Analysis of Hedda Gabler - Essay Example

Analysis of Hedda Gabler of Introduction Hedda Gabler is a play that was written by Ibsen Henrick. It showcases the life of a woman who lived at the end of the 19th Century, Mrs. Hedda Tesman. Hedda was married to an academic, Dr. George Tesman. Hedda appears to live a life that is really detached from her husband. She maintains a very independent outlook and seeks to pay back her perceived foes and people who disagreed with her in a manipulative manner. She appears to be a material lady who married her husband because she saw a lot of prospects in him. This caused Dr. Tessman to take a loan from Judge Brack to purchase a Prime Minsters accommodation to secure Heddas hand in marriage. However, when things turned tough, she showed signs that she was not interested in the marriage. She therefore plays a manipulative role in the life of her husbands rival, Eilert Lovborg. Lovborg had written a seemingly superior manuscript that put Heddas husbands life in jeopardy. Hedda seem to have had a past affair with Lovborg and sought to pay her back. She therefore mainpulates Lovborg and Mrs. Elvsted a co-author of Lovborgs most recent manuscript. Dr. Tesman steals Lovborgs manuscript and gives it to Hedda. Hedda proceeds to burn the manuscript and hands over a gun to Lovborg who eventually commits suicide with it. With overwhelming evidence that Hedda had a role in Lovborgs death, Judge Brack confronts her. Hedda commits suicide as an ultimate sign of her belief in freedom and the right to be self-oriented. There are several facades through which the character of Hedda Gabler could be examined. From one angle, she could be seen as a manipulative and wicked individual who sought to create mayhem. On other angle, she could be seen as a smart individual who can get people to go in the direction she wants. In an other spectrum, she could be seen as an insatiable individual who wants things to go her way all the time. Yet, in another light, she can be seen as a rebellious person in her generation. However, in todays terms, she can be said to be a paragon of freedom and an ideal model for a feminist activist who desires to further the rights of women. This paper examines the character of Hedda Gabler into detail. It evaluates her manipulative behavior and her need for control. The paper argues about the main traits and character identity of Hedda Gabler from the significant and key events in the play. Critique of Heddas Reactions to Events Several incidents in the play give different views and opinions about Hedda. In Act 1, George announces that Hedda requires things to be done in style otherwise they need not be done at all. This shows that Hedda has a strong tendency for domineering attitudes which makes it difficult for her to be pleased. She also complained about the window the Georges Aunty had left opened. This shows her insatiable attitude and ungrateful nature towards people who try to help her. In her conversation with Mrs. Elvsted, Hedda prefers to use other names rather than her husbands surname or Mrs. Tesman. She goes on to criticize Mrs. Elvsteds marriage and show that marriage is not of such a high regard to her. This shows her tendency towards feminist traits and ideas. She also shows her boredom in marriage and desire to live a more adventurous life. In her relationship with her husband and Judge Brack, Hedda gives straightforward answers that seem to challenge their authorities as leaders in that generation. In cases where her husband is being degraded before Lovborg, Hedda seem to be in support of the challenge placed upon her husband. This shows that she is not really loyal or committed to the relationship. This is reflected in her insistence on the name Gabler rather than Tesman. During the conversation with Lovborg, she uses the phrase “me and Tesman” which Lovborg corrects as “Tesman and you”. This shows her contempt for the marriage. Also, their conversation comes with some elements of infidelity and past love affairs. Hedda has a strong ability to dare people into doing things that they will normally not do. She did this on at least three occasions. One with her husband and another with Mrs. Elvsted and Lovborg. The third instance was when she gave the pistol to Lovborg and said “use it perfectly”.This manipulated Lovberg and led him to commit suicide. Also, Hedda has a strong desire to cause problems for other people. Spilling out information that her friend confided in her and burning the manuscript were both done deliberately to cause mayhem and problem between two people. Upon discovering that she was going to be the subject of a controversy, she takes her life. This has several facades in defining her as an individual. The most obvious view is that she is a person who seeks freedom at the highest levels. Personality Analysis With Respect to Society Ibsen Hendrick identified that she chose the name Hedda Gabler (her maiden name) rather than Hedda Tesman for a symbolic reason. “My intention in giving it this name was to indicate that Hedda, as a personality is to be regarded rather as her fathers daughter than as her husbands wife (Archer para7). This shows clearly that Hedda was to be staged in a way that indicates that she is a person who wants her way all the time. Like a typical spoilt girl in society, she had a tendency to tilt towards what she found appropriate at any point in time. This is evident in Act 1 where she passes very disparaging comments which were directed at Auntie Julia, Dr. Tesmans aunt. The City University of New York (para 16) identify that characters in plays are best judged in relation to convention that existed at the time of the setting. Convention is defined as “the rule or practice based upon general consent and upheld by a large society” (para 17). In other words, convention is about the generally accepted norms and practices that are recognized by a society as valid. In the 1890s when Hedda Gabler was first staged, the life of women in Europe was extremely different. Kershaw & Kimyongur identify that women were expected to pass on from their fathers to their husbands (12). In this transition, it was conventional for women to be submissive of their husbands and support their husbands in their pursuits (Clark 71). This means that every woman had to seek the good of her husband and adopt her husbands name as a sign of submission. That was what the society actually expected of all women. In this case, Hedda Gabler was totally against convention. Instead of being submissive and responsive to her husband, she sought an unprecedented level of independence. Hedda sought to maintain her status by retaining her fathers name. This was a complete stand against the norms of society at that time. This was a stock situation in the play since it was repeated over and over again in numerous occasions where she insisted on being called Gabler rather than Tesman. Additionally, Heddas demands upon her husband were not in sync with the kind of loyalty expected of a woman in that timeline in history. She demanded a plush prime ministers residence which cost her husband a lot. She seemed to tilt towards Lovberg any time there was a comparison which showed her husband to be inferior. This was clearly not required of a wife in that point in time. In the 21st Century, the convention seems a little different. Heddas personality can be seen as excessively demanding. This is because she does not seem to have the level of independence that is expected of a woman with huge demands. In other words, people will expect a woman with good tastes like Hedda to have her own source of income and be independent in a somewhat different way. However, here is Hedda with a high degree of demand with little ability to provide or meet them. In the ends she turns out to become a manipulative individual who plays different people at each point in time to get what she wants. This is a clear example of Machiavellian tactics to attain her ends. Farfan on the other hand, states that women like Hedda Gabler were the agents of change who brought about equal rights to women in Europe and around the world (59). She states that Heddas brilliance and desperation created the room for people to challenge the status quo and enhance the need for equal rights and freedoms for women throughout the world. Lifestyle of Hedda Gabler Generally, Hedda Gabler is presented as a very bored individual (Shmoop University para 2). She keeps on using words like “I am tired” and “how horribly bored I am here”. This shows that she was not interested in her life as a married woman living with Dr. Tesman. Secondly, Hedda had no profession. This is because it was not the right thing for a woman to do in that era. She therefore had to stay at home and do nothing. Thus, to while away the time, Hedda moves on to use manipulative techniques and tools to create some form of amusement for herself. This manipulation is done through three main things which makes her feel powerful (Shmoop University para 4). First of all, she fakes her friendship to Mrs. Elvsted. This enables Mrs. Elvsted to open up to her and tell her deep secrets that a person can only tell a trusted friend. This gave her the way to plant her schemes to further manipulate people in the play. Secondly, she fabricates motives. In other words, she gets people to think in a certain direction by suggesting a line of thinking which gets people to go in the direction she wants them to. For instance, after burning the manuscript, she made up a story that made Dr. Tesman feel powerless in accusing her and putting the blame squarely on her. Finally, Hedda is known for fabricating emotions. She had a lot of issues trying to present herself in a certain light when she actually had a different view of things. Thus for instance, she showed several things in Act 1 which suggested that she did not really want a strong relationship with Dr. Tesmans Aunt. Also, in her desire to satisfy her how need for some pleasure and entertainment, Hedda resorted to vicarious solutions (Shmoop University para 6). This is because the manipulations and upsets that people felt provided some kind of satisfaction for her. She sought to maintain high aesthetic standards that made her forget the real world. This is because she thought that marrying Dr. Tesman would provide her all she needed. The Events leading to Hedda Tesmans Suicide Hedda Tesman also appears to have a strong view that explains her suicide. It seems that some of these views are in sync with todays ideas of feminism. Shmoop University identifies six of these traits and trends (para 7) First of all, it could be said that Hedda committed suicide because she did not want Judge Brack to have power over her. As such, it was a better idea for her to end it all rather than endure the humiliation of having the judge to control her freedom. Secondly, she had nothing to live for. After indicating over and over again that she was not interested in the boring life that she was subjected to, Hedda might have thought that it was of no use for her to live and continue to be bored. Thirdly, she had to come to terms with the fact that she was pregnant and had to live her life as a mother, which was against her will. In other words, she saw the idea of motherhood as some kind of bother and restriction on her freedom. She therefore thought it wise to just end it. Additionally, it could be said that Hedda came to terms with the realities on the ground. After living through some degree of unrealistic desires and aspirations, she had come to terms with the reality. As such, a great way of preserving the consequences of facing the reality was to pass on. Finally, it could be that she took the decision to kill herself to prove her own courage and desire for a free life which she had been denied in this world. Positive Aspects of Hedda Gabler On the other hand, Jones portrays Hedda Gabler as a positive individual who has so many virtues which can be compared to the greatest martyrs of all times (447). First of all, Jones identifies that there was an air of beauty in Heddas ability to work to attain a given objective at any point in time. This provides a strong point in literature that renders her as one of the greatest characters who mirror the realities of life. Secondly, Hedda Gabler fought to get some degree of liberation from the normal society (MacFarlene 476). In other words, Hedda Gabler is a character who always struggles against convention and tries to bring in a new world order. Another aspect of Heddas life is that she sought to fight to attain human freedom (McFarlene 477). This is because she was locked up in a totally undesirable life and sought to create some degree of freedom by defying the normal conventions which put women in the second rate. Feminism and Hedda Gabler There are four forms of symbolism in the play that portray Hedda Gabler as a feminist (Innes 94). Her usage of the pistol shows that she was not shy of things that were restricted only to men in that generation. This is because she used it as a recreational tool and was quick to hand it over to Lovberg. Secondly, Heddas attachment to her father shows that she has a stronger bond to her family than to marriage and the subjection to a male in the institution of marriage. This is evident in the fact that Hedda maintained the portrait of her father even after she was married. Another school of thought indicates that the book dramatized the tragic effects of wanting to become a freedom fighter (Degnan 129). This is because the setting of Hedda Gabler provides an aspect of romanticism which glorifies the rebel (Innes 94). As such, it can be seen as a tool meant to dissuade women from speaking up against their limitations in that era. Conclusion Hedda Gabler as a character can be viewed in several dimensions. In one sense, she can be seen as a freedom fighter who was caught up in the prejudice of the 1800s. As such, her efforts can be seen as an attempt to break out of the scope that she had been restricted to. On the other hand, Hedda Gabler can be seen by her contemporaries as a very negative person who defied convention. She is a freedom fighter who was laid out by a person who disliked the attempt of women to gain liberation. Another obvious aspect of the book is that Hedda Gabler chose a relatively wicked and inconsiderate method of creating fun. This was done through her intelligent but nefarious abilities to manipulate people and get them to do what she wanted. Hedda Gables suicide can be seen as an attempt to escape the realities of life. It can also be seen as a method of protest for her dislike of the society around her. Works Cited Archer William. Introduction to Hedda Gabler Munich: Project Guttenberg. 2010. Print. City University of New York. Literary Terms. New York: English Literature Course, 2009. Web. February 12, 2009. Clark Linda. Women and Achievement in the Nineteenth Century Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2008. Print. Degnan James. Writing Analysis of Literature. Los Angeles: University of California Press. 1969. Print. Farfan Penny. “From “Hedda Gabler” to “Votes for Women”: Elizabeth Robins Early Feminist Critique of Ibsen” Theater Journal Vol 48 Number 1. 1996. Journal. Innes, Charles. Routledge Literary Sources on Henrik Ibsens Hedda Gabler. London: Taylor & Francis Group. 2003. Print. Jones David Richard. “The Virtues of “Hedda Garber””Educational Theatre Journal Vol 29 No 4. 1977. Journal. Kershaw Angela & Kimyongur Angela. Women in Europe Between the Wars: Politics, Culture & Society. Surrey: Ashgate Publishing. 2007. Print. MacFarlene, Jane. The Oxford Ibsen. Vol VII London: Oxford University Press. Print. Shmoop University. Hedda Tesman in Hedda Gabler. 2012. Web. Sources Archer William http://www.gutenberg.org/files/4093/4093-h/4093-h.htm Clark, Linda http://books.google.co.za/books?id=NtitRt1uUXMC&pg=PA71&dq=Situation+of+women+in+Europe+in+the+1890s&hl=en&sa=X&ei=uF-hT43XKc2EhQf5z420CA&ved=0CF0Q6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=Situation%20of%20women%20in%20Europe%20in%20the%201890s&f=false Kershaw & Kimyongur http://books.google.co.za/books?id=n6UeAT6AoWcC&pg=PA11&dq=Situation+of+women+in+Europe+in+the+1890s&hl=en&sa=X&ei=uF-hT43XKc2EhQf5z420CA&ved=0CEYQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=Situation%20of%20women%20in%20Europe%20in%20the%201890s&f=false Farfan http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/3208714?searchUrl=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dhedda%2Bgabler%26acc%3Don%26wc%3Don&Search=yes&uid=3739368&uid=2134&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&sid=56131880463 Jones and MacFarlene http://www.jstor.org/stable/3206002?&Search=yes&searchText=literature&searchText=hedda&searchText=gabler&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dhedda%2Bgabler%2Bliterature%26acc%3Don%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=3&ttl=768&returnArticleService=showFullText Read More