Read our detailed study guide on “Hedda Gabler” by Henrik Ibsen. Our study guide covers Hedda Gabler summary, themes, characters, and literary analysis.
Summary of Hedda Gabler
Act 1: Part 1
The play starts when Aunt Julia, Berta, and other guests are received in Tesmans’ villa. Berta is the housemaid. Aunt Julia notices her nephew Tesman and his new bride, Hedda. Berta tells Aunt Julia that the couple has just come back from their six-month-long honeymoon.
She also says that she is worried if the new mistress of the house will be pleased by her because she looks very imposing. Berta was shocked to see that Hedda had so much to unpack. She is also sad as she has to leave the house of Aunt Julia and Aunt Rina when Aunt Rina’s health is declining.
Aunt Julia comforts Berta that Hedda is a great catch for Tesman. She also talks about Tesman’s good fortune. He has been given the title of “Doctor” and she hopes for a grander title shortly.
Tesman enters the room and he greets his aunt happily. He tells her about the research he did on his honeymoon. He helps Julia to untie her hat. Julia says that she bought the hat so that Hedda would not be embarrassed if she goes in public with Julia.
Tesman and Julia sit together and Julia asks him if he has something new and interesting to share. Tesman does not refer to a baby in his talking. She says that the only big news is that he has recently become a doctor.
Julia and Tesman talk about the expensive honeymoon that was needed to satisfy Hedda. Tesman says that they bought the expensive new house, the Folk Villa, only because Hedda said she wanted to live there. It is a bigger house and Tesman wonders what he will do with the empty rooms. Julia says that the empty rooms must be filled soon. However, Tesman still does not understand the reference. After this, Julia tells Tesman that she has helped him by paying the security of the house on his behalf. It makes Tesman shocked by the kindness of his aunt.
Julia also reveals to Tesman that his academic rival, Eilert Lovborg, has just published a book. It surprises Tesman. He says that Lovborg has had a difficult time in the last few years.
At this point, Hedda enters. She starts complaining that the maid has opened the windows that have disturbed her. She also makes fun of Tesman’s favorite slippers and the ugliness of Julia’s hat. She rejects her husband’s efforts to have a conversation.
Tesman remarks that Hedda has fattened up on their honeymoon. Hedda replies that she has not changed a little since the day they left for their honeymoon. Julia takes Hedda’s head in her hands and kisses her hair.
As Aunt Julia leaves, Tesman tells Hedda that she needs to be nicer with his aunt. Hedda says that they can invite her again later in the day. It makes Tesman happy that Hedda has responded graciously. He tells her that she should call Julia as auntie but Hedda refuses to do so.
Act 1: Part 2
A pretty woman named Mrs. Elvsted arrives at the house. She seems overwrought but is hesitant to reveal the reason behind her disheartenment. At last, she says that she is at the end of her mental ability because Lovborg has come to the town, and now it will be full of temptations. Lovborg was the tutor of Mrs. Elvsted’s stepchildren who had recently published a bestselling book.
When Lovborg was living with Mrs. Elvsted, he was a perfect example of soberness. For this reason, Mrs. Elvsted is afraid that living in the city will prove much to him. She requests Tesman to keep a check on Lovborg because he will look out for her. Hedda asks Tesman to invite Lovborg to their place. Tesman goes out to arrange the invitation.
As Tesman leaves, Hedda asks Mrs. Elvsted what has happened. Mrs. Elvsted replies that Hedda used to treat her brutally at school. Hedda dismisses it by saying that it was a childhood play.
She treats Mrs. Elvsted with extra affection and asks her to call her “Hedda.” Gradually, Mrs. Elvsted feels comfortable in Hedda’s company and starts opening up. She tells Hedda that she never had a happy marriage. She says that when Lovborg started to tutor her step-children, they both developed a close relationship.
She says that Lovborg has taught her many good things and they worked on his book together. However, Mrs. Elvsted is afraid that Lovborg is interested in another woman. She recalls when Lovborg told him that when he and the woman parted, she threatened him to shoot him.
Mrs. Elvsted leaves, Judge Brack enters the house. Brack and Tesman start a conversation. Brack starts with the subject of the return of Lovborg. He says that Lovborg has a great influence in the town and for this reason; he may get the professorship that is expected by Tesman.
When Brack leaves, Tesman tells Hedda that his professorship is in doubt; therefore, they must avoid wasting. Hedda replies that she has her father’s pistol to amuse her. As Hedda leaves the place, Tesman runs after her to save her from the dangerous weapon.
Act 2: Part 1
At the start of act two, Hedda is in the drawing-room and loading her father’s pistol. When Judge Brack arrives, she pretends to shoot him. He takes away the pistol from her. He scolds her that she does not have anything better to play with but pistols. Hedda replies that she does not have anything else to play with.
She tells him that Tesman is at Aunt Julia’s place and he will come late. Brack says that if he knew that Tesman was away, he would have come much earlier. It shows that Brack is interested in Hedda. He tells her that during her honeymoon, he prayed hard that she would come back soon.
Hedda tells him that her honeymoon was full of boredom. She says that Tesman was working all day and she had no one to spend her time and get entertained. Hedda reveals that it is boring to be in the company of the same person for an indefinite period after marriage.
Brack asks her if she loves her husband. Hedda replies that he must not call it love. After all, she married Tesman because her time was up. Hedda also reveals to Brack that now, she is not sure if it was her right decision to marry Tesman.
Brack tells her that he wants to be in a triangular relationship with Hedda and Tesman. He says that he wants to be free to come and go whenever he pleases. Hedda says that it will be an exciting thing for her to have someone around here who would engage with her in conversation. It seems obvious that Brack wants to provide much more.
Tesman arrives while holding Lovborg’s new book. He gets impressed by it. He tells Hedda that she will be alone for the night because Aunt Julia is not arriving as she got offended by the hat incident. Tesman gets ready for the party that he and Brack will be attending at night.
Hedda tells Brack that she knew that she had behaved mischievously with Aunt Julia because he had irresistible impulses come over her. Hedda also expresses her extreme boredom. Brack suggests that she must find herself a vocation. She says that she wishes Tesman to go into politics so it will reduce her boring situation.
Brack laughs at this because he knows that Tesman is a mismatch in the political world. Brack tells her that she can have another responsibility. Hedda tries to ignore the subject but Brack tells her that upbringing a child is the greatest talent of a woman. Hedda says that her only talent is to get bored to death.
Act 2: Part 2
Having been invited by Tesman through a note, Lovborg arrives at the house. When Lovborg gets compliments regarding his book, he shows a new manuscript that is a sequel to his earlier book that discusses future culture. When the topic of professorship comes up, Lovborg says that he has no plans to compete with Tesman because all he wants is fame.
This news relieves Tesman but it irritates Hedda. Lovborg suggests Tesman read some of his books. Tesman tells him that he and Brack are going to a party but he cannot invite Lovborg because of his alcoholic past.
When Brack and Tesman enjoy a punch before leaving for the party, Hedda and Lovborg discuss their part. At this point, it turns out that Hedda was the other woman that Mrs. Elvsted was talking about. It was Hedda who threatened Lovborg to shoot him with the pistol when they got so close. When Lovbord asks Hedda why she didn’t shoot him, she replies that it’s because of a scandal.
When Mrs. Elvsted appears in the act, she sees that Brack and Tesman are going out for a party. Lovborg refuses a drinking punch and going to the party as well. Hedda tells Mrs. Elvsted in front of Lovborg that her negative thoughts about Lovborg were wrong.
She also tells her that Lovborg is a man of principles. Mrs. Elvsted feels uncomfortable that Hedda has said all this in front of Lovborg. It makes Lovborg angry that Mrs. Elvsted believes that as soon as Lovborg comes back to the town, he will start drinking at the same moment. To punish Mrs. Elvsted, Lovborg takes two drinks.
After this, Lovborg also decides to go to the party with Tesman and Brack. He also takes his manuscript along with him, hoping to get some time to read it at Brack’s place. He promises Mrs. Elvsted that he will come back to take her home. Then, the three men leave.
Mrs. Elvsted is concerned that Lovborg will go back to bad behavior. Hedda asks her to stay and have some tea. She assures Mrs. Elvsted that Lovborg will return soon.
Act 3: Part 1
Heda and Mrs. Elvsted sleep in the living room. They both wait for Tesman, Lovborg, and Brack to return. Berta enters and gives false hope to Mrs. Elvsted that the men have returned. Berta is carrying a note for Tesman.
Hedda gets irritated when she comes to know that the men have not returned yet. She thinks that they might have stayed at Brack’s place because they did not want to wake up the women. She tells Mrs. Elvsted to go to the room and get some sleep as she will wait for the men. Mrs. Elvsted goes to the room.
Hedda gets angry with Berta for allowing the room to become cold. The doorbell rings and Hedda orders Berta to answer it.
Tesman enters and tells Hedda that they went to the party too early. For this reason, Lovborg spent the time reading to him from his new book. Tesman says that he is amazed by it. Hedda replies that she is not interested in the book but the happenings of the previous night.
Tesman tells her that after drinking, Lovborg got intoxicated and he started talking about the unnamed woman who has inspired his work. Hedda asks him if Lovborg has named that woman but Tesman says that he did not. Tesman says that it seems like Lovborg was referring to Mrs. Elvsted. The men accompanied Lovborg till home but he dropped his new manuscript on the way. Tesman picks it up and takes it to his house.
This develops the interest of Hedda. She asks Tesman if anyone knows that he carried the manuscript to the house. Tesman replies that no one does. He says that for the sake of Lovborg, he has not told anyone and he will return the manuscript in the morning.
Hedda decides to make a plan but she tries to distract Tesman’s attention. She hands over the letter to Tesman that has come earlier. When Tesman opens the letter, he comes to know that his Aunt Rina is about to die and that he must come as soon as possible to the house.
Tesman requests Hedda to come along but she refuses to come and says that she is afraid by the very idea of death. Before Tesman leaves, Hedda asks him to give her Lovborg’s manuscript so that she will keep it safe.
Act 3: Part 2
When Brack arrives, Hedda asks him for the details about the previous night. As Tesman leaves, Hedda comes to know that at the party, the mood of Lovborg changes from merriment to angry when he comes to know that his manuscript is missing. He starts attacking the women at the party. When the police arrive, Lovborg also attacks one of them. In this way, he ends up at the station.
Bracks tells Hedda that Lovborg might use Tesman as a shelter if he is rejected by the town. He also tells her that she must close her doors to him. Brack says that he does not want Lovborg to enter their triangle of friendship.
He is afraid that he will get homeless if Hedda allows Lovborg to stay with her. Hedda feels as if Brack is threatening her but he says that he is not. Brack says that he just wants that their triangle needs to be constructed spontaneously. As Brack exists, Lovborg enters.
Hedda does not tell Lovborg that she knows everything about the previous night. Lovborg seems very upset. Mrs. Elvsted also enters the room. Lovborg tells her that they need to part their ways because his manuscript is lost and she is no longer of any service to him. Mrs. Elvsted gets astounded and tells him that she will not leave him. However, Lovborg is uncompromising.
Lovborg says that he has torn his manuscript into pieces the way he tore his life. Mrs. Elvsted leaves. She is worried that she and Lovborg have no future together. She knows that his reputation is damaged and there is no possibility that his upcoming book can save it.
Hedda is now alone with Lovborg. He reveals the truth to her that he has lost the manuscript. Lovborg says that he feels like he must kill himself now. Hedda insists on making this act beautiful. She encourages him to kill himself. She tells him never to come again.
She also gives him one of her pistols. Lovborg recognizes that it is the same pistol that she pointed at him many years ago. Hedda says that she should have used it on him then but says that he can do it for himself now. Lovborg leaves while intending to commit suicide. When he leaves, Hedda burns the manuscript of Lovborg.
Act 4: Part 1
At the beginning of the first part of act four, Hedda lights up a lamp because of the evening darkness. Aunt Julia comes to the house and breaks the news of Aunt Rina’s death to Hedda. Hedda asks her if there is anything that she can help in but Aunt Julia replies with no. Aunt Julia talks about the supposed pregnancy of Hedda and says that it is not the time to bring misery in her nephew’s house.
Tesman asks Aunt Julia what she is planning to do now. Aunt Julia replies that she has decided to move another sick person into the room of Aunt Rina that is vacated now. Julia also says that she may move into the house with Hedda and Tesman once their child is born. This idea seems disgusting to Hedda. After this, Aunt Julia leaves.
Hedda tells Tesman that the death of his aunt is affecting him more than Aunt Julia. Tesman says that he was already engrossed in another thought. Earlier that day, Tesman goes to Lovborg’s house to tell him that his manuscript is kept safe but he couldn’t find him anywhere. Tesman then goes to Mrs. Elvsted’s place. She tells him that Lovborg has torn the manuscript.
Tesman asks Hedda if she has told Lovborg that his manuscript is safe with her but he replies with no. Tesman says that they must return the manuscript as soon as possible. Hedda reveals that she has burnt the manuscript.
Tesman screams at her that how could she commit such a crime. Hedda says that she was jealous of Lovborg’s work because she does not want someone else to go ahead of her husband.
It makes Tesman realize that his wife loves him after all. He also gets happy when Hedda calls him with his first name. She says that she cannot stand this any longer.
Act 4: Part 2
Mrs. Elvsted arrives in a stressful condition. She tells Tesman that Lovborg has not returned to the house. She says that she has heard some terrible news about him and she is afraid they might be true.
Brack enters and says that he has heard the news about the death of Aunt Rina. He says that he has more sad news that Lovborg has shot himself in the chest with a pistol and is about to die now. Mrs. Elvsted becomes more disturbed with the news.
Hedda asks questions from Brack about Lovborg. She asks where Lovborg is now and if he has shot himself in the chest and not in the temple. Brack replies that he knows that Lovborg has shot himself in the breast. It gives relief to Hedda and she says that it is a good place. Everyone gets shocked when Hedda says that there is beauty in the act.
Mrs. Elvsted reveals that the manuscript of Lovborg has been destroyed and it makes Brack in doubt. Mrs. Elvsted screams that the book could be reconstructed. It seems like the original notes are still in her possession.
Tesman and Mrs. Elvsted say that they will reconstruct the book. Tesman also announces that he will dedicate his whole life to this project. They both exit.
When Hedda is left alone with Brack, she says that the death of Lovborg has shown her that they are free. She says that everyone has a free will that is possible and beautiful as well.
Brack says that Lovborg shot himself with the pistol of Hedda. He tells her that there will be investigation conducted but the pistol is now in the possession of the police. He says that as long as he remains silent, the police can never trace the pistol back to her.
He is afraid that it will make Hedda appear in the court to defend herself. At this power, it seems as if Hedda is in the complete power of Brack. She tells him that he owns her. She exits the room. A few moments later, there comes the sound of fire. Tesman runs and shouts that Hedda has shot herself.
Background of the Play
Hedda Gabler is a play written by Henrik Ibsen, a Norwegian playwright. It was published in 1890 and produced the following year. It consists of four main acts. It is considered as a classic example of realism that depicts the theater of the nineteenth century, and the world of drama.
Most of the plays written by Ibsen are mainly realistic plays; however, he converted towards writing modern drama later. Hedda Gabler is an appealing and famous play from the 1890s that tells the story of the main and title character, Hedda. She is the daughter of General Gabler. She is trapped in a marriage and a house that she has no interest in.
Overall, Hedda Gabler is treated as one of the great dramatic plays in the theater. After being published, Hedda did receive negative feedback and reviews from the critics. According to them, Hedda Gabler has been described as a female version of Hamlet.
Hedda Gabler introduces two women who live in unhappy domestic circumstances. Hedda and Mrs. Elvsted take extreme steps to come out of the suffocating relationships and environment. When Mrs. Elvsted comes to realize that her marriage is irreparably joyless, she tries to escape from her husband and children. She seeks comfort in the presence of a writer and scholar, Lovborg.
In the same way, Hedda lives under a constant threat of blackmail. She eventually takes the dramatic step of committing suicide. In this way, Hedda and Mrs. Elvsted try to run away from dysfunctional relationships and unsympathetic partners. Mrs. Elvsted escapes from her unromantic sheriff husband while Hedda runs from her husband Tesman and Judge Brack
In a deeper sense, Hedda and Mrs. Elvsted are running from a system in which the rights and privileges of a woman are strictly limited. At the time (late nineteenth century) when Ibsen was writing plays, women were supposed to see, read, and discuss only those things that were considered respectable by the men. There were limited possibilities for women outside their homes.
In the 1880s and 1890s, in Europe as well as in America, there were few opportunities for women to pursue a professional career. Their talent and qualification were not appreciated and not even noticed. There was no concept of a career for a woman in a public office.
In most countries, women were not given the basic right to vote until the first half of the twentieth century. For this reason, someone like Hedda, who is resourceful and energetic but caged at home, stands against the repressive system. It is evident in act two of the play that Hedda has a talent for politics but it is hardly possible for her to get an office.
The other main themes in the play are patriarchy, sexuality, gender discrimination, marriage, power, the concept of New Woman, and the clash between ordinary and extraordinary.
Characters Analysis
Hedda Gabler
Hedda Gabler is a twenty-nine-year-old beautiful and intelligent woman. She belongs to an aristocratic family. She is full of social grace. She is the daughter of the esteemed General Gabler. She lives a pampered life. However, when Hedda’s life as a single girl runs out, she gets married to Jorgen Tesman who she no longer loves.
She finds that society wants to control her. The norms of society tell her when she should marry. They also tell her that she must get pregnant as soon as she gets married and that she must stay at home and become an example of the wife of a scholar.
The character of Hedda shows lust for life, courage, and beauty. She is bored by the world around her. She is egotistical as well. She desires to influence and control the fate of other people. To entertain and satisfy herself, she behaves destructively and unkindly towards people around her. She even insists Lovborg that he must beautifully commit suicide.
At the end of the play, Hedda shoots herself with her father’s pistol to avoid scandal.
Jorgen Tesman
He is Hedda’s husband. He specializes in medieval domestic crafts. He is a highly chubby man of thirty-three. He is a hard worker and is considered an outstanding member of society. He wants to attain the highest social rank and fame.
Tesman is also a typical, boring, and ridiculous man. He is an obsessed scholar who always talks about his studies. He spends almost six months on honeymoon but he keeps busy with books and not with his wife. He is emotional as well. He intends to climb the career ladder as soon as possible. He does not create anything on its own but he depends on the creations of others. For example, he decides to reconstruct the damaged manuscript of Lovborg.
The characters of Hedda and Tesman are in complete contrast to each other. Hedda looks for freedom from the norms of the society while Tesman happily accepts and follows them.
Ejlert Lovborg
He is Tesman’s rival in his profession. He is a sociologist and a historian as well. Just like Hedda, he is a misfit in modern life. The depressing thing about Lovborg is that he wants to control the world by seeing into its future but unfortunately, he is not even able to control his life.
He also writes a book that gets so much fame since its publication. He intends to write another book and shows its manuscript to Tesman as well.
He likes Hedda and they have a close relationship with each other. Hedda breaks the relationship when it threatens to become sexual and she gets married to Tesman. When Lovborg comes back to Hedda’s life, Hedda comes to know that he is in a relationship with Mrs. Elvsted.
It makes her jealous and she aims for Lovborg’s destruction. She burns his manuscript. At the end of the play, she insists him to shoots himself with the pistol of Hedda’s father. Lovborg dies at the end of the play.
Mrs. Thea Elvsted
Mrs. Elvsted is a meek and biddable woman. She has soft and attractive features like large blue eyes, talkative expressions, whitish-yellow hairs that are unusually wavy. She is the schoolmate of Hedda and a few years younger than her. She was once involved with Tesman in a romantic relationship.
When Lovborg’s reputation was damaged and he fell from social grace, Mrs. Elvsted and her husband allowed Lovborg to their home as the tutor of their children. During this time, Mrs. Elvsted developed feelings for Lovsted and so did he. She devotes her life, self, and soul to Lovborg.
When Lovborg comes back to the town, Mrs. Elvsted follows him to Hedda’s place. She is a typical, passionate, and courageous woman. Unlike Hedda who is afraid of scandal, Mrs. Elvsted does not care about it when it is the matter of Lovborg. When she comes to know that Lovborg’s manuscript has been damaged, she decides to reconstruct it along with Tesman because she possesses the original notes.
Miss Juliane Tesman
She is Tesman’s aunt. She is a good-looking as well as a talkative lady who took care of Tesman after his parents died. When the play begins, Tesman is an adult man but Aunt Julia still keeps check on him. She lends him money and brings him many gifts. She also praises and encourages her nephew. Aunt Julia waits for the day when Tesman and Hedda will become parents.
Aunt Julia lives with Tesman’s other aunt, Aunt Rina. She feels bored when Aunt Rina dies. For this reason, she decides to allow someone else to stay in the vacant room of Aunt Rina. She also says that she will come over to Tesman’s place but Hedda thinks that this idea is disgusting.
Aunt Rina
She is Tesman’s other aunt and Aunt Julia’s sister. The characters talk about her but she is never seen in the play herself. She is sick and eventually dies.
Judge Brack
He is Tesman and Hedda’s friend. He is a respected man in society and an old bachelor. He is forty-five years old gentleman with short height, black hair, and lively eyes. He regularly visits Tesman’s villa. He feels happy when he helps with the businesses of other people.
He delivers news to Tesman. When he is alone with Hedda, he reveals his likeness to Hedda. He wants to control Hedda’s mind. At the end of the play, he eventually gets an upper hand over Hedda and she commits suicide by shooting herself.
Berta
Berta is a dedicated and kindly maid who serves at the house of Aunt Julia before coming to the Tesman’s villa to serve Tesman and his wife, Hedda. Tesman likes the maid but Hedda does not. For this reason, Berta is worried that she will not be able to complete the expectations of Hedda that are very grand and aristocratic.
Themes in Hedda Gabler
Seeking Power and Control over People
Every character in Hedda Gabler looks for power, influence, and control of some kind. According to a critic, Hedda Gabler is the record of consecutive events of personal campaigns for control and domination over oneself, over other people, and the whole universe. Most of the power struggles are of little importance.
For example, Tesman desires to get more knowledge than anyone else about medieval domestic crafts and the rest of the things. He does this to get professional and social power. He also does this to get a prestigious professorship. In the same way, Judge Brack wants to have an upper hand over Hedda. He asks her to allow him to the house whenever he pleases to come. He does this so that he can have sexual access to Hedda.
Additionally, Ejlert Lovborg desires to control the whole world by seeing into its future. It is ironic to know that he can’t control himself when he is drunk. When Mrs. Elvsted comes to know that Lovborg has come to the town where the Tesmans live, she wants to influence Lovborg. She wants to save him from his self-destructiveness.
In this way, most of the characters in the play want power and control for pragmatic reasons. However, Hedda tries to control and dominate others to remove boredom from her life. For this reason, she makes others suffer to entertain herself and enjoy it.
According to Ibsen, it is a demonic thing about Hedda that she wants to exert her will on others. She finds no satisfaction in whatever she already has. She exercises her will by hurting others that relaxes her as an expression of her power and influence.
She orders Berta to call Tesman as a doctor and not as a mister. Her desire to rule people and their lives get so monstrous that she insists Lovborg to commit suicide. In this way, Hedda is an example of such a person in society who craves power. Just like her father who kills people on the battlefield, Hedda kills men from the comfort of her drawing-room.
Limitations
Hedda Gabler is well-educated and well-traveled. She still lives in a very small world. It is true to say that she lives in a provincial world. The streets she traveled as a young girl, accompanied by her father General Gabler, are the same streets she rode down after getting married to Tesman.
Tesman is one of her early admirers who is now her husband. When they go on a honeymoon and spend almost six months, Tesman ignores the cultural riches of Italy and keeps himself busy in libraries. When Tesman and Hedda face financial crises, Hedda’s social life gets stagnant.
Her days lack variety and freshness. As a result, she feels imprisoned. She lacks intellectual interest or moral enthusiasm. She starts spending her long and dull days planning to buy expensive kinds of stuff that she and her husband can’t afford. She also talks to Judge Brack and fantasizes about freedom.
Hedda limits her considerable intelligence and impassioned lust for life.
Patriarchy
Hedda is the example of a woman who is living in a society that is ruled by men: patriarchy. The men in her social circle are addicted to war, politics, wild drinking habits, and parties that define their actions, thoughts, and feelings.
Contrarily, the women in the play mostly care for the men and serve them in their possible capacities. For example, Tesman’s Aunt Julia cares for her nephew. She arranges a maid for him and also pays the security of his house to reduce his expenses. In the same way, Mrs. Elvsted tries to inspire Ejlert Lovborg.
Tesman takes care of Hedda because he treats her as a prize and as the mother of his child. Lovborg shares a romantic relationship with Hedda and sees her as someone who inspires his writing. Judge Brack also develops feelings for Hedda and starts treating her as a pet and toy.
No one sees Hedda as a human that she is. As a result, she suppresses her womanhood. She avoids the topic of her pregnancy as much as she can. She starts participating in the sphere that was originally dominated by men. For example, she establishes a relationship with Lovborg to challenge her father’s authority.
According to Hedda, a young girl wants to find out about a world that is supposed to be hidden from her. For this reason, General Gabler’s pistol fascinates her so much. It symbolizes authority for her and therefore, Hedda feels pleasure in possessing and using a pistol.
It can be said that Hedda’s unkind and unusual behavior is the product of patriarchal oppression. Due to limitations and patriarchal setup, Hedda is in a constant war against all these factors.
Ordinary versus Extraordinary
In his play, Ibsen has always depicted modern society and the heroic individual. However, he has always privileged the latter. According to this depiction, the ordinary members of society are more materialistic and uncommitted to things. They only want to maintain the status quo and to advance their petty self-interests. Jorgen Tesman is just such a person.
He mostly relates himself to bourgeois comforts and conventions. His academic specialization in history and medieval domestic crafts is based on an arbitrary choice. It is right to call him a secondary man in all senses. He studies only what other men have studied. He does not do or make anything for himself.
At the end of the play, he decides not to imagine the future of civilization for himself and make a masterpiece but to reconstruct Lovborg’s destroyed manuscript on this topic.
According to Judge Brack, Tesman is an outstanding man only because he has got a socially reputable academic post, makes a handsome amount of money, and is married to a beauty like Hedda. In this way, Judge Brack is also an ordinary man. He seeks intimacy with a married woman that is very conventional.
In contrast to the characters of Tesman and Brack, Lovborg and Hedda are visionary and extraordinary. After falling from social grace, Lovborg gets back to academic prominence with the publication of a book that receives a lot of fame and praise.
He writes in the book that everybody can agree with. It suggests that to rise in one’s society from disgrace to a graceful position, one must know the prejudices and beliefs of that society.
Lovborg is not a secondary man like Tesman. He does not rely on others to do something for him. He writes a manuscript and puts himself into it. The manuscript talks about the future. The subject suggests that this topic can only be discussed by visionaries like Lovborg himself. In this way, Lovborg is a person who thinks deep. He also makes passionate commitments.
Lovborg’s drinking habit shows his passion. It also shows that such intellectual people are a misfit in modern society and they are more vulnerable to its evils.
Hedda is the most extraordinary figure in the play. She is intelligent and destructive as well. She is more possessed by her vision of courage and beauty. She completely denies all established truths and norms.
Her ability to conceal her nihilism from the people around her is appreciable. The readers do not know about her destructive nature until the main actions of the play disclose it. She does many cruel acts such as pulling the hair of fellow schoolgirls, displaying General Gabler’s pistols, and tactfully humiliating Aunt Julia for her hat. According to Lovborg, Hedda is unwilling to reveal herself wholly.
Hedda insists Lovborg drink and gracefully kills himself. It shows the extent of her passion and commitments. It also suggests that she is against modern society. Hedda’s character is unique because she enjoys her isolated individualism. She remains unconventional throughout the play. In the end, she shoots herself.
Individual versus Group
Hedda is engrossed with the thought of self-determination. She is preoccupied with the notion that she can control the course of her own life. She stands firm against all societal pressures that try to move her along a different path. However, as the play progresses, she becomes a victim of the group that she lives in.
She marries a man not because she loves him but because her time ran out. Her husband’s aunt reminds her about children, time and again. It suggests that she will have children not because she wants them but because society does.
In the end, she ends her life because she gets afraid of the public scandal about her. In this way, the play shows that a person has no power over his life when he is surrounded by a group. A person can only bring change if he alone can manipulate the group that some people fail to do.
Controlling one’s Life
Hedda believes that she has the power to control her life. She thinks that she can determine when, where, and how she will die. She considers it freedom. She proves this by telling Lovborg to die beautifully. She also gives him her pistol to help him in his death. After Lovborg’s death, Hedda realizes that beautiful death is just a fantasy.
Sexuality
In dramatic works of literature, notorious women are well-aware of their sexual powers and are in control of their sexuality. They are also conscious of their power over men. In the play, Hedda is scared of her sexuality. She threatens Lovborg when he tries to get close to her. She also rejects Brack’s idea of jumping out of her marriage, even though she has no interest in her husband, Tesman. Hedda also avoids the subject of having a child.
The Concept of New Woman
At the time when Hedda Gabler was written and published, the concept of “New Woman” had emerged to describe those women who were trying to get away from the limits imposed on women. This New Woman looked for self-determination and freedom. She also searched for equality with males. She tried to truly understand the meaning of female sexuality.
The New Woman rejected the idea of self-sacrifice and being obedient to her husband no matter what. She also rejected the concept of sexuality in terms of reproduction. In this way, Hedda represents the New Woman in a dangerous way.
Literary Analysis of Hedda Gabler
Overall Analysis
Hedda Gabler tells the story of a woman who gets married only because her time runs out. She belongs to an aristocratic family who tries to maintain her social grace at every cost. Her name is Hedda Gabler. She is the daughter of General Gabler.
When she gets married to Tesman, she comes to know that she is neither interested in her husband nor the relationship. She had a relationship with a person named Lovborg who becomes a writer in the play.
When Lovborg arrives in the town and Hedda comes to know that he has started a relationship with a lady named Mrs. Elvsted, Hedda gets jealous. Another man named Judge Brack also develops feelings for Hedda but she stays away from him. He tries to control her. The play ends with the death of Lovborg and Hedda.
Ibsen has given the structure of a classical tragedy to Hedda Gabler. The first act of the play set up a clear design of the play. The information about the fates of the characters is also given in the first act. However, there is some amount of foreshadowing as well.
The first act also discusses the three major conflicts such as Tesman’s financial crises, the subject of Hedda’s pregnancy and her delay, and the arrival of Lovborg, Tesman’s academic rival.
According to some critics, Hedda is a type of woman who is incapable of yielding herself, body and soul, to the man she loves. She is the New Woman and somehow it’s perversion as well. In this way, she is a dangerous example of the New Woman. She is also the example of those female characters in fiction in the 1890s who actively demanded equality with men.
Mrs. Elvsted is another woman in the play who tries to escape from an unhealthy relationship with her husband. She starts liking Lovborg and her actions are very much opposed to the real and typical women of her age because they had no courage to take a step for themselves. On the other hand, Tesman and Brack are examples of a typical man who tries to control women in every possible way.
Hedda Gabler has realistic traits. All of its characters are life-like. They wear genuine costumes. It has a common indoor setting. The conversation between different characters is similar to day-to-day speech. The characters neither crack unnecessary jokes nor get involved in a lengthy monologue. The story is character-driven rather than plot-driven. Similarly, the protagonist in the story stands against injustice in society.
The Plot
Initial Situation
Tesman and Hedda are newly married and they just come back from their honeymoon. Hedda is in a miserable and dissatisfied condition. She is probably pregnant. Tesman is waiting for his post as a professorship. Aunt Julia is caring about Tesman and his financial crises. Aunt Rina is sick and on death bed. Hedda shows rude behavior towards Aunt Julia that offends her.
Conflict
Mrs. Elvsted is upset. She leaves her husband and develops feelings for Lovborg. She is concerned about the drinking habit of Lovborg. Judge Brack wants Hedda to have a sexual relationship with him.
Complication
Hedda and Lovborg are related to one another in the past. Lovborg starts drinking again. He loses his new manuscript. Hedda hides the manuscript.
Climax
Hedda’s discontent and inner rage come to the surface.
Suspense
Tesman asks about the manuscript. He is afraid that Lovborg will do something to himself if he couldn’t find the manuscript.
Denouement
At this stage, the on-going events are explained. The judge explains everything. Lovborg dies. Tesman and Mrs. Elvsted start working on the book of Lovborg.
Conclusion
Hedda shoots herself in the temple.
Setting in Hedda Gabler
Along with the list of players, the town of Christiana is also specified. The place is now called Oslo. However, time is not mentioned. Henrik Ibsen wrote Hedda Gabler in 1890; therefore, it seems that Hedda Gabler was set by Ibsen in contemporary Norway.
Some critics believe that the setting in the play belongs to earlier times, as back as the 1860s. They have presented this suggestion based on certain details such as the lack of electric lights and Hedda’s reference to walking back from parties on foot.
In both times, Victorian norms ruled the day. Women were supposed to get married because they had no other options. Husbands were made responsible to take care of their wives. Women were not allowed to sit alone with a man in the absence of a chaperon. Women were recognized by their husbands’ names because the first names were too informal to use. Fun was strictly prohibited for women at least.
These social restrictions produce many problems for Hedda in the play. They make her angry and frustrated with the patriarchal system, for this reason, it is important to know the setting of the play to understand its characters and their outlooks.
Other than the big picture of the setting of the play, there are specifics given as well. The whole play takes place in the drawing-room of the house of Tesman. It suggests that Hedda is limited to the drawing-room of her house.
The way the house is depicted shows that it is a dream house. However, Hedda never wanted such a house.
Significance of the Title
When Hedda got married, her name changed from Hedda Gabler to Hedda Tesman. However, the title of the play is based on her name when she was single. According to Ibsen himself, his intention in giving this name to the play was to show that Hedda as a personality must be regarded as her father’s daughter rather than as her husband’s wife.
She is aggressive and enthusiastic like her father, General Gabler. She has nothing in common with Tesman. She also hates him and finds no interest in him. She misses her old life and old self. She even avoids the topic of pregnancy because she does not want any sexual relationship with her husband.
Narrator point of View
This play does not have a narrator’s point of view through whose voice the readers learn the story or look deep into the characters’ life. It is a play and therefore, it is presented in dialogues. The rest is left for the readers to understand themselves.
Tone
The tone of the play is very pointed and wry when it comes to the reality of the Victorian era and its baseless standards. Ibsen is not beating about the bushes. He makes clear and direct arguments about the dangers of the Victorian norms and the damage they cause to its individuals.
It reflects on the injustice done to women. Hedda is a very bold and intelligent woman, yet she cannot escape from the harsh values of the time. She ends her life when she can no longer take the repression.
Writing Style & Genre
Much of the dialogues of the play are sharp with a witty exchange. There is also wordplay in the original language.
It is a realistic drama with a psychological thriller. It is a tragedy as well. All the characters in the play want different things and they all fight for it. The play depends on the mental state of the characters and for this reason; it has a lot of suspense. There is nothing unique about the storyline or the characters. The play is a hyperbolic version of the emotions that people deal with within their daily life.
Symbolism
When certain symbols are used to represent ideas, it is called symbolism.
The Pistols
Hedda inherits the pistols from her father, General Gabler. Her likeness for pistols suggests that she is more her father’s daughter than her husband’s wife. Pistols are a way of connection for Hedda to her glorious aristocratic past. These pistols are her tools for protection. She feels free and empowered when she holds these instruments of domination.
Alcohol
The consumption of alcohol in the play shows that it is a privilege enjoyed only by men. Therefore, alcohol symbolizes the fact that social freedom is accessible to men but not to women in a patriarchal society.
Tesman and Judge Brack have the freedom to escape from polite behavior such as at the bachelor’s party. On the other side, Hedda and Mrs. Elvsted are supposed to be in their best possible behavior every time. They are always afraid of the risk of a scandal.
The Manuscript
The manuscript of Lovborg and Mrs. Elvsted symbolizes creation, escape from the past, and bright hope for the future. The subject matter of the manuscript itself talks about the future of the world. Mrs. Elvsted inspires Lovborg in writing the manuscript that shows the existence of a healthy and positive relationship between the two.
Names
Names play a vital role in the play. Lovborg calls Hedda “Hedda Gabler” because he still considers her the girl he knew before her marriage. Hedda also does not want to call Aunt Julia with her first name because it sounds too informal. On the other side, Aunt Julia calls Hedda with her first name unless the hat incident happens.
Tesman calls Mrs. Elvsted by Miss Rysing because he remembers her from the time when he dated her. Hedda never calls her husband by his name. When Hedda destroys the manuscript of Lovborg, she thinks that Tesman can use his name now.
Fire
Hedda is associated with fire, stove, and burning things. She sits beside the stove in act one. She stays close to the stove when she converses with Brack and Mrs. Elvsted. She burns the manuscript of Lovborg.
When she imagines Lovborg reading poetry, she visualizes him all blazing. Also, Tesman says that her feelings for him are like a burning love. She even kills herself by firing a bullet.
The fire symbolizes the inner passion of Hedda that comes to the surface now and then. She has the burning desire to come out of the life of limitations and suffocation.
Imagery
When a writer uses certain words that appeal to the senses of the readers that they perceive the thing with their five senses, it is called imagery. The dialogues of the characters in the play create images in the minds of the readers. For example, the setting of the drawing-room is depicted in the way that it presents visual imagery.