ghosts is the story of helen alving a widow who is haunted by the many mistresses of her deceased husband and by her son who has inherited syphilis from his philandering father ghosts is a scathing indictment of victorian society in which ibsen refutes the notion that if one simply fulfills ones duty rather than following ones desires then a good and noble life will be achieved scandalous in its day for its frank discussion of venereal disease and marriage infidelity ghosts remains to this day an intense psychological drama and sharp social criticismghosts was written during the autumn of 1881 and was published in december of the same year it was not performed in the theatre until may 1882 when a danish touring company produced it in the aurora turner hall in chicago ibsen disliked the translator william archers use of the word ghosts as the plays title whereas the norwegian gengangere would be more accurately translated as the revenants which literally means the ones who return