Ibsen introduced realism to the modern stage and established its conventions so powerfully that his is still the dominant stage technique. He substituted middle-class protagonists for kings and queens and wrote prose dialogue rather than poetry. He said, "My plays . . . are not tragedies in the old meaning of the word; what I have wanted to portray is human beings and that is just why I did not want them to speak the language of the gods." Two such plays during his realism period are Ghosts and The Wild Duck. Ghosts, written in 1881, and The Wild Duck, written in 1884, represent the breadth of Ibsen's realism.
The Wild Duck and Ghosts are typical of Ibsen's dominant themes: the presentness of the past; people's search for their place in life; the effects of idealism as a social force; and the problem of people's ultimate freedom. The presentness of the past is apparent in both plays. The very title, Ghosts, shows how the past comes back to haunt the characters. With the presence of Regina, Mrs. Ilving is forever reminded of her husband's wildness. When Oswald makes advances toward Regina, Mrs. Ilving realizes that the son has inherited the father's tastes. As Mrs. Ilving says, "I am timid and faint-hearted because of the ghosts that hang about me." In The Wild Duck, the past is shown through old relationships. Childhood friends Gregers and Hjalmar finally see each other after many years. Old Eindal serves as a reminder of what happened in his business dealings with Old Werle. No matter how happy Gina is and how hard she tries to please her husband, Greger's presence reminds her of her past.
Another theme is people's search for their place in life. Mrs. Ilving thinks that it is her duty to open the Orphanage in order to put any rumors to rest about her husband. It is her last effort to have a memorial for her husband. Mander's search lies somewhere between his duties as priest and his old love for Mrs. Ilv...