Act 2 Summary

In act 2, Manders and Mrs. Alving discuss their courtship, which was interrupted when Captain Alving began to court Mrs. Alving and she acquiesced to his offer of marriage under the pressure of her family. He was, after all, a good catch. Manders, according to type, tells her it was "in accord with law and order." That, she says, is the cause of the trouble in the world and declares that she is not putting up with these laws and restrictions any more. She compares her marriage to the Captain to the marriage of Regine's parents, Engstrand and Johanna. She says that in her case, the price was higher, and that she was a coward to marry Alving, knowing what he was like, especially since she was in love with Manders.

She explains what she means by ghosts. She says that hearing Oswald propositioning...