In this essay, Ibsen’s plays, “The Wild Duck” and “Ghosts” are considered in relation to themes of illusions and realities. In both plays, families are held together by illusions and torn apart by truths that have been concealed to protect the children. Ibsen’s use of artistic realism is an ironic art form here, where illusions and realisms are contradicted to reveal the deeper conflicts of ordinary lives. Ibsen is representing the complicated realities of ordinary lives and emphasizes there are always many realities, just as there are many illusions.