeing in this play, addressing the relationship between physical sight and insight.
I loved the doctor protagonist in "Enemy of the People," and was not surprised to read in the newspaper that the play is now being produced as a comment on the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. It is right on point. The doctor sticks with the dictates of conscience and tells the truth about a polluted water supply despite consequences to his family's economic future. He can't even be said to wrestle with the problem. Other people do, but he remains clear-eyed and idealistic throughout.
But for me, "When We Dead Wake" was the most riveting, with its attention to the competing tugs of artistic expression and the art of living a life. At first, I was reminded of the Sondheim musical "A Sunday in the Park with George" Seurat, a pointillist painter who is imagined putting art above his relationship. But that play justifies the artist's choices as necessary, whereas Ibsen toward the end of his life clearly had profound regrets about some of his past priorities.
The back and forth between sculptor Rubeck and the model who inspired him (and then disappeared because she realized she was only "an episode" to him) was fascinating to me. I felt that "art" in this play could stand in for many other kinds of pursuits that we think are important in life, until we realize we should have devoted more energy to love or family or other goods.
I also love that editions of Ibsen (and other Norwegian authors) use the art of fellow mournful Norwegian Edvard Munch for their covers. So appropriate!
August 9, 2018
This book is comprised of three quite interesting plays. I can't actually say which one I liked best as I enjoyed all three. My thoughts on each one are:
Ghosts – a tragic play of a woman revealing to her son what a reprobate his father was. And the son carries the ‘sin’ of the father in that he has inherited a disease from him and is going to slowly lose his mind and die from it. The end of the play also touches on assisted suicide.
A Public Enemy – a great political play about a doctor who has discovered that the main tourist attraction of the town (water healing Baths) is actually infested with the disease and needs hundreds of thousands of pounds to fix. He wants to expose this but is stopped at every turn by officials who care more about money than people’s health. There was a very small section of this play that I particularly liked as well, where Petra refuses to translate a story – she seems to be talking about the Bible and I thought that was quite funny.
When We Dead Wake - a ghostly story about a husband who is having problems with his wife when his ex lover turns up. He has killed the soul of his lover through his art and it seems that they can only move on together.
I would be interested in seeing all three of these performed on stage.
Ghosts – a tragic play of a woman revealing to her son what a reprobate his father was. And the son carries the ‘sin’ of the father in that he has inherited a disease from him and is going to slowly lose his mind and die from it. The end of the play also touches on assisted suicide.
A Public Enemy – a great political play about a doctor who has discovered that the main tourist attraction of the town (water healing Baths) is actually infested with the disease and needs hundreds of thousands of pounds to fix. He wants to expose this but is stopped at every turn by officials who care more about money than people’s health. There was a very small section of this play that I particularly liked as well, where Petra refuses to translate a story – she seems to be talking about the Bible and I thought that was quite funny.
When We Dead Wake - a ghostly story about a husband who is having problems with his wife when his ex lover turns up. He has killed the soul of his lover through his art and it seems that they can only move on together.
I would be interested in seeing all three of these performed on stage.
August 31, 2024
Referring to A Public Enemy
This felt so reminiscent of the Covid-19 pandemic and was more impactful to me because of that than whatever else it could have been. The debate between the health risk and the economic risk was almost an exact reflection of what was happening in those late stages of the pandemic and it's an interesting parallel to see in a piece of work written so long before.
This felt so reminiscent of the Covid-19 pandemic and was more impactful to me because of that than whatever else it could have been. The debate between the health risk and the economic risk was almost an exact reflection of what was happening in those late stages of the pandemic and it's an interesting parallel to see in a piece of work written so long before.
June 26, 2025
all 3 plays thoroughly enjoyable and thought provoking
April 26, 2023
This is the second collection of Ibsen’s plays that I’ve read, and this one includes Ghosts, A Public Enemy and When We Dead Wake. I guess we should take a look at each of them individually.
Ghosts: This one is by far the strongest in the collection, which is probably why it’s the title play. I particularly liked the close look at religion and the way that it can force people to do dumb stuff, but not always in the way you might think. In this case, the characters don’t take out insurance on an orphanage because that would suggest a lack of faith in God, and then of course it inevitably burns down. Some really solid stuff going on here!
A Public Enemy: The thing that I liked about A Public Enemy is that it does a great job of holding up a mirror to the society that Ibsen lived in. The title itself comes from some dialogue in the play which could be more accurately translated as “Enemy of the People”, but that doesn’t work well as something that the characters chant. From a political point of view, it’s one of the more interesting Ibsen plays that I’ve come across. So yeah, it’s a’ight.
When We Dead Wake: This was probably the weakest of the plays, although it might also be that because I read them back to back, I was ready to move on and read something different. Regardless, it’s still Ibsen, and so you can expect his usual sharp insights along with some smart and snappy dialogue that I think we have the translator to thank for as much as old Henrik. Plus the title’s great.
Ghosts: This one is by far the strongest in the collection, which is probably why it’s the title play. I particularly liked the close look at religion and the way that it can force people to do dumb stuff, but not always in the way you might think. In this case, the characters don’t take out insurance on an orphanage because that would suggest a lack of faith in God, and then of course it inevitably burns down. Some really solid stuff going on here!
A Public Enemy: The thing that I liked about A Public Enemy is that it does a great job of holding up a mirror to the society that Ibsen lived in. The title itself comes from some dialogue in the play which could be more accurately translated as “Enemy of the People”, but that doesn’t work well as something that the characters chant. From a political point of view, it’s one of the more interesting Ibsen plays that I’ve come across. So yeah, it’s a’ight.
When We Dead Wake: This was probably the weakest of the plays, although it might also be that because I read them back to back, I was ready to move on and read something different. Regardless, it’s still Ibsen, and so you can expect his usual sharp insights along with some smart and snappy dialogue that I think we have the translator to thank for as much as old Henrik. Plus the title’s great.
July 18, 2021
So enjoyed all 3 plays in this collection, but all very different.
Ghosts- this is the most ‘Ibsen’ of the 3 in my mind (mainly based on Hedda tbh). Thought the first act was really strong but the last act could veer towards melodrama on stage if not handled carefully.
A Public Enemy- to me this felt like a comedy with bite, heavily critical of a press that espouses lofty ideals but in actuality blows with the wind, of an elite concerned with protecting their own power under the guise of the public good. Reading the notes, you can see how Dr Stockmann’s predicament is a response to the backlash Ibsen himself suffered from Ghosts.
When We Dead Awaken- symbolist, but with moments that feel both naturalistic and others that are surreal. I don’t know how you would stage some of it?! But again, I found it intriguing the autobiographical parallels between Ibsen and his lead character, with a strong backward look on an artist’s life and work as he was in his 70s and writing what would be his final play.
In short, Ibsen wrote some good plays yeah? And my narrow conception of what I thought of as an Ibsen play has been expanded.
Ghosts- this is the most ‘Ibsen’ of the 3 in my mind (mainly based on Hedda tbh). Thought the first act was really strong but the last act could veer towards melodrama on stage if not handled carefully.
A Public Enemy- to me this felt like a comedy with bite, heavily critical of a press that espouses lofty ideals but in actuality blows with the wind, of an elite concerned with protecting their own power under the guise of the public good. Reading the notes, you can see how Dr Stockmann’s predicament is a response to the backlash Ibsen himself suffered from Ghosts.
When We Dead Awaken- symbolist, but with moments that feel both naturalistic and others that are surreal. I don’t know how you would stage some of it?! But again, I found it intriguing the autobiographical parallels between Ibsen and his lead character, with a strong backward look on an artist’s life and work as he was in his 70s and writing what would be his final play.
In short, Ibsen wrote some good plays yeah? And my narrow conception of what I thought of as an Ibsen play has been expanded.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2024
A nice collection of plays for my first foray into Ibsen. Overall it's between 3.5 and 4 but I gave it the bump because each play has memorable moments
Ghosts (5/5) - My favorite of the three, tight storytelling and thunders towards its heartbreaking ending. Much more than a typical "sins of the father" story.
Public Enemy (3.5/5) - Funny in parts and I'm glad I read it directly after Ghosts, since it was Ibsen's direct response to the criticism he received. I like how the doctor isn't a stand-in for Ibsen, since he takes things to the extreme and loses everything for his moral victory. His monologue is fantastic (minus some of the eugenics stuff).
When We Dead Wake (3/5) - An interesting read, especially since it's believed that Ibsen never intended it to be staged.
Ghosts (5/5) - My favorite of the three, tight storytelling and thunders towards its heartbreaking ending. Much more than a typical "sins of the father" story.
Public Enemy (3.5/5) - Funny in parts and I'm glad I read it directly after Ghosts, since it was Ibsen's direct response to the criticism he received. I like how the doctor isn't a stand-in for Ibsen, since he takes things to the extreme and loses everything for his moral victory. His monologue is fantastic (minus some of the eugenics stuff).
When We Dead Wake (3/5) - An interesting read, especially since it's believed that Ibsen never intended it to be staged.
February 20, 2020
'Ghosts' is as tight and effective a piece of theatrical writing as you'll find anywhere. 'All killer, no filler', it'd be worthy of Pinter or Shaw at their absolute best. I'm sure both of those gents learned a thing or two from it. 'Public Enemy', Usually known as 'Enemy of the People' isn't far inferior. So overall, this volume is a must. 'When We Dead Wake', while being the least of the three, has its own bittersweet fairy tale charm, which may have been enhanced for me by having seen it at the Almeida in 1990, with Claire Bloom.
Sorry to have just put you in a jealous rage.
Sorry to have just put you in a jealous rage.
April 2, 2024
"i'm timid and frightened because i can never really be free of the ghosts that haunt me"
i absolutely have a deeper appreciation for ibsens writing i mean it's so hard to not love him. my personal favourite was ghosts but i loved the other two almost equally as much and irena was such a well written character i couldn't help but stan. another one i wish i had read sooner <3
i absolutely have a deeper appreciation for ibsens writing i mean it's so hard to not love him. my personal favourite was ghosts but i loved the other two almost equally as much and irena was such a well written character i couldn't help but stan. another one i wish i had read sooner <3
May 18, 2021
An interesting set of plays but not among Ibsen's best. I'm not a huge fan of the collection (When We Dead Awake is not connected to the others) or the translation (by localizing it too much, the translator has imo made the text less accessible).
September 15, 2019
I liked it. There's not much more to say. It reminded me of A Doll's House, but with less excitement.
November 6, 2021
ghosts is a nutty little play with a few "wtf" moments
January 15, 2022
A public enemy is one of the best plays that I have ever read.
February 19, 2024
I thought ghosts was more visceral than A Doll's House actually.
Read
March 4, 2024no rating—just doing my homework on ibsen in preparation of seeing enemy of the people on broadway next week :•)
June 16, 2025
A public enemy is how it feels to vote green in a country of tactical labour votes
March 23, 2012
At the end of his life, Ibsen regretted the choices me made when creating his art decades before. This resonates with the protagonist of WHEN WE DEAD WAKE, a sculptor who does the same. It is easy to take Ibsen’s sort-of fantasy for self-reflection, and this made the play very moving to me. Too say too much is to give too much away. This, his last work, is a cry of anguish and regret for choices that hurt himself and others. It is interesting in an age such as ours that popularly conceives artists as being somehow justified when they indulge themselves for their art no matter who is hurt by the indulgence to see a truly great artist showing that this course is the wrong choice. The other plays in this collection are not under review in these comments.
May 8, 2014
Ibsen is certainly what we would call a 'slow burner' but once the fire spreads, it really brings the house down. (Or should I say orphanage, in the case of Ghosts?) He allegedly said that Ghosts is the only play in which Ibsen is completely absent and detached. This makes it a good contrast then to the other plays in this collection, which were both written from his own experience - A Public Enemy, written to vent his frustration after the uproar caused by Ghosts, and When We Dead Wake, a solemn and symbolic reflection on his artistic life. While the style and delivery are stale, the fundamental ideas are relevant and require only a few tweaks from a modern mind to appeal to a contemporary audience.
June 6, 2013
I read 'When we dead awake' in this volume (trnslated by Peter Watts). I surely want to read more from him. I am also buying other plays by him.
It is the first time I ran into Ibsen; I bought this volume in mere 40 Rupees in old books.
I am going to see one of his plays in Kamani audiotorium in early December (Delhi) in the Ibsen theatre week organised with Norwegian embassy support.
Edit, early June 2013: I read Ghosts but I like his other plays more. Ghosts is like a critique on the then morality of society. I regret reading it in many sittings. Plays are enjoyed more when you start and finish it in one go.
It is the first time I ran into Ibsen; I bought this volume in mere 40 Rupees in old books.
I am going to see one of his plays in Kamani audiotorium in early December (Delhi) in the Ibsen theatre week organised with Norwegian embassy support.
Edit, early June 2013: I read Ghosts but I like his other plays more. Ghosts is like a critique on the then morality of society. I regret reading it in many sittings. Plays are enjoyed more when you start and finish it in one go.
January 18, 2012
Such a tragic play. Mrs. Alwing is right in saying that we are all ghosts, and ghosts haunt us all the time.
The play has a good backdrop. One can appreciate reading it just as much as watching it on stage.
The play has a good backdrop. One can appreciate reading it just as much as watching it on stage.
July 13, 2007
I have an out-of-print collection of Ibsen's plays. I love "Ghosts." But it is the only play I really like of his, the rest just don't hit the mark for me.
August 31, 2008
I'll pass on Ibsen, thanks. "A Doll's House" was teeming with characters to whom I just could not identify, and the plot itself just made me recoil.
Want to read
November 22, 2008I have the 1988 edition. The cover shows a detail from "The Sick Child" by Edvard Munch, in the National Museum Stockholm.
Read
May 1, 2009Could anyone tell me more about "Ghosts" play?
April 30, 2020
By god this chap wrote damn good plays
December 23, 2022
Good plays, with engaging dialogue.
January 10, 2009
His plays seems a little outdated in some ways. Some things never change, though, I suppose.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews