Hedda Gabler Research Paper

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In Hedda Gabler, Ibsen depicts a dissatisfied newlywed as both a manipulative villainess, and a victim of social norms. In his writing, Ibsen scrutinizes the position of women and femininity in his society, the impact of wealth, as well as the impact of societal expectations. Hedda’s schemes permit the audiences to create a picture of the physiological impact societal pressures put upon women and understand her actions, rather than reject her character as purely evil.
Hedda Gabler takes place during the Victorian era; therefore, women were restricted by the era's social norms. These values prevented them from having any real, independent lives. The play includes two very different women: Hedda and Thea. Hedda, in certain aspects, was more masculine than Thea because she wanted power over the people in her life, owned guns, and loved manipulation: over all those …show more content…

Since the play is set in the Victorian era, the cast was constrained by Victorian values when it came to sex, and the roles of men and women in society. These constraints and upbringing cause Hedda to fear scandal, and is what motivates her to want to be the puppeteer and not the actor whom everyone can see. All in all, Heddas fear of scandal is what made her endeavour for power fruitless. Thea left her husband because she was unhappy and wanted to follow her true love; she did not care about what people would say as long as she was happy. Judge Brack was a man, and during the Victorian era, it was a man's world. Judge would have gotten away with having an affair with Hedda, but Hedda would have been shamed by society because of the scandal. With Thea and Brack, Ibsen shows what Hedda could have been. If Hedda had not been so afraid of scandal, she would have broken the social norms and followed her heart, and if she had been born a man, she could follow her heart without the repercussions that follow

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