Overall Opinion

Overall, Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler was a very interesting play. I think it was better than Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba, but I do not know why. At the beginning the play seemed to be very slow moving and did not hold my interest right away, but in the end the play was pretty okay. As I got farther into the book and learned more about the characters the book became more interesting. My favorite character was Aunt Julie because to me she seemed to be the sanest character and she has the same name as me…j/k…but Aunt Julie’s character was kind, soft, and caring.…but, my least favorite character was of course.. …Hedda Gabler. Her character was just so manipulating and after a while she just became so predictable and annoying. Though the beginning was slow moving and uninteresting at first, I still liked it better than the ending…I did not like how within the last act three characters died. The ending is not how I imaged it ending although I can not think of an alternative. In the end I thoroughly enjoyed the play and I do recommend it.

Hedda like Bernarda

In several ways Hedda Gabler is similar to The House of Bernarda Alba. One of the biggest comparisons between the two plays is there is an authoritative figure. In Hedda Gabler it is Hedda who is controlling. Hedda finds a way to manipulate others, taking power away from the other characters as she has lost self-control. But,in the end, Hedda's control takes over her own life as she commits suicide. Bernarda is like Hedda as she takes control over her daughters within her house as daughters must mourn the loss of her husband for eight consecutive years. Another way the two plays are similar is that both authoritative characters have maids. Berta and Poncia are controlled by authority. In the end….both plays are tragedies…..three deaths occur in the Hedda Gabler including Aunt Rina, Løvborg, and Hedda...whereas Bernarda Alba’s youngest daughter, Adela, commits suicide.

Act Four is a Tragedy

Three different deaths occur in Act Four. I think the importance of death in the play suggests conflict between the characters and Hedda. The first death is Aunt Rina’s. George tries to encourage Hedda to join him say a last goodbye to Aunt Rina, but she refuses. Hedda’s response to Aunt Rina’s death characterizes Hedda as a selfish individual who does not care about anyone or anything. The second death that occurs is Mr.Løvborg’s. Hedda seems to be amazed and interested in Løvborg’s death as she exclaims, “I’m saying there’s beauty to all of this” (296), referring to his death. Hedda cares more for the “beauty” of his death more so than his well-being. Hedda implies more than once that Løvborg’s death was beautiful. Hedda can be directly related to Løvborg’s death as she is the one who burned his manuscript, which influenced his death. Hedda is also the one who provided the pistols for Løvborg. In the end, Hedda’s confrontational ways take control over her own life. Hedda commits suicide after her own power is taken away from herself. I think Hedda felt as though death was the only escape from her miserable life that she created.

Hedda’s Bored!?!?!

I am not sure if I really fully understand Hedda’s character, besides the fact that she a controlling and authoritative. But, she is constantly complaining of how bored she is. She looks to her pistols as an escape from her boredom. The pistols represent her masculine up bringing as they were a gift from her father, General Gabler. The pistols are one explanation why Hedda’s character is so masculine. And when Hedda pretends to shot Judge Brack, but he gently takes the pistols away from her…what was her motive? Following that incident though, Hedda again precedes to complain to Judge Brack that her honeymoon with George was so boring….and she also tells Judge Brack how much she missed him. But, I still do not know why Hedda always complains so much and feels the need to constantly play with her pistols although the pistols represent Hedda’s dominance.

Hedda loves George?

I do not think Hedda truly loves George Tesman. Hedda is a very controlling character and she learns to manipulate the others including her newlywed husband, George. When Hedda married George I think she was just looking for an opportunity to have control over another person, taking into consideration the fact that she married a man who is of lesser value than herself. It seems as though Hedda must have everything her way, for instance the incident with the piano. When Hedda married George, I do not think she was doing it for love. Instead, Hedda was looking for control and authority. Hedda’s character seems to be stuck in the past. She is used to having the best things in life as she comes from a very wealthy background, being that her father was General Gabler. It seems to me that Hedda has loss all self-control and she looks to marriage as a way to regain power. On the other hand, I think George truly loves Hedda, or at least he wants to try and love Hedda. But, Hedda never shows true love or affection towards George and their marriage. Hedda is making it impossible for George to love her and she has high standards and she seems impossible to please.

Løvborg’s Relationships

I was just wondering what was the importance or the significance of Hedda’s and Mrs.Elvsted’s relationship with Eilert Løvborg? It is evident that Hedda has had a past with Løvborg as she was shocked, yet very interested in finding out he was back in town. It is later implied that Hedda is the woman from Løvborg’s past who threatened him with pistols. This just reminded me of the fact that Hedda is controlling and manipulate as she literally drives him to drink. However, I am not sure if the relationship they had in the past was ever sexual. But it is unclear to me why Hedda is so interested in Løvborg again. Mrs.Elvsted is also interested in Løvborg as she left her husband in order to have an affair with him, who was initially a tutor to her children. Mrs.Elvsted shows great attentiveness towards Løvborg. It seems to be that their relationship is an intimate one. I ultimately think Løvborg’s relationship with both women suggests more conflict within the play.

Hedda vs. Mrs.Elvsted

I noticed a great contrast between Hedda and Mrs.Elvsted thus far in the play. It is apparent that Hedda’s character is stronger than Mrs. Elvsted. Hedda wants complete control and dominance over the other characters as it seems as though she has lost all self-control. Mrs. Elvsted seems to be very weak, as she looks to Hedda for help with her life. When I read both of the character descriptions, it is an obvious contrast, especially between their hair. Hedda’s hair is described as being “an attractive medium brown, but not particularly abundant” (228), which seems to be a symbol to represent Hedda’s boldness and authority. Mrs.Elvsted, on the other hand, is the complete physical contrast of Hedda. Mrs.Elvsted’s soft, pretty features symbolize her meekness. Her hair is "light,almost white-gold, and unusually abundant and wavy" (233). Mrs.Elvsted’s description suggests she is a very feminine woman, unlike Hedda who has masculine features. Ultimately, I think Mrs.Elvsted is an innocent so far, and it looks as though Hedda maybe the more controlling individual who holds authority and control over the other characters.

Who’s Aunt Rina?

What I do know of Aunt Rina is that she is another one George’s aunts who helped raise him. But, I was wondering what the importance of her character in the play was considering her character does not have a speaking role in the play? In Act One it is mentioned several times that Aunt Rina’s character is ill. With that, I am pretty sure Aunt Rina has more of an importance to the rest of the play as it is mentioned she embroidered George’s slippers while ill, which has many memories bound up within them. Besides these few incidents which mention Aunt Rina, I am not sure who her character is or her importance in the play. And it does not look as though she is talked about again in Act Two. I think Aunt Rina’s illness foreshadows what will occur later on in the play. (perhaps her death??????)

Um?…An Observation

An observation that I did not seem to notice, at first, in Act One was George Tesman’s loss for words as he continuously repeats little words like “um”, “hm”, or “eh”. After it was pointed out, I think George’s use of these words stood out to me more while reading more of the play. I agree that in a way the use of these words (if they are even considered real words?!?!) did become a little annoying. But, I think this was just a way for Ibsen to characterize George Tesman and that is just the character George is. I also noticed that whenever George uses any of these words, they usually end in a question mark. This leads me to believe that throughout the play George will become a questionable and/or possibly an unpredictable character. Also, George seems to be unsure of himself and not very confident in himself. George just seems to be an insecure person.

Miss Juliana Tesman!

When reading the beginning of Act One I found Miss Juliana Tesman to be a very interesting and important character in the play thus far. Miss Tesman is characterized as having a “kind and good natured look” (22) in the opening scene. I think these characteristics of Aunt Julie are evident within the first act. I found it interesting that Aunt Julie wants to please her nephew, George Tesman, and she feels the need to satisfy Hedda for George’s happiness. For instance, Aunt Julie suggests, “I bought that for Hedda’s sake” (224). Aunt Julie is referring to the hat she felt the need to buy in order to please Hedda so Hedda would not be ashamed of her. Aunt Julie is very important in George’s life as she had to act as both a mother and father to him. She even took out a mortgage on her and Aunt Rina’s pension o help George out. The relationship between the two seems to be very strong and George will always keep a place in his heart for his Aunt Julie. Aunt Julie feels the same way about George as she states, "I won’t let a day go by without looking in on the two of you” (231). Aunt Julie is ultimately a kind and caring person.