4/14 Quiz - Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen

Characters: Who is Helene Alving?

A widow who is building an orphanage in memory of her late husband. Referred to as "Mrs. Alving" throughout the show. Played by Judi Dench.

Characters: Who is Pastor Manders?

Helen Alving's priest. Played by Michael Gambon.

Characters: Who is Oswald Alving?

Helene Alving's son who has recently come home from studying in Paris. Played by Kenneth Branagh.

Characters: Who is Jakob Engstrand?

A carpenter and Regina's father. Referred to as "Engstrand" throughout the show. Played by Freddie Jones.

Characters: Who is Regina Engstrand?

Mrs. Alving's maidservant and Engstrand's daughter. Played by Natasha Richardson.

What do Engstrand and Regina talk about in the first scene?

Engstrand says he has saved up enough money from building an orphanage to open up a sailor's home. He tells Regina that he wants her to work there by "singing and dancing". Regina refuses and yells at him to get out.

What do Regina and Pastor Manders talk about after Engstrand leaves?

Pastor Manders tells Regina that she should go and live with her father to help guide him and keep his life in order, but Regina says she doesn't want to leave Mrs. Alving and that she would only move in with a man if the man were "a real gentlemen" who she could "feel affection for", hinting that she may want to move in with Pastor Manders. Pastor Manders then tells Regina to go fetch Mrs. Alving from upstairs.

What do Mrs. Alving and Pastor Manders talk about when she comes downstairs?

First, Pastor Manders criticizes the books that Mrs. Alving reads, which are apparently from "intellectual movements from the great outside", to which Mrs. Alving responds saying that Pastor Manders shouldn't judge the books if he hasn't even read them.

They then talk about whether the orphanage they're building should be insured. Pastor Manders says that the orphanage should not be insured because it could make it look like they don't believe God will save them if something bad were to happen, and that they would suffer public backlash from the religious community if they insured the orphanage. They eventually decide not to insure the orphanage.

Finally, Pastor Manders asks Mrs. Alving if she would be okay with Regina moving back in with her father to help keep him out of trouble. Mrs. Alving says she would not agree to it because she's seen how terrible a father Engstrand has been to Regina.

What does Pastor Manders talk with Oswald about when he comes downstairs?

Pastor Manders remarks how much Oswald looks like his late father. They then get into an argument about the morality of couples having children and living together out of wedlock. Pastor Manders believes it is immoral for people to live together and have families without getting married, while Oswald believes it is totally acceptable for couples to decide it is too expensive to get married. Oswald eventually gets so heated up that he has to leave for a walk.

What do Pastor Manders and Mrs. Alving talk about after Oswald leaves to take a walk?

Mrs. Alving admits to Pastor Manders that he agrees with her son, and that married men are often the ones who act the most immoral.

Mrs. Alving then reveals in a plot twist that her husband was not a good man at all, but rather a womanizing drunkard, and that she kept the truth about his terrible behavior a secret from the rest of the town.

She tells the story of how one day, Mr. Alving sexually assaulted their maid, resulting in Mrs. Alving deciding to send Oswald away so that he wouldn't be in the same house as his father.

Pastor Manders asks Mrs. Alving why she wants to raise a memorial orphanage to such a horrible man. Mrs. Alving says she wants to ensure that no one ever learns the truth about Mr. Alving, and that she doesn't want Oswald to inherit any of his father's money.

When Oswald returns, what happens immediately after?

Mrs. Alving hears a noise in the other room. She goes to investigate and finds Regina and Oswald kissing. Pastor Manders asks what Mrs. Alving saw, and she says "Ghosts".

What do Mrs. Alving and Pastor Manders talk about after eating dinner?

Mrs. Alving confirms that Mr. Alving was Regina's biological father, not Engstrand, and they both decide that Regina must be sent away from the house.

They get into an argument over whether Mrs. Alving should tell Oswald the truth about his father, in which Mrs. Alving feels it's the right thing to do whereas Pastor Manders believes that she should let her son believe in "the ideal" of who he thinks his father was.

Mrs. Alving delivers a monologue about "ghosts"; the "dead ideas" and "old beliefs" that refuse to die and still live in all of us.

Mrs. Alving then gets into another argument with Pastor Manders about the time he told her to go back to her husband when she wanted to leave; Pastor Manders considers it one of his proudest moments, while Mrs. Alving says it was a mistake and that she never should have gone back.

What do Engstrand and Pastor Manders talk about when Engstrand comes over to visit?

At first, Pastor Manders is furious at Engstrand for hiding the truth about Regina's biological father and for taking Mr. Alving's money to marry Regina's mother. Engstrand explains that he only took the money so that he could pay for Regina's education.

Pastor Manders then apologizes to Engstrand for misjudging him and asks if he can make it up to him. Engstrand asks if he can have some money to help him build his sailor's home. Pastor Manders says he will consider it and Engstrand leaves.

What does Oswald tell Mrs. Alving when she returns from talking to Pastor Manders?

Oswald tells Mrs. Alving that there is something wrong with him that prevents him from being able to concentrate and that he will never be able to work again. According to Oswald, the doctor initially said that he was "worm-eaten from birth" and that he must have inherited some STD from his father, but when Oswald explained to the doctor that his father was a morally righteous man, the doctor said that Oswald must have contracted the disease through his own behavior.

Oswald then tells Mrs. Alving that he is deeply attracted to Regina and wants to live out the rest of his life with her.

What happens when Oswald tries to sit Regina down with Mrs. Alving to talk about his plan to spent his life with her?

Oswald talks about the "joy of life" and how he was brought up on the idea that life is "a misery which we do best to get out of as soon as possible", but that overseas people think life is "wonderful" and that it's "glorious just to be alive", hence why he wants to leave.

Regina then looks out the window and sees that the orphanage is on fire.

After the group investigates the burning orphanage and finds there is little to nothing left, what do Engstrand and Pastor Manders talk about?

Engstrand accuses Pastor Manders of setting the fire, saying that his candles from his prayer service must have started the fire. Pastor Manders is worried his reputation will be ruined, but Engstrand says that he will take the blame for the fire. Pastor Manders is extremely grateful for Engstrand and says he will pay for his sailor's home. Pastor Manders and Engstrand then leave.

What happens when Oswald finally comes inside after watching the fire to talk with Mrs. Alving and Regina?

Mrs. Alving says that hearing Oswald talk about the "joy of life" has led to her thinking of Mr. Alving in a new light. Mrs. Alving says that Mr. Alving was "full of the joy of life" and that he wasn't able ever able to fit in to their small town "where there was no joy to offer him". She then reveals the truth, that Mr. Alving was already sick before Oswald was born and that he was Regina's biological father.

Upon hearing this news, Regina decides that she must leave now and pursue her own "joy of life", possibly as a dancer at Engstrand's sailor house. She then leaves for good.

What do Mrs. Alving and Oswald talk about after Regina leaves for good?

Oswald despairs over the fact that he feels nothing for his father because he never knew him.

Oswald then explains to Mrs. Alving that the doctor told him that he will at some point have an "attack" that will render him paralyzed and incapable of taking care of himself. Oswald says that he planned for Regina to take care of him and give him morphine to kill him when the attack came. Mrs. Alving reluctantly agrees that she will use the morphine to kill Oswald when the time comes.

Oswald has the attack and can only repeat the words "the sun" over and over. Mrs. Alving cries out "no" in despair.