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Pastor Manders
Jacob Engstrand is the carpenter Mrs. Alving hires to build an orphanage commemorating her late husband, Captain Alving. Engstrand’s daughter, Regine, also works for the Alvings as a maid, and though Engstrand wants her to come home with him after he finishes the orphanage, she refuses because she thinks that staying with the Alvings will give her a better chance at upward mobility. An alcoholic who always has a new scheme to get rich, Engstrand tells Regine that he has a plan to build a hotel in town that will serve sailors while they’re ashore. It’s clear that this establishment would function like a brothel, though he tries to appeal to Regine’s desire to become a well-respected woman by making the hotel sound like a classy place. Later, it emerges that Engstrand isn’t Regine’s real father. In fact, Captain Alving impregnated Regine’s mother, Johanna, but then gave her a large sum of money to keep quiet about the entire ordeal. Consequently, Johanna offered this money to Engstrand, who agreed to marry her and pretend to be Regine’s father. In keeping with this obsession with money, Engstrand eventually tricks Pastor Manders into funding his hotel. He does this by blaming Pastor Manders for burning down the orphanage, something for which Engstrand himself is most likely responsible. Nevertheless, Engstrand manages to manipulate Manders by claiming that he saw the pastor toss a recently snuffed candle into a pile of wood shavings. He then talks about how this accident will ruin the pastor’s reputation, knowing that Manders cares about his public image more than anything. In this way, Engstrand gets Manders to fund his hotel and decides to call it the Captain Alving Home.
Jacob Engstrand Quotes in Ghosts
The Ghosts quotes below are all either spoken by Jacob Engstrand or refer to Jacob Engstrand. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act One
Quotes
REGINE [after a short silence]. And what did you want with me in town?
ENGSTRAND. How can you ask what a father wants with his only child? I’m a lonely, deserted widower, aren’t I?
REGINE. Oh, don’t come that fiddle-faddle with me. What do you want me there for?
ENGSTRAND. Well, the thing is I’ve been thinking of going in for something new.
REGINE [sneers]. How many times haven’t I heard that one before! But you always made a mess of it.
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There has to be some women about the place, that’s clear. Because we’d want a bit of fun in the evenings, singing and dancing and that sort of thing. These are seafaring men, you’ve got to remember, roaming the high seas. [Comes closer.] Now don’t be such a fool as to stand in your own way, Regine. What can you do with yourself out here? Is it going to be any use to you, all this education the lady’s lavished on you? You’ll be looking after the children in the new Orphanage, they tell me. What sort of thing is that for a girl like you, eh? Are you all that keen on working yourself to death for the sake of a lot of dirty little brats?
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Act Three
Quotes
ENGSTRAND. Fancy a thing like that happening to a charitable institution, something that was going to be such a boon to the whole district, as you might say. I don’t suppose the papers are going to let you off very lightly, Pastor.
MANDERS. No, that’s just what I’m thinking. That’s just about the worst part of the whole affair. All these spiteful accusations and insinuations. . . ! Oh, it’s terrible to think about!
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Jacob Engstrand Quotes in Ghosts
The Ghosts quotes below are all either spoken by Jacob Engstrand or refer to Jacob Engstrand. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act One
Quotes
REGINE [after a short silence]. And what did you want with me in town?
ENGSTRAND. How can you ask what a father wants with his only child? I’m a lonely, deserted widower, aren’t I?
REGINE. Oh, don’t come that fiddle-faddle with me. What do you want me there for?
ENGSTRAND. Well, the thing is I’ve been thinking of going in for something new.
REGINE [sneers]. How many times haven’t I heard that one before! But you always made a mess of it.
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There has to be some women about the place, that’s clear. Because we’d want a bit of fun in the evenings, singing and dancing and that sort of thing. These are seafaring men, you’ve got to remember, roaming the high seas. [Comes closer.] Now don’t be such a fool as to stand in your own way, Regine. What can you do with yourself out here? Is it going to be any use to you, all this education the lady’s lavished on you? You’ll be looking after the children in the new Orphanage, they tell me. What sort of thing is that for a girl like you, eh? Are you all that keen on working yourself to death for the sake of a lot of dirty little brats?
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Act Three
Quotes
ENGSTRAND. Fancy a thing like that happening to a charitable institution, something that was going to be such a boon to the whole district, as you might say. I don’t suppose the papers are going to let you off very lightly, Pastor.
MANDERS. No, that’s just what I’m thinking. That’s just about the worst part of the whole affair. All these spiteful accusations and insinuations. . . ! Oh, it’s terrible to think about!
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