Author(s): Rakshita Nain

Abstract: This paper examines Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen as a modern tragedy that redefines, rather than fails to attain, the classical tragic form. The objective of the paper is to engage critically with George Steiner’s claim, in his work The Death of Tragedy, that tragedy becomes impossible in a world of reason and secularism. Following Raymond Williams’ counterarguments on evolving notions of tragedy, the paper argues that Ibsen constructs a new tragic paradigm embedded in the late nineteenth century’s social, psychological, and ideological realities. Unlike classical tragedies such as Oedipus the King or Phaedra, Ghosts replaces divine fate with scientific and social systems—such as heredity, social convention, and internalized beliefs—represented metaphorically as “ghosts.” Through Mrs. Alving, the play highlights the tension between progressive thought and bourgeois morality that constraints the individual. The paper further interprets Oswald’s degeneration as a naturalistic counterpart of tragic fate, where scientific determinism replaces mythic destiny. The study demonstrates that modern tragedy can persist without a heroic downfall in the form of the inescapable conflicts of ordinary life. Conclusively, the lack of a moral resolution and catharsis distinguishes the modern tragic vision of Ibsen rooted in a world defined by naturalism, bourgeois sensibility, and a disillusionment with religion.

Keywords: bourgeois society, naturalism, new tragedy, nineteenth century drama, problem play

Article Info: Received: 02 Mar 2026; Received in revised form: 01 Apr 2026; Accepted: 03 Apr 2026; Available online: 08 Apr 2026

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.112.60