In Henrik Ibsens play, Hedda Gabler, there are multiple characters that have very unique character traits that allow them to be an integral piece of the play. Specifically, Hedda herself is a very calculated and manipulative character that consistently takes advantage of her friends and even her husband. While confiding in Hedda after supposedly losing his manuscript, Lovborg claims, “…The devil knows whose hands it’s fallen into, who’s got a hold of it.” This quotation is extremely significant because it shows that Hedda lacks pity and compassion. Despite the fact that she actually knows where the manuscript is, Hedda allows Lovborg to ruin his relationship with Mrs. Elvsted and even persuades him to kill himself. Although it may seem as if she acts in the best interest of her husband, Hedda truly acts very selfishly: she desires control over everything and seemingly loves to make people’s lives complicated and worrisome. Mr. Tesman definitely does not want to put Lovborg in such a bad situation even though they are competitors. Over the course of the play it becomes evident that Hedda tries to manipulate everyone just to entertain herself. She even has the nerve to complain about the house her husband newly bought for her because nothing sees to be good enough for her. Hedda constantly gets other people to tell her their deepest secrets simply so she can figure out ways to hurt them. Inevitably, Hedda’s malicious nature catches up to her and she is tricked into committing suicide.
Assignment 3 – Tyler Zar
September 26, 2015 Written by t.zar | 2 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized
2 responses so far ↓
e.volynsky // Sep 26th 2015 at 8:02 am
Tyler, I agree with your train of thought. To me Hedda was the most interesting character because of her manipulative ways. Like you said, she lacks compassion and pity; all of her actions prove this to be true. Hedda’s desire to be in a state of control drives her to play with the lives of the other characters even if that means their lives are at stake. She uses Løvborgs’s weakness and past addiction to alcohol to get her ways; we can say she’s almost ruthless.
JMERLE // Sep 26th 2015 at 3:18 pm
Tyler,
Your topic and quotation are quite effective ones, but resist the urge to begin summarizing the play in your explanation. Instead, go back into the quotation and use words from the quotation to point out why this particular piece of text defends your assertion. You may then go on to discuss the incident surrounding the quotation, but don’t go on to discuss other incidents, characters, or the end of the play. Use other paragraphs to do that.
Grade: 8/10