Summary

Download PDF PDF Page Citation Cite Share Link Share

The Ghost Sonata, a play by August Strindberg, unfolds in a surreal world where the living and spectral intermingle, exploring themes of deception and revelation. It opens with a disaster's aftermath, setting the stage for a series of eerie encounters and enigmatic events that draw its characters into a web of unspoken truths.

Scene 1

The day dawns grimly in Stockholm as the dust settles from a catastrophic building collapse. A young student named Arkenholz emerges, weary and unkempt, having devoted the night to aiding the victims. He arrives at a public fountain, standing before an opulent apartment block, where he encounters a peculiar milkmaid. To the student, she is tangible, offering him water, yet she is a specter visible only to him—the first "ghost" in this haunting narrative.

Observing this otherworldly interaction is Jacob Hummel, an elderly man confined to a wheelchair. He has read of the student's nocturnal heroics in the paper and recognizes him as the offspring of a man he once knew. The student and the old man engage in a conversation heavy with family ties and conflicting memories. The student recalls his father's ruin, attributing his downfall to Hummel, while Hummel insists the father's own recklessness was his undoing. Despite his uncertainty about the old man's motives, the student agrees to perform "a few small services" in exchange for promises of fame and prosperity.

Hummel’s first task for the student is to attend an opera, "The Valkyrie," to meet the Colonel and his daughter, the Girl. Their stately home, the very building the student envies daily, embodies the life he dreams of: idyllic domesticity and wealth. As the old man paints a vivid picture of the house's inhabitants, the student listens, unaware of the sinister truths lurking beneath the facade.

A glimpse into the house reveals a statue of a woman—the Mummy—whose past beauty belies her present madness and seclusion. Once vibrant, she now dwells in a closet, absorbed in her own image. Other residents include the Fiancee, an aged woman once promised to Hummel, and the spectral presence of the Dead Man, whose legacy echoes through the halls.

The student is captivated by the Girl, whose grace and charm deepen his resolve to aid Hummel. Meanwhile, Hummel’s servant, Johansson, reveals the old man’s godlike power to create and destroy. The student's doubts about Hummel's intentions grow, yet his fascination with the Girl compels him to stay, especially when she inadvertently drops a bracelet, rekindling his intrigue.

Hummel theatrically rallies the neighborhood to applaud the student’s bravery, claiming his own prophetic and healing abilities. However, the reappearance of the Milkmaid as a drowning figure terrifies Hummel, prompting a hasty retreat.

Scene 2

Evening descends, and preparations for the residents' "ghost supper" are underway. Johansson helps Bengtsson, another servant, in setting the eerie scene. The supper, an annual affair, is steeped in monotony and secrecy, with attendees trapped in repetitive conversations to avoid revealing their hidden pasts.

The Colonel's wife, dubbed the "Mummy," is introduced—a tragic figure who shuns the world. Her disdain for the unwell, including her own daughter, underscores the house's oppressive atmosphere. Johansson realizes this once-coveted home is a macabre prison, its allure a mere illusion.

The Old Man barges in, demanding an audience with the Colonel. Alone with Amelia's statue, he is startled by the Mummy’s voice. She emerges, explaining her seclusion as a means to escape life's gaze. The Old Man reveals Adele, the Girl, is their child from a forgotten affair, and announces his intention to ruin the Colonel, who once stole his beloved.

Amelia warns that revenge will...

(This entire section contains 961 words.)

Unlock this Study Guide Now

Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.

Get 48 Hours Free Access

lead to death behind the ominous black screen, but Hummel remains undeterred. His plot includes elevating the student, orchestrating a marriage between him and Adele, and seizing control of the Colonel's home.

As the Colonel arrives, Hummel unveils his scheme. He has acquired the Colonel's debts, stripping him of wealth and status. Hummel's vengeance is relentless, dismantling the Colonel’s identity piece by piece.

The ghostly dinner proceeds, each guest a player in Hummel’s game. As secrets unfold, the Mummy stops the clock, symbolically suspending time to challenge Hummel’s authority. She accuses him of hypocrisy and recounts his transgressions, including murder and betrayal.

Bengtsson corroborates her tale, exposing Hummel's past as a parasitic presence in their lives. The Milkmaid’s tragic death, caused by Hummel, haunts the narrative, a reminder of his cruelty.

Defeated, Hummel relinquishes his hold over the Colonel’s assets. The Mummy, now dominant, instructs him to atone in her closet of penance. He complies, and as he dies, the assembly of "ghosts" prays, bringing closure to his reign of terror.

Scene 3

Days later, serenity seems to envelop the Hyacinth Room, where the Student and the Girl reside. Yet beneath its beauty lurks imperfection—a metaphor for the house itself, with its hidden flaws and disarray.

The Girl reveals the sinister servants who sap the household’s vitality. The Cook, a "vampire" from the Hummel clan, drains meals of sustenance, while the housemaid adds to the chaos with her incompetence. These spectral figures embody the curse of past sins, haunting the family.

The Student, desperate to save the Girl, proposes marriage, hoping to escape the house of horrors together. But the realization dawns—it is too late. The world, revealed as a vessel of wickedness, crushes their dreams as the Girl succumbs to her fate.

As she declines, Bengtsson draws the death screen to veil her from view. The Student, resigned, welcomes Death as a "Liberator," envisioning a peaceful afterlife free from the world’s torment. The room dissolves into darkness, leaving only the haunting image of Bocklin's "The Island of the Dead," a fitting symbol for the play's conclusion.

Next

Themes

Loading...