Now that you have finished reading the play, please respond to one of the questions below. You can post your answer as a comment on this post, or feel free to offer a response to one of your classmates comments. Please post your response by Sunday, April 12th.
- What is the significance of Loevborg’s unfinished manuscript? Why does Hedda burn it? What ramifications does that act have for Loevborg and the other characters in the play?
- Why does Hedda give Loevborg the pistol? What does she mean when she urges him, “Can you see to it that – that when you do it, you bathe it in beauty?” How does that work out?
- Is Hedda pregnant? What difference does her possible pregnancy make in terms of our understanding of her character and her fate?
- Discuss the character of Judge Brack. What function does he serve in the play? What does Hedda mean when, in her final line of the play, she says, “Yes, that’s what you’re hoping for, isn’t it, Judge? You, the one and only cock of the walk –“?
- Why do you think Hedda kills herself? What evidence can you find in the text to support your response?
- What is the significance of the play’s last line: “But God have mercy — People just don’t act that way!”?
The fate of Loevborg’s unfinished manuscript is a stage prop that drives the development of the play. We can see that this manuscript is tightly bounded with Loevborg and Mrs Elevsted. Loevborg falls to the bottom of his life just during a day when he loses his manuscript. He turns from a promising scholar with a bestseller, an upcoming professorship and the beloved Mrs. Elevsted to a man with nothing.
Hedda burns his manuscript because she wants to clear the block, Loevborg, from Tesman’s way to be a professor, which can bring her stable funding and respect. Another reason for Hedda to burn the manuscript is that she hates Mrs. Elevsted and she thinks burning the manuscript is just like burning Elevested’s hair and her child.
Soon after Hedda burns the manuscript, the destiny for every character change. Loevborg goes to the police station and later ends his life. Then Mrs. Elevested and Tesman are crazy but they two finally seems to fall in love with each other. Brack almost gets his beloved Hedda but Hedda dies in a suicide.
It is established, when the two converse alone, that Hedda and Lovborg share a pre-existent relationship. Concluding Act III, Hedda questions Lovborg about his future endeavors. The moment Lovborg brings attention to the idea that there is no future for him, and that the sooner he is to put an end to it all, the better, Hedda takes a step closer to him. It is clear that such an action intrigues her. Bringing it all to an abrupt end. She answers, “Can you see to it that – that when you do it, you bathe it in beauty?”(827). Her response is instant and elaborate. It indicates she has put thought into such an action. The word choice of ‘it’ in this situation is thought-provoking. ‘It’ usually refers to a thing previously mentioned or easily identified. What the action of ‘it’ is, is semi-opaque. “In beauty? [Smiles]”(287) Lovborg responds. The action corresponding with his question signifies that his question is rhetorical. Lovborg is aware of the picture Hedda’s words illustrate. He continues “With vine leaves in my hair, as you used to imagine?”(287). This comment parlays the notion that the two have spoken about the matter previously. Hedda dismisses the vines but emphasizes the idea of beauty. After the two say goodbye, Hedda stops Lovborg and gives him a pistol. After Hedda gives Lovborg the pistol, she says, “Here, you use it now”(287). Hedda’s words are insisting Lovobrg ends ‘it’ and take action, but he responds with a simple “Thanks” which is not promising to her. Hedda persists, “In beauty, Eilert Lovborg. Promise me that”(287). It is now transparent that Hedda is encouraging Lovborg to commit suicide. Lovborg says, “Goodbye, Hedda Gabler”(287) leaving the request open-ended. In Act IV, Judge Brack informs Hedda that the pistol she gifted Lovborg killed him. Lovborg was not shot in the head or the chest, but below. This information brings disgust to Hedda. To go in such a way is not to ‘bathe it in beauty’ but quite the contrary. It seems to come as an embarrassment to her to hear how and where Lovborg was shot. In response, Hedda illustrates what she means by ‘bathe it in beauty’ by making an example of herself. She takes the matching pistol and shoots herself in the temple. That is what Hedda was suggesting to Lovborg.
I think Hedda kills herself because she was about to lose the only thing that remotely mattered in her life, her status. Throughout the text, you see the fact that she seems dissatisfied with everything that happens around her. Nothing that anybody does for her is enough because she herself feels like there’s something missing. Her response to any form of action taken by anyone rude and insulting. We get the sense that she’s going through something the entire time and the fact that the police were going to find out about her gun was the last nail in the coffin. She has a guy that loves her and cares for her but the only person that she was ever remotely interested in was Loevborg. Furthermore, she never truly loved Tesman because the first time she saw him and Mrs. Elvsted, she told herself that they’ll be fine together. There was no sense of loss or pain was felt on her part, about leaving her husband. In addition, clearly the only thing that mattered to her was society’s opinion of her. That is why she got married to Tesman in the first place because it was time and she was old enough. So when she was going to lose people’s admiration and she has already lost her one love, she decided life wasn’t worth living.
I believe Hedda kills herself because she does not want to be under the control of Judge Brack. In the play Judge Brack tells Hedda that he recognized the pistol that Lovborg killed himself with. He had told her that Lovborg may have stolen the pistol from her and now the police may try to track down who the owner is. He then tells her they will question her and ask why she gave the pistol to Lovborg. She then says “So I’m in your power now Judge. You have a hold over me from now on.” Throughout the play it seemed as though Hedda had control over herself and others around her. She would talk to others with a sense of power. However now that Judge Brack has something over her, she does not have the power anymore. This is why I believe she killed herself. Since George would be working with Thea on the manuscript, George tells Judge Brack to keep Hedda company. Hedda may have felt that since Judge Brack would spend more time with her, she would have to be under his control. She fears being submissive to others. She fears that Judge Brack will hold this over head to feel dominant to her.
I completely agree with your response. But I also think that Hedda felt trapped with Tesman and between her acquaintances. Throughout the story I felt as though she felt more trapped by Judge Brack rather than her husband. Her husband was a pawn meant to fill a spot in her life, yet Judge Brack was a rook for instance he could move anywhere and trap her. I don’t believe she wanted to kill herself, I think she felt so trapped that , that was the only act she could go through with and not be controlled over she would die on her terms rather the how everything else in her life she controls this is something that she wants to do herself.
Why do you think Hedda kills herself? What evidence can you find in the text to support your response?
I feel Hedda kills herself because Brack had an upper hand on her. Throughout the play, we could see how Hedda loved to be in control but now that Brack had something over her, she could not live with it and rather died. She believed that killing herself was a form of strength and that she had won Brack by not having to be under his control. She says; “But in your power. Totally subject to your demands– And your will. Not free at all. No thats one thought I just can’t stand. Never!” Again, Hedda did not love her husband as she and he husband were opposite of each other, so there was really nothing she had to loose from her own perspective, which made it easier for her to make the decision of killing herself.
Eilert Loevborg’s unfinished manuscript, I believe, is a symbol of hope, but this hope meant differently for each character.
For Eilert, it was his chance to redeem himself to become a writer worthy of praise. For Thea, it was her chance to be with Eilert as she left her husband for him and thus became his inspiration for writing the book. For George, its removal, or asking Eilert to withdraw, was necessary for his hope to become a tenured professor secured, but he never wished Eilert to be harmed.
For Hedda, I believe, it was her chance to gain and control power if Eilert finishes and publishes the book, and get away from the ‘triangle’ Judge Brack was talking about and her boredom of being alone. Eilert’s mess that night, however, seems to take away her hunger for power and her belief in ‘vine leaves’ (827), which I think references the Roman laurel wreath as a symbol of triumph, as he was once again down the slippery slope. I believe that she wanted to burn the unfinished manuscript as she had lost her ‘hope,’ and the love of her life, which turns out to be her ex, Eilert Loevborg. I also think that she wanted to burn it as a vengeance act to Thea for being with him, and to forget her memories of him. It was clear that she was jealous of them being together and thus she wanted to lose, rather “[burn their] child” (828).
This burning act rattles the other characters as they had also lost their ‘hopes.’
In the end, she kills herself as she lost both George, who becomes busy with restoring the manuscript with Thea, and Eilert and now she’s stuck with Judge Brack, who has no other intentions but to be with his beloved, Hedda.
Thus, when all hope is gone, “people [do] act that way” (838).
Why does Hedda give Loevborg the pistol? What does she mean when she urges him, “Can you see to it that – that when you do it, you bathe it in beauty?” How does that work out?
Hedda takes notice of Loevborg’s latest interest in killing himself. She follows by lending him her pistol, the pistol she previously had been playing around with shooting around recklessly. She gives him this pistol noticing that he feels lifeless and has nothing to live for. I feel this is when Hedda Gabler may relate to Loevborg. She herself doesn’t seem to enjoy the life she is living. By giving him the gun she is allowing him to do what she feels she really wants to do. She understands Loevborg non desire to live life. She may be putting herself in his shoes. If she had the opportunity to commit suicide she would too. When she says, “Can you see to it that – that when you do it, you bathe it in beauty?”, I feel she means that the beauty would be dying peacefully in your own way. She hopes that he goes out on his own terms the way he desires to. This eventually doesn’t workout as he accidentally kills himself with getting shot in the stomach. This could be a further foreshadow of Hedda having a child as it is still unknown throughout the play whether she is pregnant or not. Hedda did however get to go out the way she wanted to finally pulling the trigger on herself.
Why do you think Hedda kills herself? What evidence can you find in the text to support your response?
Hedda is portrayed as a character who is obsessed with control. She constantly manipulates people as she feels privileged to others. After Judge Brack told Hedda that he knows the truth, Hedda feels threatened. She realizes that she will no longer have “freedom” as long as Judge Brack lives. Seeing enough disappointment in her life, she decides to take control for the last time. She rather pulls the trigger than to be controlled by Brack. She believes killing herself is an act of liberation, as she is quoted “It’s a liberation for me to know that in this world an act of courage, done in full, free will, is possible. Something bathed in a bright shaft of sudden beauty”
The main reason why I think she killed herself is that it’s the one thing she has control over. She’s conflicted because her life did not turn out the way she planned or wanted it to be. She comes from a wealthy privileged background because her father was a strong general who most likely had a huge influence on her. She had ambitions to live a life she dreamt of, such as being a wonderful host in that large house. She stated to Brack, “All I know is that Eilert Løvborg had the courage to live life his own way, and now-his last great act bathed in beauty. He had the will to break away from the banquet of life so soon.” It seems to me that she did not have the courage to live the life she would have liked or maybe she believed she felt trapped by societal standards. She chose to play life safely by marrying Mr. Tesman, not because she loved him but because of his potential wealth due to his profession. Hedda sees the beauty of living life in your own way of your own free will. But this was in conflict with what life ought to be for a person let alone a woman. Such as getting married, having children, growing old, etc. She probably got tired of being told what to do and wanted some sense of freedom. This may have to do with her childhood by her father who looks overbearing in the portrait of the film.
She wanted to be useful but she was of no use to Mr. Tesman and his work. The only use she had for Mr. Tesma was being his wife and potentially bearing his children. She felt trapped in a marriage and bored in the house and life. She wasn’t even allowed to go to the party Judge Brack had, only men were allowed to attend and consume alcohol. The only way for her to have some sense of control and breakaway from that boredom was by teasing Mrs. Tesman with her hat, playing with her daddy’s guns and also being petty towards Mrs. Berta with her mishandling of the house’s furniture. She stated, “It’s a liberation for me to know that in this world an act of such courage, done in full, free will, is possible. Something bathed in a bright shaft of sudden beauty.” She sees suicide as a courageous act and sees it as a way out of her dreadful life. Eilert Løvborg’s suicide might have inspired her and gave her the courage to follow suit.
What is the significance of Loevborg’s unfinished manuscript? Why does Hedda burn it? What ramifications does that act have for Loevborg and the other characters in the play?
I think there were a couple of reasons that leads to the significance of Hedda burning the manuscript. One of the reasons I think that leaded Hedda to get rid of it was because even though throughout the play Loevborg states that Mrs. Elvsted was his inspiration, I believe that in a way his true inspiration was Hedda. Since they both had a romantic history, it seemed that Loevburg did feel something special for Hedda. So perhaps through his writing there could’ve been some interpretation of their love and of her and Hedda didn’t want Tresman to know of it and she probably didn’t want it to be published since she comes from a wealthy family. I also think that she wanted to hurt Mrs. Elvsted as well because she never liked her as she made it seem. Since Loevburg did mention Mrs. Elvsted being his muse Hedda had added another reason to dislike her. She might have also been jealous in a way of what they had going on so in order to hurt Mrs. Elvsted she burnt the manuscript.
Why do you think Hedda kills herself? What evidence can you find in the text to support your response?
Despite the fact that Hedda Gabler was portrayed as manipulative and self-obsessed . Women in the 1800 s had no power in society and specifically in their own homes. For Hedda Gabler she was one of those women and that’s one of the reasons why she is portrayed as a character obsessed with control because She felt inferior. For example, she married George even though she didn’t love him and she must be faithful to him because that’s how their traditions work. Also, the worst that could ever happen to a women at that time is to face a scandal and I think that’s one of the reasons why Hedda Gabler committed suicide. After lovborg killed himself with a pistol that Hedda gave it to him, Hedda felt threatened by judge Brack because he knew all about it. Hedda already had control over people around her and the moment Judge Brack had something to take that power from her she said “But in your power. Totally subject to your demands-and your will. Not free. Not free at all. [she gets up silently.] No, that’s one thought I just can’t stand. Never! “. At this point, Hedda knows she is being blackmailed and she has to decide whether she could face the public scandal or to run away from all this. Hedda, like any other woman, frightened to face a scandal and decided to end her life.
Born into an aristocratic family, Hedda grew up with a high status, she became so accustomed to this status that it’s almost natural to her. Despite marrying George, Hedda never loved him and accepted this marriage to compensate for her fading youth. Perhaps, the reason George was chosen was because he was too honest, in a sense naive and easily manipulated.
I think Hedda kills herself as an act of defiance to fate and a final display of her beauty. Throughout the play, Hedda is portrayed unsatisfied with her life and obsessive about manipulating fate. She manipulates many characters throughout the play, including her husband and Lovborg, yet she cannot manipulate her own.
Hedda is portrayed unsatisfied with her life, death is perhaps the best relief to her sufferings. When Lovborg mentions that he seeks to put an end to it all, Hedda encourages him to do and do it in a beautiful fashion. When Judge Brack came to bring news of Lovborg’s death, Hedda quoted “Not through the temple” for she is baffled or perhaps disappointed that Lovborg didn’t do as he was instructed to give himself a swift and beautiful death. To make matters worse, Judge Brack took notice of the pistol that is responsible for Lovborg’s death and related it back to Hedda, the owner of the pistol.
Perhaps tired of having her fate decided, Hedda decides to take control of her fate for once when Judge Brack threatens her in order to keep his mouth shut. Prior to her death, she quotes to Judge Brack, “It’s a liberation for me to know that in this world an act of such courage, done in full, free will, is possible. Something bathed in a bright shaft of sudden beauty.” The act of death is her display of free will, for she is no longer bound by fate.
I think that Hedda might be pregnant although there is just a small information in the beginning of the story where they talk with Miss Tesman and Tesman about her being filled out after their trip. If we take the possibility that she is pregnant and that she knows it, I noticed that her first reaction is to deny it. As we said she is not married because she wanted it but because she had at her age. Same thing with having kinds probably. And that might be the reason for her killing herself. Realizing that being married to someone that she does not like is already bad enough and that having his kid is gonna make it worse and that is the reason she want to die. Also there is a time when she talks with Lovborg and he calls her a coward for not living her life as she wanted and being scared of any scandal, and with her idea of suicide being a romantic act. I believe that with that in her mind and also that she is going to bring a kid in this world that she does not like, helped her decide to end hers and her child’s life