...Hedda Gabler Hedda was the only daughter of thefamous General Gabler, and she married beneath her when she married Tesman,even though Tesman and his aunts all spent money they didn’t have to attempt togive her the life she's used to. Note that the title of the play is HeddaGabler, even though her name, now that she's married, is technically HeddaTesman. To Hedda, Tesman is annoying, boring, and an aunties' boy , and beingmarried is like a chore for her. Back then, no respectable woman could just staysingle, and divorce didn't really exist yet. There's a possibility throughoutthe show that she's pregnant with his child, which may be one of the reasonsshe hates the situation even more. Lovborg used to be a fling of Hedda's,and also had a drinking problem. He went out in the country and tutored Mrs.Elvsted's children, and she helped quit his habit. Now Lovborg has returned totown, and may be a potential career rival to Tesman. They are both experts on acertain branch of history, and a university may be interested in offering oneof them a position. Mrs. Elvsted, an old schoolmate of Hedda's, has run awayfrom home to follow Lovborg to the city, because she has grown very attached tohim, following him around like his own personal secretary. When Elvsted showsup at the Tesmans' home, Hedda manipulates her by telling Lovborg that she’sonly there because she’s afraid he might start drinking again. A big open question in the show is, whatdoes Hedda want? Is she desperate...
Words: 542 - Pages: 3
...The Character of Hedda Gabler in Ibsen's Hedda Gabler The first aspect of the play that hits us, the readers, is the title. Before we even read a line of this play we notice the strangeness between the name of the title character and her name in the play. In the play Hedda is Tesman's wife, but the title suggests that she is the independent daughter of the late General Gabler. Thus, Ibsen introduces the reader to this difficult character before the curtain is drawn. We instantly ask the question: why is the title "Hedda Gabler" and not "Hedda Tesman"? Perhaps Ibsen is suggesting Hedda's independence from her present situation, the situation in which she is introduced. We are drawn into speculation over Hedda's past life, the life of Hedda Gabler. Ibsen's play is rich in random glimpses into Hedda's past. Hedda is the product of upper-class birth. She is, as I mentioned earlier, the daughter of General Gabler, whose portrait hangs over this play. And in case we have looked over the significance of the portrait in the stage directions or have overlooked it as an audience member, Miss Tesman pins our attention to it and the reality of Hedda's upper-class life: "Well, you cant's wonder at that--General Gabler's daughter! Think of the sort of life she was accustomed to in her father's time. Don't you remember how we used to see her riding down the road along with the General? In that long black habit--with feathers in her hat?" (Ibsen 2). Her...
Words: 1173 - Pages: 5
...The conflict between aristocracy and bourgeoisie in “Hedda Gabler”, is a stark contrast of privilege against a backdrop of those seeking success through their own effort. The middle class striving for mobility to the upper echelon while being scorned by them. This is epitomized in the marriage of Hedda Gabler to George Tesman. Tesman is enamored and willing to go into debt for Hedda. He views this as a sacrifice for her. Meanwhile, Hedda is increasingly bored, and is realizing that she will not have an aristocratic lifestyle. She is unable to make more purchases, get a new piano, have a horse, or footmen. She despises the life she chose. Hedda looks at everyone as though they only exist to please her. Therefore that she lies, or flirts, or manipulates to hurt others is irrelevant to her end goals. Her shallow ambition for the center of attention and her trepidation of scandal keep her from obtaining her true desires and force her into isolated...
Words: 560 - Pages: 3
...Adam ENG 2110 April 18th, 2013 Hedda Gabler and “The Trapped Woman” in the 19th Century Appearances can be deceiving. Hedda Gabler, the great story of an aristocratic woman, smart, and somewhat off her rocker, takes us into the personal life of a woman by the married name of Hedda Tesmen. Through analysis and research of the story though, we can see the author is trying to show us something further from what it seems. Henrik Ibsen, the writer of Hedda Gabler, seems to not be telling us the personal story of the woman Hedda Tesman, but showing us the faults of society for that time period in terms of the roles of women. “The Trapped Woman”, is a term I will use to describe the role of “The Woman” in the late 19th Century. Henrik Ibsen appears to be showing us through Hedda’s life that no matter the apparent strength or background of a woman during the 19th century, they are still trapped in a way which forbids them to be who they truly are. Hedda Tesman, as described early on in the play, due to her background and personality, should in no way be anything but in complete control over her life. As stated by Aunt Julle, “General Gabler’s daughter. What a life she had in the general’s day!” (Ibsen). This statement in the beginning of the play almost immediately foreshadows her unhappy life in her current state. Due to the roles of women for that time period, she is just the representation of all women in her situation at the time. Women in the 19th century had very minimal...
Words: 1530 - Pages: 7
...Henrik Ibsen highlights a sense of entrapment in the play Hedda Gabler by employing several dramatic techniques that often reassert the implications of dialogue, thus enhancing the understanding of each character’s state of mind among the audience. Ibsen primarily uses the character of Hedda, a bourgeois woman trapped in a loveless marriage to convey this feeling of confinement by presenting her as a woman who seems deeply frustrated with the narrow and restricted expectations of the 19th-century society. Through her mindset that is always conflicted between her duty to behave with the utmost propriety and her desire to break free from these expectations, Ibsen exposes the idea of psychological entrapment which is supported by the dialogue,...
Words: 1408 - Pages: 6
...The play Hedda Gabler has been around for nearly a hundred and twenty-seven years. The play displays various themes that include manipulation, women’s rights, wealth, and social peculiarities. Although life in the late nineteenth century was different from current times, many aspects of society stayed the same. Women around the world are pressured daily to conform to what society considers “normal” This leads to unpredicted and destructive behaviors. The play Hedda Gabler does a fantastic job of showing what happens when someone is left without choices. Hedda Gabler wasn’t given any options with society and began taking the lives of those around her into her own hands. Manipulating George, Loveburg, and Brack was among her victims, playing them against each other in her twisted games. Manipulation still occurs very often today; people play one...
Words: 688 - Pages: 3
...Escape Hedda from Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen and Chandara from Punishment by Rabindranath Tagore are two powerful women who seek refuge through suicide. Both women face circumstances that suppress their independent spirit, and yet with their death they claim victory above all and gain their freedom. Hedda is a character of many qualities, she proves to be very intelligent and also confident with the ability to intimidate most of the characters within the play. She is also tricky in her motives, and in dire need of entertainment to rid her boredom; which has accrued due to the fact that she is a woman in a time that constrained them to the home. Forced to inhibit her thoughts, she uses manipulative tactics to redeem some form of control over her husband and her friends. Her bold nature shows that she is unafraid and therefore adds to her power. Hedda was raised by her father, a general. Rather than learning how to cook and clean, like other women of her time, she learned to ride horses, and shoot pistols. She had a different mindset concerning life; perhaps in a different age she would have been a great leader, however the society of the time had different plans for her and so she would have to lead a life in the clutches of the social order. She was a beautiful woman who could have chosen to marry from a number of men, however she chose to marry George Tesman, a man who envied her from the beginning and was able to provide her with the luxuries of life without...
Words: 1114 - Pages: 5
...ENG 234 Mr.Rogers February 17, 2010 Essay Hedda Gabler Conflict is a disagreement or disharmony with someone or a family. It can be a state of open or prolonged fighting. For example the fight in Iraq. The Tesmans is returning from a six month honey moon. Bertie is worried about whether she could please her mistress. Hedda Gabler the play by Herrik Ibsen demonstrates concept about the his emotional attachment to Emilie by struggling to become yet more detached and objective in his art. In this play Ibsen shows how Hedda who is the wife of Tesman must come to terms with Miss Juliane Tesman in a role that challenges her ability to cope with the world. This plays takes place in Norway, the villa in the west-end of Christiania. Juliana and Berta talked about Aunt Rina, Hedda’s father and George’s fortunate marriage. Hedda is hard to please. Hedda is suppose to be pregnant. Tesman wakes up and finds that Aunt Julie has arrived for a visit. Aunt Julie raised George Tesman she financially supports him. Hedda was rude to Aunt Julie. Tesman asked his wife to be kind to Aunt Julie, but she has a little interest in him. Mrs. Elvsted arrives and bring news that Ejlert Lovborg is back in town. Lovborg had been an alcoholic, but he supposedly has changed. Hedda get her husband to leave and convince Mrs. Elvsted to confide in her. Mrs. Elvsted let Hedda know that Mrs. Elveted was scared and Lovborg will start drinking again. Hedda goes to look for Ejlert without her husband permission...
Words: 755 - Pages: 4
...Literary Review of “Hedda Gabler” Karyn Bentley Galen College of Nursing Literary Review of “Hedda Gabler” Never, able to find true happiness, Hedda settled for what society deemed she should; a wife, the perfect host, and soon to be mother. The only true happiness Hedda enjoyed was causing unhappiness for others as she manipulated others into sharing their secrets. Not even Hedda was immune to her games as she desperately tried to amuse herself by creating chaos for others. Hedda’s fear of scandal ended in what she described as beautiful but others found insignificant. Major Themes The first major theme is one of individual versus the group or society, Hedda is constantly trying to manipulate to obtain some type of happiness. Ibsen takes great care to reveal Hedda’s manipulative behavior is the result of her desire to have some power over her life and she can only do that by trying to gain power over others in “the group”. Ibsen reveals to the reader, Hedda is nothing more than a victim to the pressures of society placed on women in Norway in 1890. Hedda marries a man who she does not love, simply because she was running out of time according to society’s clock. The reader is left unsure for quite a while if Hedda is pregnant or not but Hedda will have children not because she desires to be a mother but because she is supposed to. Self-Liberation versus Self Renunciation is another major theme Ibsen exhibits out of Hedda’s belief that the only or ultimate...
Words: 2064 - Pages: 9
...Marina Mitrakos Mrs. Johnson AP English 5 Period 1, 21 November 2014 Is “Safe” by Miranda Lambert the theme song for Nora or Hedda? Miranda Lambert’s song “Safe” is a better representation of Nora from Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House than Hedda from his Hedda Gabler. The song begins with, “Just like the fringe on my boots, you move with every step I take” (Lambert). Likewise, Nora and her husband have equal dominance and work together; Torvald refers to them as, “We two…” rather than stating that it is only because of him that they are not in debt (Ibsen 2). In Hedda’s case, she and her husband could not even spend enough time together on their honeymoon, and therefore are not on “the same page”. The next lines, “You walk in front of me to make sure that I don’t fall” also relates to Nora because she confides in Mrs. Linde for advice, has the maid to take care of the children, and Helmer to provide money for the family, meaning she is rather dependent (Lambert). On the other hand, Hedda prefers to have control over everything by threatening and manipulating people and is independent. Additionally, the line, “We get prettier with time” represents how Nora and her family are finally starting to make money and have nice things, while Hedda and her husband seem rather distant, even on their honeymoon (Lambert). Since Hedda prefers to be superior, she would not, “find a way to free [her husband’s] hands [and] wash them clean” (Lambert). However, Nora cares a lot about helping her family...
Words: 459 - Pages: 2
...Essays Better Essays Stronger Essays Powerful Essays Term Papers Research Papers Privacy Our Guarantee Popular Essays Excellent Essays Free Essays A-F Free Essays G-L Free Essays M-Q Free Essays R-Z Essay Topics Plagiarism Donate a Paper View Cart / Checkout Related Essays - Use of Theme, Setting, and Time in Ibsen's Hedda Gabler - Use of Theme, Setting, and Time in Hedda Gabler Hedda Gabler, by Henrik Ibsen, is a work about a woman who manipulates the fates of others in order to fulfill her own desires. The title character...[ view ] - Pursuit of Freedom Depicted in Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler and Albert Camus’ The Stranger - One’s own Freedom is what one desires to control the most in life. Yet in both Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler and Albert Camus’ The Stranger, Hedda and Meursault do not have this influence over themselve...[ view ] A Psychoanalytic Reading of Hedda Gabler Rate This Paper: 1 2 3 4 5 Submit Length: 786 words (2.2 double-spaced pages) Rating: Red (FREE) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A Psychoanalytic Reading of Hedda Gabler Attempting a psychoanalytic reading of a given text is a bit like attempting to understand a city by examining its sewer system: helpful, yet limited. There are several reasons for using psychoanalysis as a critical literary theory; the critic might be interested in gleaning some sort of subconscious authorial intent, approaching...
Words: 1350 - Pages: 6
...Naturalism and realism are responses to romanticism. This paper will explore the background of each and analyze the tension between the individual and the environment for chosen works by authors of each writing style. From 1860-1890 realism was prominent, developed as a reaction to romanticism as folks believed life was no longer seen through rose colored glasses. This was the civil war, the urbanization and industrializing of America and the emerging middle class as well as the upheaval and social change in the latter half of the 19th century with increasing rates of democracy and literacy. The characteristics of realism are reaction against romanticism and neoclassicism, factual is more important than intellectual or emotional, life is driven by fate. An example of realist writers includes Mark Twain, William Dean Howells, and Edgar Lee Masters. From 1865 -1895 regionalism was prominent and was also referred to as local color. It focuses on characters, dialect, and customs specific to a certain region. Regionalism is coincided with realism and sharing many of the same traits. Regionalism was developed due to the civil war and the building of a national identity, and the dual influence of romanticism and realism. An example of regionalist writers includes Kate Chopin, Mark Twain, and Willa Cather. From 1880-1920 naturalism was prominent and is the view that nature is all there is and the basic truths are truths of nature. Naturalism applies scientific principles of objectivity...
Words: 1028 - Pages: 5
...Does Love Justify Actions or Is It An Excuse? Love will make you do crazy things and in Hedda Gabler we seen the total effect of this action. Was she right for being manipulative or conniving because that was what she was used to? Was it alright for her to pull the strings in everyone else’s life because she wasn’t happy with hers? Does love justify these actions with a powerful claim to make you jealous, envious, and malicious to the receiver? Hedda Gabbler used the absence of love to continue to hurt people who cared about her and loved her. Hedda was a controlling kind of person who basically cared about what other people thought of her more than what she thought of herself. The fact that she was bored with her life wasn’t any better so I guess she thought she was justified in making others life’s worst. I think this was an excuse because her father never showed her love at all when he was alive. The fact that she had his picture still watching over her she was never really fully able to show her true emotions. She would never be happy because of her past and she’s paying for it in her present. I thought this is just like so many people in the world today, even though she had a father she probably couldn’t express herself like she wanted to because it would be looked down upon. That’s why she was never happy in the house she had or the husband she married it all was a part of her status. When Love Bourg came back into the picture you could tell that they had something...
Words: 691 - Pages: 3
...desperately afraid of… (707). Hedda, although strong, still has weaknesses. Even though, during the Victorian era, she had morals that held her from her goal, she still became a victim to the forces that surrounded her. Victorian women became oblivious to the harshness of other people. They wanted to be accepted as an unwomanly people. Hedda tried to achieve this goal, but failed because she was not prepared for the real world. Hedda believed that she could bend the will of other people, yet was unable to because of her gender. Hedda Gabler’s cunning and mischievous ways of gaining power showed nineteenth century England that women had as much power as men: they could create scandal, manipulate the minds of others, and drive people insane. Hedda is an illustration of how unrealistic conventional stereotypes of Victorian women were. Hedda’s actions proved that nineteenth century English women had enough power to overthrow the reality of others’ minds. By gaining power from money and manipulation, Hedda validated the fact that women contained the ability to see the world for what it truly was, a place of stereotypes and false realities. Hedda, although daring, succumbed to the harshness that was the verisimilitude of the world. Whereas Hedda’s England was a place of scandal and rumors, the real England was oblivious to reformations and war. Hedda confirmed that women can live through just as much hatred and insecurity as men. Despite her tragic demise, Hedda showed England, Europe,...
Words: 1437 - Pages: 6
...Rather A Hollywood Story! Exploring the melodramatic traits in Sunset Boulevard “All right Mr. Demille, I am ready for my close up.” Norma Desmond acts out the words as she moves down the stairs, hypnotized by the gorging lights, camera sets and a room full of audience, towards the view. Parallel cuts of a broken Max, her butler and the tearful gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, the organ playing the finishing score in the background as the larger than life image of Norma Desmond dramatically dissolves into white. A scene so aptly melodramatic as the silent era empress slowly descends into reality of cameras, sets and popularity once again for some kind of finality as Max, her faithful butler prepares her onslaught , reminding the scene definition once again for her (as the presence of room full of audience in her deserted mansion for twenty years has quite overwhelmed her). The 1950 Billy Wilder film, “Sunset Boulevard” starring William Holden as Joe Gillis and Gloria Swanson as the silent film actress Norma Desmond is a classic amalgam of Gothic Melodrama and Film Noir. The film starts off with jolt, initially a track shot of the sunset boulevard road as the police rush towards the crime scene followed by the fishing out of a bullet ridden body from the swimming pool. The pilot scene leads the audience as to expect a murder mystery Film Noir number but ultimately emerges as a melodramatic form. The over...
Words: 1192 - Pages: 5
