In Henrik Ibsen’s play, Hedda Gabler, the protagonist, Hedda Tesman’s most dominant trait is her ability to manipulate people. She is conniving and calculated; and it is no secret that her greatest asset is her ability to extract information from the other characters in the play. “[Løvborg] Yes, Hedda- and when I made all of those confessions to you- telling you things about myself that no one else knew in those days. Sat there and told you how I’d lost whole days and nights in drunken frenzy, frenzy that would last for days on end. Ah, Hedda- what kind of power was in you that drew these confessions out of me?” (811-812). This is one of the many instances that exemplify Hedda’s manipulative ways. In this instance she uses the past relationship that she shared with Eilert Løvborg, who is revealed to have been her past love, to gain whatever information it is that she needs. Hedda wants the manuscript that Løvborg possesses and will stop at no means until she gets what it is she wants. Hedda is more concerned with aesthetics in life rather than practicality; for her it is absolutely necessary to eliminate the academic competition that her husband faces. Løvborg’s work is a threat to Hedda’s husband, George, and so she does everything in her power to manipulate the situation in her favor. Hedda’s yearning to be in control causes her to have no regard for other human beings; she will stop at nothing until she accomplishes her goal. Even though it seems as though Hedda manipulates Løvborg in order to help her husband, it is ultimately out of her own selfishness that she does so.
Assignment 3
September 25, 2015 Written by e.volynsky | 4 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized
4 responses so far ↓
j.mireles // Sep 25th 2015 at 4:13 pm
I can understand your perspective on Hedda, we can agree on one thing and that would be her ability to obtain what she wants. Unfortunately the play doesn’t go in depth into the ways she used in the past in order to obtain the information from Lovborg. I liked what you mentioned about Hedda helping her husband, that his actually a good thing since a couple should work for each other, the only problem was that she was mainly concern about her lifestyle. I could only guess how tough it would be to live with someone like Hedda and especially when there’s feelings of love, I’m curious as to who would be a male version of Hedda.. anyhow well written post.
c.hazan // Sep 25th 2015 at 5:20 pm
I strongly agree that Hedda was a manipulative woman. She loved having the power and control over the situations around her, and therefore made certain to know everything that was going on. The quote you mentioned proves that others fall for her manipulation and don’t quite know how to be free of it. I specifically like what you mentioned about Hedda manipulating Lovborg for her own selfish needs and that it being an advantage to her husband was just a reaction of her manipulation but was not her actual intentions at all. Hedda cared about appearances, adventure and romanticism more than she valued hers and Lovborg’s life. However, we must take into consideration the time period that she lived in. A woman was expected to live at home, and be a trophy wife while the men got to go out into the world and experience life to a different degree. Hedda must have felt trapped and unhappy in a loveless marriage, and one can argue that it can bring someone to the point of insanity.
k.vataj // Sep 26th 2015 at 12:17 am
I agree that Hedda’s strongest point was her ability to manipulate. I like the quote that you used from page (811-812), this definitely shows that she had power over others in her past relationships. The quote following that, when Hedda says, ” You think it was power in me?” (812) backs up the fact that she wants to have control over others. After hearing this from Lovborg it drives her desires even more. You make a great point that Hedda urges Lovborg to commit suicide out of her own selfish ways rather than to help out her husband George. I think that Hedda had a vision that was different than others of her time, which ultimately drove her to act out in madness. She seems to be trapped in her circumstances and thinks that death is the only right option for her to be “free.”
JMERLE // Sep 26th 2015 at 3:54 pm
Erika,
You mention several important character traits of Hedda’s (manipulation, her interest in beauty, her need for her husband to achieve) but in a paragraph, you need to keep your focus quite small, and choose one of the above traits. Then, you can choose one quotation/incident to develop your assertion. This way, your entire essay will be more focused and thoroughly developed.
Grade: 8/10