In Henry Ibsen’s play Hedda Gabler, Hedda portrays many strong characteristics one of which is manipulation. Throughout the play Hedda’s manipulation and power over her friends and family is very apparent. She is used to get what she wants and therefore strives to control every situation and the people around her. Since Hedda is in a loveless marriage in a time period where women cannot live as freely as men, she takes her cynicism out on her husband constantly. She takes advantage of him when all he does is try to please her and she does the same to the men whom she is emotionally involved with other than her husband. She takes advantage of them to the point of caring more about her selfish desires for beauty, adventure and romanticism than she does the life of another and her own. At the end of the play Brack reveals to Hedda in secret that he knows she is the one who gave Ejlert Lövborg the pistol which went off and hospitalized him. Once aware of her possible conviction she realizes she has lost the upper hand. She says, “So I’m in your power now Judge. You have a hold over me from now on…But in your power. Totally subject to your demands – And your will. Not free. Not free at all…No, that’s one thought I just can’t stand. Never! (4.837) When Hedda realized her position, and that she no longer controls the situation, she told Brack she was at his disposal, to which he replied that he would not take advantage of his newfound control over Hedda. The fact that he admits that he has any leverage over Hedda brings her to a defeating realization and she goes on to say “No, that’s one thought I just can’t stand.” The thought of someone else, specifically another man having control over her scared her so much, that she took her own life.
Assignment #3
September 25, 2015 Written by c.hazan | 2 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized
2 responses so far ↓
k.matthes // Sep 25th 2015 at 9:03 pm
I agree that Hedda does not want to live a life that she is not in control of. She would rather die than live under the authority of someone else. I think this is why she lowered her standards, financially and socially, by marrying George. Although he cares for her and treats her like the elite that she is, he is lesser than she is. In an age where women were often ‘controlled’ by their husbands, she found a way to find a husband that was inferior and as a result she remained in control. She is afraid of being in a scandal and not being in control which is why she ends her life.
JMERLE // Sep 26th 2015 at 3:44 pm
Chaya,
You make some very perceptive comments, and that shows a good understanding of the play and Hedda’s character. You need to work, though, on tightening your paragraph form. Look again at the form I gave at the beginning of this assignment, and remember to choose one specific topic (character trait) then discuss that using one specific quote/incident. This way, instead of summarizing or speaking generally about a character, you can begin to get more depth.
Grade: 7/10