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Hedda Gabler
The play Hedda Gabler, written by Henrik Ibsen, discusses the journey of the protagonist Hedda
Tesman, formerly known as Hedda Gabler, in her descent to suicide. The story leads her to feel
entrapped by a misery that surrounds her life and leads her to feel that death is her only escape.
While a traditional reading of the play is that Hedda is a victim of society, a modern interpretation
is that Hedda is much more a victim of herself: her dislike of motherhood, her self–insecurities and
her flirtatious behaviour, with the constrictive time period and setting only accentuating these faults.
Overall Ibsen aims to show the audience the difficulties that face those in society who fail to fit into
social roles and expectations, discussing whether...show more content...
Whilst women of this era were expected to raise children, Hedda demonstrates an inability to sustain
such maternal feelings, causing her to view herself as separated from society. This is illustrated in
Ibsen's use of diction in the title, naming the play 'Hedda Gabler' rather than 'Hedda Tesman' to
suggest that Hedda is unable to conform to such traditional customs as taking her husband's name.
This is perpetuated through Tesman's constant hints at pregnancy. In this, it is shown how Tesman
believes Hedda to be pregnant, saying how Hedda has "filled out on the journey". Ibsen's use of
metaphor in Tesman's comment emphasises how, at even the suggestion of pregnancy, Hedda
becomes derisive, as she replies "Oh, do be quiet – !" Likewise, Ibsen uses the foil of Miss Tesman
to emphasise Hedda's isolation. Miss Tesman is seen to be excited at the suggestion of Hedda's
perceived pregnancy, highlighting the unusual nature of Hedda's displeasure. Her dislike of the
prospect of motherhood causes Hedda to experience a sense of isolation and exclusion from those
around her. This societal isolation is presented to the audience through Ibsen's use of physical
description. Mrs. Elvsted's hair, being described as "unusually abundant" becomes symbolic of one's
ability to fit into society. She is characterised as "beautiful", "stupid" and an ideal women of the
period. In comparison, Hedda's hair, described as "not particularly abundant", illustrates her inability
to conform. Yet it can be seen that Hedda hopes to conform to society and thus suggesting that her
anguish is as a result of her separation from society, a situation that can be attributed to her character
faults, rather than the constraints of society itself. This is demonstrated through Ibsen's use of
backstory which illustrates Hedda's life–long obsession with Mrs. Elvsted's
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Hedda Gabler

  • 1. Hedda Gabler The play Hedda Gabler, written by Henrik Ibsen, discusses the journey of the protagonist Hedda Tesman, formerly known as Hedda Gabler, in her descent to suicide. The story leads her to feel entrapped by a misery that surrounds her life and leads her to feel that death is her only escape. While a traditional reading of the play is that Hedda is a victim of society, a modern interpretation is that Hedda is much more a victim of herself: her dislike of motherhood, her self–insecurities and her flirtatious behaviour, with the constrictive time period and setting only accentuating these faults. Overall Ibsen aims to show the audience the difficulties that face those in society who fail to fit into social roles and expectations, discussing whether...show more content... Whilst women of this era were expected to raise children, Hedda demonstrates an inability to sustain such maternal feelings, causing her to view herself as separated from society. This is illustrated in Ibsen's use of diction in the title, naming the play 'Hedda Gabler' rather than 'Hedda Tesman' to suggest that Hedda is unable to conform to such traditional customs as taking her husband's name. This is perpetuated through Tesman's constant hints at pregnancy. In this, it is shown how Tesman believes Hedda to be pregnant, saying how Hedda has "filled out on the journey". Ibsen's use of metaphor in Tesman's comment emphasises how, at even the suggestion of pregnancy, Hedda becomes derisive, as she replies "Oh, do be quiet – !" Likewise, Ibsen uses the foil of Miss Tesman to emphasise Hedda's isolation. Miss Tesman is seen to be excited at the suggestion of Hedda's perceived pregnancy, highlighting the unusual nature of Hedda's displeasure. Her dislike of the prospect of motherhood causes Hedda to experience a sense of isolation and exclusion from those around her. This societal isolation is presented to the audience through Ibsen's use of physical description. Mrs. Elvsted's hair, being described as "unusually abundant" becomes symbolic of one's ability to fit into society. She is characterised as "beautiful", "stupid" and an ideal women of the period. In comparison, Hedda's hair, described as "not particularly abundant", illustrates her inability to conform. Yet it can be seen that Hedda hopes to conform to society and thus suggesting that her anguish is as a result of her separation from society, a situation that can be attributed to her character faults, rather than the constraints of society itself. This is demonstrated through Ibsen's use of backstory which illustrates Hedda's life–long obsession with Mrs. Elvsted's Get more content on HelpWriting.net