HENRIK IBSEN Many critics, whether European, British, or American, were horrified by Hedda Gabler. One appalled response was to deny that such a woman could exist in real life. A Norwegian critic called her a "monster created by the author in the form of a woman who has no counterpart in the real world." Another response was to classify Hedda as abnormal or perverted. The Danish critic George Brandes found her "a true type of degeneration" who was incapable "of yielding herself, body and soul, to the man she loves." For Hjalmer Boyeson she was "a complete perversion of womanhood." Others explained her as an example of the New Woman , a female character common in fiction in the 1890s, when women were actively demanding equality with men. The play aroused negative criticism for yet another reason; it violated the assumptions of traditional literary theory. A good example of this kind of response is an anonymous review which appeared in the Saturday Review: The production of an Ibsen play impels the inquiry, What is the province of art?

If it be to elevate and refine, as we have hitherto humbly supposed, most certainly it cannot be said that the works of Ibsen have the faintest claim to be artistic. We see no ground on which his method is defensible. . . . Things rank and gross in nature alone have place in the mean and sordid philosophy of Ibsen. Those of his characters who are not mean morally are mean intellectually--the wretched George Tesman, with his enthusiasm about the old shoes his careful aunt brings him wrapped up in a bit of newspaper, is a case in point. As for refining and elevating, can any human being, it may be asked, feel happier or better in anyway from a contemplation of the two harlots at heart who do duty in Hedda Gabler? . . . We do not mean to say that there are not, unhappily, Hedda Gablers and George Tesmans in 'real life'. There are; but when we meet them we take the greatest pains to get out of their way, and why should they be endured on the stage?

Even some supporters of Ibsen were confused by this play, because they expected another problem play ; a number of his previous plays had dealt with contemporary social issues like syphilis or political corruption. For them, Hedda Gabler might be brilliant, but it was also pointless. Edmund Gosse could not find "any sort of general idea from Hedda Gabler...or satire on any condition of society." The play, however, found many admirers.

Justin McCarthy gave the play high praise, "Hedda Gabler is the name, to my mind, of Ibsen's greatest play, and of the most interesting woman that Ibsen has created." The anonymous reviewer for the London Sunday Times recommended the play without reservation: "one of the most notable events in the history of the modern stage, for, in spite of all prejudice and opposition, it marks an epoch and launches an influence." The Times reviewer based his judgements on a more liberal literary theory than the reviewer for the Saturday Review quoted above: Now, to us Hedda Gabler appears a wonderful work of art, one that must produce a profound impression upon those who will accustom themselves to regard a stage-play from the point of view of real, living character in actual contact with the facts and sensations and possibilities of human experience, instead of gauging it by the conventional standard of playmaking, or the superficial observation of ordinary social intercourse. Ibsen has a way of going to the root of the matter, and exposing the skeleton in the cupboard, which is certainly not always a pleasant sight.

But life, with its infinite subtleties and inconsistencies, is always interesting, and Ibsen shows the wonder and the pity of it, while perhaps he only infers its loveliness by contrast. But therein he proves himself a master artist, for his point of view is definite, and the impression he produces is complete and final. In Hedda Gabler he gives us a typical tragedy of modern life, and in the strange, sensitive, selfish heroine, he presents one of the most wonderful and subtle conceptions of woman in the whole range of dramatic literature. Regardless of the mixed reviews, British and American audiences flocked to see Hedda Gabler and made it a financial success. They enjoyed its dramatic surprises and shocks. The play was (and still is) popular with actresses, because it provides "juicy parts" for them, as do most of Ibsen's plays. To answer these questions, we will look closely at the play. We will not necessarily answer the questions in the order listed, nor will our discussion always be phrased in Ibsen's terms, but we will arrive at answers. But we may not arrive at one answer or one interpretation that every class member, including me, agrees with.

This is a highly complex play: Hedda Gabler's behavior is contradictory; the characters are not easily judged because they have positive and negative traits; the issues raised are numerous and complicated; finally, the structure of the play does not reveal Ibsen's point of view. What I mean by the play's not revealing Ibsen's point of view can be explained by referring to Hamlet. Hamlet is unquestionably an honorable man with upstanding qualities whom the audience is expected to admire. It is not so clear how we are to view Hedda: is Hedda to be condemned for her selfishness and destructiveness? is she to be admired for her courage and determination? is she both admirable and despicable? The Characterization of Hedda Gabler The question most commonly asked about this play is, why does Hedda behave as she does? This question assumes that Ibsen has given her adequate motivation. Not everyone accepts this assumption; for Elizabeth Hardwick, "Hedda Gabler is unusual, I believe, in having no motivation whatsoever." If Hedda's behavior is unmotivated or insufficiently motivated, then she would seem to be an adult Bad Seed.

If you agree with Hardwick's interpretation of Hedda, you might decide that Hedda's lack of motivation is such a serious flaw that the play, which revolves around her, is a failure. Most audiences and readers, though, see Hedda as propelled by an internal conflict, although they may disagree about the nature of the conflict. Is Hedda torn between her social self and her essential self ? Is her conflict an unspoken rebellion against the restrictions her society placed on women? Or is she a victim of her class and of her upbringing as General Gabler's daughter? Themes What did Ibsen mean when he said that Hedda Gabler portrayed certain "social conditons and principles of the present day"? To try to answer this question, we will examine the major themes: Hedda Gabler plays 19th century struggles out on the modern stage | The List Hedda Gabler plays 19th century struggles out on the modern stage Contemporary themes resonate as Ibsen's classic play returns to the Lyceum Source: The List comments Nicola Daley as Hedda Gabler As with most classic playwrights, Henrik Ibsen's works endure because their motifs are rooted in reality – of human aspirations, longing and failings.

Hedda Gabler is a fine example, as the titular character struggles with the constraints of being a woman in the 19th century. As the Lyceum's award-winning Associate Director Amanda Gaughan explains, 'Richard Eyre has written a remarkable adaptation with the language both contemporary and viscerally bold, yet still set in the 1890s. We have real people who exist within a domestic situation and over the course of the 36 hours struggle to deal with life and death situations of addiction, loneliness and how to conform to the societal constructs of being a successful man or woman.' Taking the title role is Nicola Daley, an actress who Gaughan has collaborated with before and whom she describes as 'a fierce and versatile actress. She has the ability to find a truthful response to a character that is constantly in an emotional flux and brings real strength and vulnerability to the role. As do all the cast.' Gaughan adds: 'These characters are in conflict with maintaining these perceived societal ideals.

I think it is highly interesting to look at how far we have moved forward in equality and what aspects we still have to address.' Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 20 Mar–Sat Apr 11 Hedda Gabler A new version of Henrik Ibsen's famous play Hedda Gabler from Richard Eyre, which has been directed by Amanda Gaughan. Hedda's life looks respectable enough – she has a distinguished father, a reputable husband and a good home. In order to inject some excitement into her life, she finds that she must look to the lives of… Hedda Gabler Hedda Gabler or browse other Shmoopers' Questions In A Nutshell Henrik Ibsen is kind of a big deal. After William Shakespeare , he’s the most widely produced dramatist in history. (Wow, right?) A Norwegian playwright writing in the last half of the 19th century, Ibsen is known as "the father of modern drama." Because he wrote in a then new realist style – covering everyday topics and everyday people – he set the stage for many realist writers to come, among them the very famous Anton Chekhov .

Ibsen proved that with very realistic settings, characters, and scenarios, you could still comment on big abstract ideas. He was also a bit scandalous, always raising eyebrows with his unflattering portrayals of Victorian values. Translator Rolf Fjelde comments that Ibsen’s career can be divided into two halves, and that the second reflects a more uniform style and substance that suited the playwright best. This second half began with A Doll House – the play that made Ibsen famous (commercially and critically) in 1879. Eleven years later, in 1890, came Hedda Gabler. Hedda tells the story of the original desperate housewife – and Eva Longoria Parker has got nothing on this lady. Hedda, once the best catch in town, is a woman restricted by Victorian values and trapped in a loveless marriage with a boring, boring man. Her only solace is manipulating others, which she does for about, oh, 94% of the play. It could have been that Norway wasn’t ready for a leading woman of the femme fatale variety, because Hedda initially received negative reviews in the early 1890s.

But she won the critics over – gradually – in the course of a decade; reviews steadily improved until a 1902 Broadway production set it firmly in the dramatic canon. To this day, Hedda is one of the most talked about fictional women in all of drama. Known as "the female Hamlet," she is also one of the most difficult roles for an actress to play. Even modern feminism can’t get a grip on this woman, whose motivations seem to defy categorization or easy interpretation. Why Should I Care? Man, life was tough for a woman in Victorian Norway. Social confines, gender roles, restrictions on activities, friends, and language, and a constant worry over reputation ruled the day. It’s no wonder Hedda Gabler is miserable. Just look at her angst-ridden monologue: "Do you think I relish the fact that I have to act like Mary Sunshine 24/7 so I can be considered a lady? I'm the Marcia […] Brady of the Upper East Side, and sometimes I want to kill myself." OK, fine, so that’s not Hedda Gabler speaking. (You caught us being sneaky.) It’s actually Sarah Michelle Gellar in Cruel Intentions .

But the more we think about it, the more we’re convinced that someone was channeling Ibsen through the 1999 film that rocked that year’s MTV movie awards. Gellar’s character suffers from the same issues as Hedda, but more interestingly, she solves them the same way: by screwing with other people. ("You’re just a toy, Sebastian . A little toy I like to play with.") Yes, that’s right. Hedda is the story of cruel machinations designed to entertain. Like so many great stories, sex has a lot to do with it. Both women use what they’ve got to get what they want. While both of these femme fatales dominate men, they both partner with (or live through, as Freudians would say) one man in particular who ends up captivated by a kinder, sweeter, more feminine version of the female sex. The turf battle begins, in this general fashion: "Do you honestly believe you've done a complete 180 in the few days you've known her? Well let me tell you something, people don't change overnight.

You and I are two of a kind." We could go on and on about the position of women in the world today, what’s changed since the 19th century and what hasn’t, and how the heck a man created this pistol of a character (pun intended) all the way back in 1890. But we think it’s more fun for you to 1) read Hedda Gabler, 2) watch Cruel Intentions, and 3) let us know what you think. In the meantime, we’ll still be wondering, to borrow another thematically relevant line, "How can someone so charming be so manipulative?" Hedda Gabler - a play by Henrik Ibsen HEDDA GABLER a play in four acts by Henrik Ibsen First published in 1890 This analysis of Peer Gynt was originally published in The Continental Drama of Today. Barrett H. Clark. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1914. pp. 34-6. Hedda Gabler is one of the finest examples of dramatic technique in existence. As a study in construction it repays many readings and much careful application.

The play deals with the character of a woman out of harmony with her surroundings. All the skill of the dramatist is brought to bear upon a complete revelation of her past life, her thoughts, and the resultant acts. Everything in the play contributes to the psychological portrait of Hedda Gabler. The exposition is so deftly contrived that every word counts; in fact, the words "I don't believe they are stirring" arouse curiosity, give some past history, and afford some indication as to the character of the speaker. The first two pages are so full of meaning that the reader -- and certainly the auditor -- must pay the strictest attention, or else lose important information. Up to George's entrance, we learn enough about him so that no time need be lost learning his further characteristics from himself. The presence of George varies the scene a little, and by the time the audience has scene him, it is ready for more information. Judge Brack is mentioned, then a little further action is introduced; farther on there is more exposition -- telling us of the relations between Hedda and Miss Tesman. Little by little the details are piled up, until we know nearly all that is needful for a full comprehension of the remainder of the play.

Then Hedda makes her appearance. Trace the steps in the introduction, and notice how the past gradually rises up and takes shape as background; how the characters are introduced, how each important detail is insisted upon, preparatory to the action that is to take place. The "curtain" of the first act closes the exposition, and the development begins. The second act starts and advances the plot up to the climax. The climax is that point at which the action of the play reaches its culmination, the last stage in its development, from which the action falls, or is unraveled. In Henry Arthur Jones's The Liars , Lady Jessica says to Falkner (Act III), "Tell my husband the truth," and Falkner does so. That is the climax of the play; up to that point, the fortunes of most of the people depended upon a network of lies, and when these are discovered and the truth learned, tension is released, and the only thing to wait for is the explanation. The rest of the play shows merely the result of the revelation.

In Hedda Gabler, the climax is Hedda's burning of the "child," Lövborg's MS,; that deed is the culminating point of those events, or crisis, in her life with which Ibsen, either in the play or before it, is concerned. From that point onward, we see only effects; never again does the action rise to so high a pitch. Hedda's death, even, is only the logical outcome of what has gone before, and that was prepared for, foreshadowed, in the first and succeeding acts. Hedda Gabler Study Guide WORLD LITERATURE II (ENG 252) Hedda Gabler Study Guide IBSEN Ibsen was born in Norway in 1828. His family was poor and he was sent off at sixteen to work as a pharmacist's apprentice. At twenty-two he went to Oslo and entered the university for a short while and then went to Bergen, where he was a playwright and assistant stage manager at the newly founded Norwegian Theater. At twenty-six, disgusted with Norway's politics, Ibsen left for near permanent exile. He wandered around Europe for most of the rest of his life, writing intensely Norwegian plays while in exile.

He did not return to Norway permanently until 1891, the year after he completed Hedda Gabler. In his time, Ibsen was a radical critic of middle class society. According to Lyon, Ibsen's "discussions of incest, venereal disease, sexual exploitation, and illegitimacy... shocked his audiences and made him an infamous international celebrity. (Lyons, 8) DRAMATIC REALISM Dramatic realism was rooted in the late nineteenth century's fascination with examining human behavior as a story of cause and effect, analogous to scientific studies of cause and effect. The basic idea was to understand how the effects of the past--heredity and experience--as well as the social and economic conditions of the present, affected the behavior of the individual and the group. These social and psychological "causes" replaced the roles of the gods and fates in classical theater. Dramatic realism was, above all, familiar. The settings and actions on stage looked just like the lives of the contemporary audience. The details of furnishings, dress, speech and action were all familiar, making the events seem intensely "real" to the audience.

CLASS The characters in Hedda Gabler represent the upper and middle European bourgeoisie in the late nineteenth century. Brack, Hedda and Eilert Lovborg are from the upper bourgeoisie while the other characters are from the middle bourgeoisie. (Lyons, 63) This bourgeoisie was quite different from our ideas about the middle class in America; their wealth was inherited and their social customs extremely restricted. Hedda and Eilert have both lost their status in the upper bourgeoisie, Hedda, because she had no money, while Eilert destroyed his reputation through unacceptable social behavior and throwing away his money on debauchery. (Lyons, 63) Although poor, Hedda clearly considers herself a member of the upper bourgeoisie, and feels she's married into a lower social class which she despises. (Lyons, 62-63) Despite the pretensions of both the upper and middle bourgeoisie, all of the characters in the play except Brack are at risk of poverty. Hedda and Thea both married for financial security. Thea risks both her social and financial security when she leaves her husband to follow Eilert Lovborg.

Tesman's finances are threatened by the prospect of not getting the professorship, and his aunts have mortgaged their annuity to help him buy his new house. So we see that this apparently rock-solid bourgeoisie is actually fragile and vulnerable to loss of wealth and status. SOCIAL CONTROL/REPRESSION The restricted social behavior of the upper bourgeoisie provided serious penalties for any individuality or creativity. The life of a non-conformist was difficult, if not impossible in this social class. The restrictions this behavior placed on the freedom, integrity and fulfillment of the individual provide a major issue in Ibsen's dramas. (Lowenthal, 149) OPTIONS FOR WOMEN A woman of Hedda's social class can not really understand what freedom and fulfillment might be or how to attain them. This is understandable, since she is a member of a very restrictive class, and a woman. Women of this class and time could only be wives, mothers or daughters, not separate human beings. Hedda clings to the glamour of being General Gabler's daughter, but she is a coward, not a heroic soldier.

She thinks Eilert Lovborg dying with "vine leaves" in his hair is romantic and does not understand or care about the creative, healing possibilities of genius at work. (Mayerson, 132) Hedda is a coward about any action that could cause a scandal. She clearly desired Eilert Lovborg, but rejected him because she would not break a social taboo. She is wretched and destructive because she refuses to live according to her own feelings, and chooses to live according to the rigid forms of a dull, stagnant social order. (Clurman, 165-6) THE STORY Act I. The play opens in the drawing room of Hedda and George Tesman's house. Aunt Juliana and the maid, Bertha, talk about Hedda and George who have just returned from a six month honeymoon trip. George enters and admires his aunt's new hat, which he places on the sofa. They discuss invalid Aunt Rena, George's researches while abroad, and the house, which had been acquired while he and Hedda were abroad; the aunts had mortgaged their annuity to help finance it. They also mention that Eilert Lovborg has recently published a book. Enter Hedda.

She is cool and remarks meanly about the maid's hat on the sofa, knowing it belongs to Aunt Juliana. The contrast between the warm affection of George and his aunt and the cool meanness of Hedda is clear right from the start. Innuendos about Hedda being pregnant are made by Aunt Juliana, but George is oblivious to, and Hedda is repelled by the suggestions. Thea Elvsted comes calling. She is a former girlfriend of George's and an ex-schoolmate of Hedda's. She has been living for some years in the north, married to a much older man who hired Eilert Lovborg as a tutor to his children from a former marriage. Thea is upset and explains that Eilert has come to town; she is worried about him and begs George to keep an eye on him. Hedda sends George into the other room to write a note to Eilert, and she then grills Thea. Thea is afraid of Hedda, who had been cruel to her in school. Thea has left her husband and followed Eilert into the city.

Hedda is amazed by Thea's boldness and clearly jealous of the nurturing, creative relationship Thea had developed with Eilert. Thea says only one thing stands between her and Eilert, a woman "he's never been able to forget." Thea does not know who the woman is, only that "when he left her she tried to shoot him with a pistol." Hedda's response is "What nonsense. People don't do such things. The kind of people we know." [But this is exactly what Hedda does at the end, shooting herself. And of course, she was the woman who tried to shoot Eilert years ago, but she doesn't admit it.] Judge Brack enters. Brack tells George that there will be a competition with Eilert Lovborg for the Professorship George had been counting on to finance his life with Hedda. George had promised Hedda they could enter society and entertain lavishly, but now they will not be able to, at least not right away.

Hedda says that at least she still has "one thing left to amuse myself with....My pistols....General Gabler's pistols." HEDDA'S CHARACTER In the 1950s, Joseph Wood Krutch thought that Hedda Gabler was an evil woman. However, more recent critics explain her behavior in terms of the restrictive social conditions of nineteenth century Norway. This view is well presented by Caroline Mayerson: "...Hedda is a woman, not a monster; neurotic, but not psychotic. Thus she may be held accountable for her behavior. But she is spiritually sterile. Her yearning for self-realization through exercise of her natural endowments is in conflict with her enslavement to a narrow standard of conduct."(132) Unfortunately, Hedda never does understand the reality of her situation, nor does her death "prove" anything. Mayerson goes on to explain that Hedda: "...dies to escape a sordid situation that is largely of her own making; she will not face reality nor assume responsibility for the consequences of her acts.

The pistols, having descended to a coward and a cheat, bring only death without honor."(137) We realize how cowardly Hedda is by her contrast to Thea, who is a brave woman and is willing to be cast out by respectable society in order to follow the man she loves and the dictates of her conscience. HEDDA/THEA Hedda and Thea are presented as not only opponents for the soul and genius of Eilert Lovborg, but as contrasts in sterility and fertility. Although Hedda is pregnant and Thea has no children, Thea is fertile and Hedda is sterile. Hedda rejects even the idea of her own pregnancy, while Thea works with Eilert Lovborg, and later with George Tesman, to bring the book "child" of Eilert and herself to birth. Mayerson points out that: "Ibsen uses Thea...to indicate a way to freedom which Hedda never apprehends.

Through her ability to extend herself in comradeship with Lovborg, Thea not only brings about the rebirth of his creative powers, but merges her own best self with his to produce a prophecy of the future." (132-3) This notion of a woman fulfilling herself by inspiring a man is rather dated, but Ibsen clearly approved of Thea's nurturing femininity. Thea, despite her totally feminine nature, is able to break with the social standards of her culture to leave her husband and follow Eilert Lovborg. Of all the characters in Hedda Gabler, Thea is the most able to act from her own conscience and convictions, despite the disapproval of society. Mayerson points out that three items in the play are especially developed as symbols: Lovborg's manuscript about the future as the "child" of himself and Thea; Thea's hair and the fertility it represents; General Gabler's pistols. (131) Manuscript/Child/Hair Mayerson comments that: "The manuscript is Lovborg's and Thea's 'child,' the idea of progress born of a union between individuals who have freed themselves from the preconceptions of their environment.

This manuscript the sterile Hedda throws into the fire at the climax of her vindictive passion. Her impulse to annihilate by burning is directed both toward Thea's "child" and toward Thea's hair and calls attention to the relationship between them....Ibsen was using hair as a symbol of fertility ..." (133) According to the Ibsen's stage directions, Hedda has "not especially abundant" auburn hair, while Thea's "hair is...exceptionally wavy and abundant." Hedda has evidently been jealous of it since their days at school. Thea remembers that she was frightened of Hedda in school, because: Whenever you met me on the staircase you used to pull my hair. Hedda. No, did I? Pistols/General/Sexual Dishonesty The other major symbol in the play is the pistols of General Gabler, which, along with his portrait, seem to be all Hedda has inherited from him. Hedda uses the pistols throughout the play to assert her identity as her father's daughter. (Mayerson, 135) This role is the most glamorous one available to Hedda in her limited world.

Such pistols traditionally belong to an officer who cherishes a code of bravery and honor. Hedda's trifling use of them mocks this traditional role. She threatened Eilert Lovborg with her pistols before he left town years ago, and she playfully shoots at Judge Brack as he approaches her house through the back door. This is a mockery of protecting her "honor," especially since she is so dishonest in her sexual relationships with the men in her life. She sent away Lovborg, whom she evidently desired, married George Tesman whom she does not like, let alone love, in order to be supported comfortably, and flirts with Brack, despite her marriage. (Mayerson, 136) WOMEN Modern criticism of Hedda Gabler rests on the idea that a male dominated society repressed and limited Hedda's brilliance. (Lyons, 19) Ibsen studied the repressed conditions of women in many of his plays; however his own view of women was limited by his "celebration of their primary role as the nurturing mothers whose mission is to educate the young." (Lyons, 24) No wonder there is no solution for Hedda but suicide.

She clearly would never make a good mother, and there was nothing else for such a woman to do unless she could nurture a man's genius, as Thea did. Nurturing genius, however, was clearly not Hedda's gift. General Gabler's pistols were, finally, the only option for his daughter. Hedda Gabler is set about thirty years earlier than when it was written. Clurman writes that: "It was a period, Ibsen once remarked, when women were not allowed to play any role apart from marriage and motherhood. The "protection" they enjoyed separated them from the realities of life. Hedda shuns everything painful and ugly; she cannot tolerate the sight of sickness or death. She is already pregnant when the play opens, but mention of it is abhorrent to her....Small wonder then that she admits that all she is good for is boring herself to death."(164) And yet Thea breaks out of this sheltered life. Hedda is a victim, but she is also a coward. Both George Tesman and Eilert Lovborg develop their identities through their professions. They compete for fame and position through training, effort and intellect.

Hedda, however, has no profession, nor does she care about anything. She has no interest in what Eilert writes, only in his potential fame and glamour, and in his rivalry with her husband. She can only compete with Thea for control of a man, not to develop a personal identity. Worse, Hedda's control is destructive, while Thea's is healing and creative. Hedda married George Tesman to establish a social life as the wife of a professor; she wanted to control Eilert Lovborg destructively to rival Thea's constructive control as the inspiring force behind his genius. Hedda's only stable identity is as General Gabler's daughter. She has no life of her own, no projects of her own. Although she envies Eilert Lovborg's freedom and wildness, she shows no interest at all in the content of his writing, nor is she willing to risk scandal personally. She cooperates, in short, with the extremely limited role offered by her social condition (Lyons, 20) Both the play and Hedda herself are limited to what can be said and done around a lady.

As Lyons points out, The world beyond Hedda's house includes: "...drunkenness, prostitution, financial recklessness...the exploitation of women, and the threat of poverty....[Lovborg]...dies from an accidental gunshot wound in an apartment that functions, at least temporarily, as a brothel...." (128) The respectable Judge Brack is obviously familiar with Mademoiselle Danielle, the prostitute in whose rooms Eilert died. Further, Brack tries to use his knowledge that Eilert used Hedda's revolver to blackmail Hedda into having an adulterous affair with him. Brack has evidently enjoyed a series of such adulterous relationships with other respectable women. Even the respectable, scandal-fearing Hedda, is clearly fascinated by hearing about the disreputable goings-on at Mademoiselle Danielle's. (Lyons, 128-9) Hedda's fascination with the forbidden male world of freedom and excess draws her to both Lovborg and Brack, and finally leads to her destruction.

(Lyons, 128-129) Hedda's gender, class, and loathing of everything ugly limit what she is able or willing to hear about the outside world. Events are reported to the house, but only in terms acceptable to Hedda. Such restraint is imposed by society, as well as by Hedda's wishes. Her lack of knowledge of the outside world probably is a major factor in her romantic idealization of Lovborg's wildness and lack of self-control. She has never seen him drunk or in sordid surroundings; she only heard his stories about his escapades and imagines him carousing as a Dionysian god with vine-leaves in his hair instead of as a stumbling drunk frequenting brothels. Hedda does not even understand the concept of Dionysios correctly. She just is aware of the carousing and freedom of the god, not of his creative inspiration and potential for creating social cohesion. Her questioning of Lovborg years earlier showed her desire for information about this forbidden male world.

But, ultimately, Hedda is determined not to break the taboos of her society and when she felt she had to choose between Lovborg and following the rules, she chose the rules and a loveless marriage to Tesman. (Lyons, 129-130) Ultimately, Hedda never does understand the creative genius which Thea is able to nurture in Eilert Lovborg. Hedda romanticizes his weaknesses, confusing his lack of self-control with god-like courage. She idealizes his death as noble instead of a sordid accident, and when she is trapped by Brack's blackmail, she chooses the coward's way out--suicide--to escape from a situation largely of her own making. (Mayerson, 136-7) I would like to believe that Hedda is a creature of the nineteenth century, and that her romantic ignorance of what matters and what is real would not occur today. However, it would be foolish to deny that there are plenty of people, now and always, who dislike the petty limitations of real life and take refuge in their fantasies, confusing rebellion with creativity, self-indulgence with freedom and destruction with fulfillment.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Erich Auerbach. Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature. Translated by Willard R. Trask. Princeton New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1974. Clurman, Harold. Ibsen. Masters of World Literature Series. Louis Kronenberger, General Editor. New York: Collier Books, 1977. Krutch, Joseph Wood."Modernism" in Modern Drama: A Definition and an Estimate. Ithaca, N. Y.: Cornell University Press, 1953. Rpt. by Cornell University Paperbacks, 1966. Lowenthal, Leo. "Henrik Ibsen: Motifs in the Realistic Plays." In Rolf Fjelde, Ed. Ibsen: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.:Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1965, 139-157. Lyons, Charles R. Hedda Gabler: Gender, Role and World. Twayne's Masterwork Studies, Robert Lecker, General Editor. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1991.

Mack, Maynard, General Editor. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Fifth Continental Edition. New York: Norton, 1987. Mayerson, Caroline W. "Thematic Symbols in Hedda Gabler." In Rolf Fjelde, Ed. Ibsen: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.:Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1965, 131-138. Thomson, David. Europe Since Napoleon. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1960. SparkNotes: Hedda Gabler: Context Hedda Gabler Table of Contents Summary Henrik Ibsen is one of the world's greatest dramatists. He was the leading figure of an artistic renaissance that took place in Norway around the end of the nineteenth century, in which the work of the artist Edward Munch also played a part. Ibsen lived from 1828 to 1906. He grew up in poverty, studied medicine for a while, and then abandoned that to write plays.

In 1858, he published his first play, The Vikings at Helgeland, and married Susannah Thoresen, the daughter of a pastor. Ibsen obtained a scholarship to travel to Italy, where he wrote the plays that would establish his reputation, Brand and Peer Gynt. These were long, historical verse-plays. He lived most of the rest of his life in Italy and in Germany. Starting in 1869, he began to write prose plays, giving up the verse form. In 1877, he began what would become a series of five plays in which he examines the moral faults of modern society. The group includes A Doll's House and The Wild Duck. In many ways, Hedda Gabler, a later play completed in 1890, belongs to this group. It presents a detailed picture of society, sketching class differences between the aristocratic and bourgeois worlds. Like all of Ibsen's plays, Hedda Gabler was originally written in Norwegian and is full of untranslatable wordplay. James Joyce admired Ibsen so much that as a youth he attempted to teach himself Norwegian in order to read Ibsen in the original.

More Help Hedda Gabler | Henrik Ibsen play film adaptation - Hedda Gabler | Henrik Ibsen play film adaptation NEWSLETTER Hedda Gabler Hedda is a remake of the Victorian Period Drama Classic written by Henrik Ibsen to be directed by one of the best young and upcoming producers in the world, Matthew John. Hedda Gabler is a classic of realism, nineteenth century play writing, considered one of the world’s greatest dramas. The character of Hedda is considered by many critics to be the "female Hamlet," portrayed as an idealistic heroine fighting society, a victim of circumstance, a prototypical feminist, or a manipulative villain. Even though there have been previous versions of the drama, this is the first time it has been shot with the latest production values, such as HD and high quality audio. The film is a UK production being shot in the South West of England and is made up of a very talented cast. The costume design team has individually designed many of the female characters outfits and the film is quickly becoming an extremely lavish production. The production also makes use of a specially commissioned new translation from the Danish original into contemporary English.

Please take a few minutes to﻿﻿ check out this official website where you can see photos of the costumes and set designs that have already been done. The website is being continually updated with news of developments and events.

Question: Who wrote the 19th Century play ‘Hedda Gabler’?
Answer: Henrik Ibsen