Week 11 Analysis: Ibsen

Literary Analysis of Ibsen (781-800)
Hedda Gabler is the daughter of the famous General Gabler. She grew up in a upper-class family and was used to living luxurious. Her husband, Jurgen Tesman lived the opposite life and came from a lower middle class so you can imagine the differences that went on between them. On page 780 it says, "The collision of between Hedda's and Tesman's respective classes, expectations, and attitudes centers on the bourgeois home." And later on throughout the reading, the readers learn that Hedda only married Jurgen and convinced him to get the house out of boredom and after that she found herself trapped. Because she felt trapped, I think that's what caused her character to be more manipulative of her husband and her husband's friends. The story says, "Hedda Gabler may be a manipulator, but she is a manipulator with a vision. She is driven by her hunger for a more fulfilling, ideal, and beautiful life" (780). Hedda Gabler doesn't care for anyone but herself. Her husband looks at her like a trophy wife and she dismisses him. One of the main themes that go on in this story is manipulation. As an escape of her boredom life, Hedda likes to control others and had the ability to influence others due to her good looks and sexuality. The manipulation of others is in the hopes of her freeing herself but later in the story she tells her husband that her only talent in life is boring herself to death. Her efforts leave her more bored, thus not getting her anywhere. She manipulates Tesman, his aunt, Lovborg, and his companion, and Mrs. Elvsted. She gets them to do her bidding through force, lies, and flattery (780). In the play, Hedda destroys lives and careers and is seen as a modern version of Medea or Lady Macbeth. 

Comments

  1. UnknownApril 8, 2018 at 3:43 PM

    Hi Alissa,
    Great analysis of this act of the play. I found Hedda as a very troubling character and the first word that came to mind when reading about her was also, “manipulator.” You can tell by her lines that she is someone who is used to always getting her way and won’t have it any other way. Her boredom and manipulation for her own entertainment seems like a recipe for disaster! If I have the time I would be interested to read how the rest of the play ends.

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  2. Significant-Grab-488April 11, 2018 at 5:04 AM

    Hi Alissa, I liked how you analyzed Hedda's character as you examined how she contributes to the theme of the story. I agreed that she's manipulative and that she yearns for control also because her husband is a bit easier to manage which is why she probably married him. I liked that you made the comparison of Macbeth you made as Hedda is similar to Lady Macbeth because both of them belittle their spouses and both of them love to be in control.

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  3. Kim C.April 15, 2018 at 7:25 AM

    Hi Alissa, your analysis on the play is spot on. I had found Hedda's character and life very disappointing since she lacked the ability to adapt. She was too focused on her luxurious life and it was all she ever cared for, and like you mentioned the differences between Tesman and her caused major problems. I liked that you expanded more on her character and her biggest personality trait of being a manipulator since it plays a big role in the story. I found it very sad that she hopes to free herself using manipulation and it all looks like she has made her own cage that she is now stuck in.

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