Tab Article
ratings: ★★★★☆ (4.3/5)
Genre: Drama, Classic, Social Commentary
Book Review:
Before Henrik Ibsen, plays were often entertaining, well-constructed, and ultimately reassuring. After Ibsen, they could be something else entirely: unsettling, provocative, and deeply disturbing. He is the father of modern drama, the playwright who dragged the theatre into the modern world, forcing audiences to confront the uncomfortable truths they preferred to ignore. This Penguin Classics volume, containing three of his most powerful plays, is a perfect introduction to his genius.
Ghosts (1881) is perhaps the most shocking of the three. It tells the story of Mrs. Alving, a widow preparing to dedicate an orphanage in memory of her seemingly virtuous husband. But as the play unfolds, the past comes back to haunt her. Her husband was a dissolute hypocrite, and the legacy of his sins is now embodied in their son, Oswald, who is suffering from the ravages of syphilis. The play's frank treatment of taboo subjects—venereal disease, incest, euthanasia—caused a firestorm of controversy. One London critic called it ''an open sewer.'' But it is also a masterpiece of psychological realism, a powerful study of the way the dead past continues to shape and destroy the living.
A Public Enemy (1882) is a brilliant, sardonic satire. Dr. Stockmann, the medical officer of a small town, discovers that the town's famous spa baths, its main source of revenue, are dangerously polluted. He expects to be hailed as a hero for exposing the truth. Instead, he is vilified. The authorities, fearful of the economic consequences, conspire to silence him. The townspeople, manipulated by the press, turn against him. He is branded ''an enemy of the people.'' The play is a savage indictment of democratic hypocrisy and the tyranny of the majority, and its themes are as relevant today as they were in the 1880s.
When We Dead Wake (1899) is Ibsen's final play, a work of profound and autumnal beauty. It tells the story of Professor Rubek, a famous sculptor who has achieved worldly success but has lost his soul. He meets Irene, the model who inspired his greatest work, and who loved him. He rejected her love for the sake of his art. Now, years later, they meet again, both dead to life, and reflect on what they have lost. It is a moving, symbolic meditation on the conflict between art and life, and it serves as Ibsen's own farewell to the stage.
This Penguin Classics edition features Peter Watts's translations, which are praised for their natural, actable dialogue. The cover, a detail from Edvard Munch's haunting painting ''The Sick Child,'' is a perfect choice, capturing the emotional intensity and psychological depth of Ibsen's work.
Ghosts and Other Plays is an essential collection for anyone interested in modern drama. Ibsen's plays are not always easy, but they are always rewarding. They challenge us, provoke us, and force us to think. They are the foundation upon which so much of modern theatre is built, and they remain as powerful and relevant as ever. Highly recommended.
