Henrik Ibsen’s play, Hedda Gabler, portrays one of main characters, Hedda Tesman as a very manipulative woman who uses her wit to control her friends and family. In Act 2, during a conversation with Mrs. Elvsted and Ejlert Lovborg, Hedda remarked on Ejlert, “Because otherwise people might get the idea that you don’t, deep down inside, feel really bold, really sure of yourself….That condescending little smile when you didn’t dare join them at the table (814).” Ejlert originally refused a drink because he was a recovering alcoholic and through her words, Hedda basically hinted on the “idea” that the others at the party would think that Ejlert couldn’t handle his alcohol due to a lack of confidence. Hedda mentioned the “smile” Judge Brack had on his face when Ejlert didn’t join him for punch. Hedda was able to make Ejlert feel insecure and in an effort to prove how “bold” he was, Ejlert downs a few glasses of punch. As Ejlert drank on, he asked Mrs. Elvsted inappropriate questions which he later apologized for and admitted that what he did was stupid. Hedda was clever in not directly saying that Ejlert couldn’t handle his alcohol so as not to make him upset with her but she did manipulate Ejlert into drinking alcohol after he abstained from it for years.
Assignment 3
September 25, 2015 Written by m.lee | 2 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized
2 responses so far ↓
k.garcia2 // Sep 25th 2015 at 11:59 pm
I agree what you have to say about Hedda . The way you broke down this quotation showed how manipulative she can be. She able to break his years of abstinence by saying one sentence. Hedda has no remorse or cares about anyone else in the play. She basically turns people towards the wrong direction. Ejiert loved Hedda butsince she doesnt like control she pushes him away and towards the edge. One could tell during the play that she did care about Ejiert but self-love causes her to encourage his suicide.
JMERLE // Sep 26th 2015 at 3:38 pm
Marvin,
You topic is an important one (manipulation) and you use an excellent quote. You need to make sure, however, that you just discuss one incident at a time, and develop that quotation, by going back into the quotation and using words from the quotation, to show how the text defends your assertion. This way, you’ll create a more focused, and more deeply discussed, essay.
Grade: 8/10