Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler Essay

Henrik Ibsens Hedda Gabler is a story of great tragedy, with a web of controversies and a tangle of secrets. In such a beautiful irony, it portrayed that the small town wherein the heroine resides with her husband, is inflicted with gruesome gossip and twisted tales of conflicted interests.Hedda Gabler, a born aristocrat who marries to a class beneath her, has to do with a lifestyle far inferior than what she is used to. The writer used a conversational tone to portray Heddas manipulative nature as she controls those that surrounds her. The story revolves around this young wife, as she plays with peoples feelings and affairs, and meddle with things so oft so that they work out to her advantage.In this tragedy, it pays to ask the misgiving what provoked Hedda to marry Tesman?II Marriage of Different LifestylesI am interested with Ibsens idea of Hedda Gabler organism an aristocrat who had to line used to a different lifestyle. There were many analysis offered for the play Hedda Ga bler, yet only a handful of them displayed this rattling obvious fact. The fact that Hedda is manipulative and is using her husband, Jrgen Tesman, is evident from the first scene of the play, when Tesman commented how fat Hedda is getting, when in fact his wife is pregnant and he has no idea.Even Tesmans aunt, Aunt Julle, picked up upon this very(prenominal) noticeable change in Hedda, yet Hedda dismissed her with curt replies. SparkNotes (2009) even commented the tyranny of Hedda over Tesmans domicilhold, wherein Berte, the maid, is scared of not being able to ravish her, and Aunt Julle is tormented by her.Tesman lived to do his wifes every bidding. In fact, Tesman did everything he can to make sure that they afford the lavish house they are living in, just because Hedda happened to mention that she would wishing to live in that particular house. When further analysis from SparkNotes (2009) revealed that Hedda only said she wanted that house because she cannot have in mind of anything else to say. To Hedda the house is a joke, a sign of Tesmans unwavering devotion and faithfulness, to Tesman, the house is a fulfillment of his wifes wish.Along the play, Tesman followed his wifes every bidding. There was in instance wherein Hedda was rude to Aunt Julle and Tesman reprimanded her afterwards. Still, basically Tesmans role in the play was to follow Heddas wishes. When Hedda burned the bracing of Ejlert Lvborg, Tesman was delighted. He actually thought that Hedda did it because she wanted to help him advance in his academic profession, when in fact Hedda burned the novel because she didnt want to be reminded of the romance between Ejlert and her.This is interesting to notice, seeing as in other cultures, it is actually discouraged that people from different social standings to marry. With Hedda and Tesman, it is plain that she had to gear up to a different lifestyle, and because of this, she was bored, and living with Tesman does not excite her, as she conf ides to Judge Brack.This brings me back to my original thesis what provoked Hedda to marry Tasman, seeing that he is a man of lower class, and he cannot afford her lavish lifestyle? We could only grope Ibsens wisdom. Perhaps it is because through Tasman, Hedda can forget about her chivalric relationship with Ejlert, or perhaps, through Tasman, Hedda can still indulge herself a playmate whom she can take advantage of. We can never be certain, until Ibsen partakes the existent reason for the twos matrimony.III Secrets RevealedThroughout the play, there were numerous secrets disclosed. SparkNotes (2009) mentions the secrets, such as Hedda taking advantage of all the men in the play, Heddas affair with Ejlert, which scarred the latter for life, the relationship between Mrs. Elvsted and Ejlert, among many others. The author cleverly reveals each secret little by little, dragging the auditory modality to the sharpness of their feet before giving the final picture. Throughout the play , the audience is captivated by how many more secrets will be revealed, and how will Hedda manipulate people to split her what she wants to hear.I love the irony discussed with the last scene, wherein Aunt Julle returned to the household that is now filled with mourning, what with Aunt Rinas passing and the horrible incident with Ejlert. Aunt Julle was very welcoming and still hints at Hedda for children, and was oblivious to the fact that so many changes happened within the home, and to pretend that nothing happened is otherwise insane. Yet the author was able to get a vogue with such a tricky symbolism, as the audience is sure to applaud the wit and charisma Aunt Julle brings into the last scene.Also worth mentioning is the way Tasman was horrorstruck when he found out that his wife had burned Ejlerts novel. However when he thought she was doing it out of love so that he will be able to secure the teaching post he so more wanted, he would have gladly embraced Hedda. How could so meone be blinded so much by a manipulative woman? Ive known that some people say that love is blind, but in Tesmans case, the clich is very much overrated, seeing as she was fooling him in his own home. How can a man not see that his wife is pregnant, and yet would opt to commend on her new curves and new body? Does he not see the baby that is growing in Heddas belly?With this, perhaps the pregnancy is the reason why Hedda is manipulative and very sarcastic. Women who are pregnant are prone to mood swings and irrational thinking, yet what would contribute to Heddas dark nature? Is she really being sarcastic and arrogant because of her proud upbringing, or is she acting this way because she is pregnant and she has no feelings for the child in her womb and with the babys father? general the play is very satisfactory. Even in the ending wherein Hedda committed suicide, the audience could rest their breaths, knowing that Tasman is in the arms of a capable woman, Mrs. Elvsted. SparkNotes (2009) describes Mrs. Elvsted as a competent woman who bounces off from men to men, according to her needs.She met Mr. Elvsted by working for him, and afterwards they were married. With Ejlert, the Elvsteds hired him to be a tutor for their children, and Mrs. Elvsted turned out to be Ejlerts assistant in his research and writing. After Hedda burned the novel, Mrs. Elvsted mentioned that she knew some parts of Ejlerts disseminated sclerosis because she helped him research for it. She and Tasman immediately tried to reconstruct the manuscript that Ejlert wrote. Now that Hedda is out of the picture, and the original author of the manuscript is also gone, then Mrs. Elvsted is free to make her move in regards to Tasman, and the two of them can prove to the audience that in their dreary old town, it is still possible for love to exist.