Act I

Ghosts takes place in the library of the country house of Helena Alving, a wealthy widow. It opens with Mrs. Alving's maid, Regina Engstrand, being visited by Jacob Engstrand, who often reminds her that he is her father, although she seems to doubt it he tells her that the church register can prove it. Engstrand has been working nearby as a carpenter, helping to build an orphanage, and when he returns to town, he wants Regina to go with him because he plans on using the money he has earned to open a boarding house for sailors and a tavern; and he wants a woman around: "But there must be a petticoat in the house.... For I want to have it a little lively in the evenings, with singing and dancing, and so forth." When Engstrand leaves, Pastor Manders enters. Engstrand has confided with the pastor...