Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen

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The play “Hedda Gabler” revolves around the life of a socially deprived woman living in the late 1800s. Hedda Gabbler’s crippled emotionally draining life is the epicenter of the entire body of work. As Ibsen wrote of Hedda’s emotional state and life he revealed the distinct role women played in the late nineteenth century. Manipulation and the reputation of the protagonist, Hedda Gabler reveals the message Henrik Ibsen was trying to send out. Hedda Gabler lived in a world of repressed feelings and dissatisfaction to say the least. She wanted what was utterly unattainable to her. Hedda wanted life and became extremely psychologically distressed that her own reality began to not matter. Life became an idea instead of a reality for her.

On the outside we view the appearance of Hedda Gabler to be extremely beautiful. The idea of some sort of psychological instability within Hedda might not be present at first glance. Due to her good looks and somewhat dominating sexuality she has the mercy of those around her! She is cold-hearted and shallow looking at the materialistic things solely to make her happy when she really only wants that untouchable, unreachable and enchanting thing, life. Hedda is stuck in a society and a time where she can’t truly voice what she wants even though Tesman is very liberal with her. She has no means to do things on her own like she desires to. Hedda seeks that personal voice from within and can’t find it so she controls those around her. She takes control of the only thing she can, meaning her husband and weaker individuals such as Lovborg and Aunt Julia amongst the list of victims.

The fact that the entire play takes place in a small room most of the time, the inner room, demonstrates the c...

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...intertwine his own pain felt in his life with the character of Hedda Gabler. His rocky, unhappy childhood is not specifically alluded to within the text of the play but the sadness, the fear of the unknown, and the pain of his melancholic experiences is felt heavily. The depth of a character explored truly relies on cognitive perception and personal experiences. Many may see Hedda simply as a selfish being unaware of the beauty in life and of bringing life into the world. I see Hedda as an idea of a manifestation of Ibsen and who he may have been in society during the eighteenth century; a confined soul who wants life and can’t grasp hold of it. Hedda Gabler’s psyche, her human soul and mind, didn’t amount to all it could have been. Ibsen on the other hand found life through his talent. Henrik Ibsen brought life to his many exquisite plays including Hedda Gabler.

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