SUMMARY
Aunt Julie and Berte enter the drawing
room of the Tesmans' residence. The Tesmans have just returned from their
six-month honeymoon. Berte says that she is worried about whether she can please
her new mistress, Hedda. Jorgen Tesman enters the room and joyously greets his
aunt. He compliments her on her new hat, and they discuss the research he did
on his honeymoon and 'Aunt Rina's failing health. They hint at the extravagance
of the honeymoon and the expense of appeasing a lady of aristocratic background
like Hedda. In fact, Aunt Julle announces that she has mortgaged her annuity to
provide security on the expensive new house. She also mentions that Ejlert
Lovborg has published a new book; this is a surprise to Tesman. Hedda enters
and complains that the maid has opened the windows. Hedda is very particular
about the lighting, and Tesman is eager to please her. Aunt Julle produces
Jorgen's old slippers, much to his delight. He wants Hedda to examine them, but
she is not interested. Hedda interrupts their conversation with a comment on
the ugliness of Aunt Julle's hat, which Hedda takes to be the maid's. Aunt
Julle is offended, but Hedda apologizes. To defuse the situation, Tesman hopes
to prompt Aunt Julle to compliment Hedda by drawing her attention to the way
Hedda has pleasantly filled out over the course of their honeymoon- -but Hedda
refuses to admit that the six months have changed her at all.
Aunt
Julle leaves, and Tesman asks Hedda to try to be nicer to her. They agree to
have her over again later that day. Hedda mentions that her old piano doesn't
look right in the drawing room, and Tesman considers exchanging it when he gets
his next paycheck. Hedda suggests they simply buy a new one. Suddenly, Mrs.
Elvsted an old acquaintance of both arrives. She is in town looking for Ejlert
Lovborg, who has for two years served as tutor in the Elvsted household. Mrs.
Elvsted informs the Tesman's that Ejlert has been free of drunkenness for two
years, but she fears a relapse now that Ejlert has returned to the city. She
has followed him here in order to keep an eye on him. She tells Tesman what a
tremendous success Ejlert's new book has been; it is obvious that Tesman has to
make an effort not to seem jealous. Tesman promises to be supportive of Ejlert
if he comes to visit, but Hedda proposes that he go so far as to write to
Ejlert and invite him to visit. She suggests he write Ejlert a long letter.
Tesman goes to do this, and Hedda presses Mrs. Elvsted to confide in her now
that she has gotten rid of Tesman. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
In the first half of this section, Ibsen
introduces the main problems that face the characters in Hedda Gabler. This is
a sign of a well-structured play. We learn that Tesman's rival, Ejlert Lovborg,
is back in town and is once again a threat to Tesman's career. Tesman's
marriage to Hedda was based on the assumption that he would quickly earn a post
at the university, but Ejlert's reappearance and success may stand in Tesman's
way.
We also learn that Hedda and Tesman do not
have a perfect relationship. Hedda is clearly of a higher class than Tesman.
Even before she enters, we see that Berte, the servant, is afraid Hedda cannot
be pleased. And indeed, when Hedda enters, she immediately complains that Berte
has opened the window. Hedda has high standards and is impossible to please.
The incident involving Aunt Julle's hat provides another example of Hedda's
obstinate implacable personality. Aunt Julle had decided to wear the hat especially
for Hedda, but Hedda criticizes it.
Tesman warns Hedda to be nicer to Aunt
Julle, which shows that he recognizes Hedda's rudeness but refuses to
acknowledge the real problem--that Hedda is spoiled and treats him just as
badly as she does Berte and Julle. Hedda's disregard for Tesman's feelings is
illustrated by her refusal to look at his beloved slippers. Moreover, although
Ibsen never makes it explicit, Tesman's reference to the fact that Hedda has
been gaining weight indicates that she is now pregnant, and Hedda's refusal to
admit that she has begun to fill-out physically hints at her problematic
relationship with being pregnant and also with Tesman, the assumed father of
the child. Tesman remains unaware of the pregnancy, another indication that their
relationship suffers from a lack of openness and awareness and that they may be
headed toward some serious problems later in the play. Although they never come
directly into conflict, the tension between them is the basis for much of the
tragedy in Hedda Gabler.
SUMMARY
Mrs. Elvsted is loath to talk but Hedda
insists, invoking their schoolgirl "friendship." Mrs. Elvsted reminds
her that Hedda often pulled her hair at school. Hedda is not discouraged and
eventually gets Mrs. Elvsted to admit that she has an unhappy relationship with
her husband, the District Magistrate. Mrs. Elvsted had originally come to the
household to be his governess but soon became his wife. The couple has now been
married for five years, although he neglects her and is much older than she.
Ejlert Lovborg has been coming to tutor the children for two or three years,
and during this time she and Lovborg have become quite close. She claims to
have reclaimed him from alcoholism, and she talks with animation about how she first
began to aid him in his research. Yet Mrs. Elvsted feels very unsure of Ejlert
and fears he will begin drinking again. Also, she says she fears he has another
woman in his life, a woman he has spoken of only once. Apparently, he used to
be involved with a woman who, when they parted, wanted to shoot him with
pistols.
Mrs. Elvsted leaves and Judge Brack
arrives. Hedda sees Mrs. Elvsted out while Brack and Tesman converse alone.
They discuss the new house, and Brack, who is helping finance the couple, says
he wishes they could be more economical. Tesman emphasizes that the expensive
new house is vital to Hedda's happiness. Brack also talks of the enormously
positive reception Lovborg's new book is having. Hedda joins them. Tesman
expresses concern over how Lovborg will make a living; while Hedda finds it
amusing that Tesman is always thinking of how various people make their
livings. Brack says that Ejlert has very good prospects and that Tesman may
have to compete with him for his professorship. Tesman is seriously alarmed;
Brack assures him that he should get the position anyway, but Hedda offers
little sympathy. Brack leaves. Tesman tells Hedda that they will have to cut
back their spending. Hedda says that at least she still has one thing to amuse
her: her pistols. Tesman is mildly shocked and runs after her, begging her to
leave the pistols alone.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
It is clear that Hedda is smarter than
Mrs. Elvsted and can easily manipulate her. She tricks her into divulging her
secrets. Plainly, Hedda suspects Mrs. Elvsted of having an affair with Lovborg,
but it is unclear why Hedda is so interested in him. She may have her own
romantic aspirations, or she may be thinking of Tesman's career, though she
later expresses little interest with Tesman's interest in "earning a
living."
Mrs. Elvsted, meanwhile, is apparently a
woman who goes from one man to the next, according to her need. She becomes one
man's governess, and then later becomes his wife. Now it seems that, suffering
under her present husband's neglect, she has become attached to the tutor whom
her first husband hired. Yet because we know that
Ejlert has published a scholarly book and
we see from her interactions with Hedda that Mrs. Elvsted is easily
manipulated, we wonder if Ejlert, much smarter than Mrs. Elvsted, is leading
her on.
When Tesman learns that he may not receive
the position at the university, we gain insight into his personal weakness. At
the very beginning of the play, Tesman comes off as a lovesick but otherwise
dignified man; here we begin to see him as a coward. Ibsen is carefully
revealing the flaws of all of his characters; by the end of the play, we will
not be rooting for a protagonist so much as regretting a general tragedy.
SUMMARY
The second act, like the first, takes
place in the Tesmans' drawing room. The room appears the same, except the piano
has been replaced by a small writing desk. Hedda is standing at an open window,
loading a pistol. She calls out a greeting to Judge Brack, who is walking down the
back garden path. She pretends to try to shoot him. When he enters, he gently
takes the pistols away from her. He has come to speak again to Tesman about
Lovborg and the professorship, but Tesman is away visiting Aunt Julle. Brack
and Hedda sit down, eager to gossip. She insists that she has missed Brack and
that her vacation with Tesman was very boring. She begs Brack not to use the
word "love," and she tells him that she married Tesman only because
she was tired of the rigors of being single. Brack asks whether or not she
thinks Tesman will be famous, and Hedda replies that although she thinks Tesman
is a very agreeable creature, she hopes only that he will do well enough. Brack
admits that he is not terribly ambitious either and only wants a few trusted
friends? preferably female friends. They agree that learned men like Tesman can
be quite dull. Nothing sexual is intimated, but Hedda is relieved by the
thought of having Brack as a consistent visitor to her new home.
Tesman enters. He is carrying some academic
books, and Hedda and Brack exchange amused glances. Tesman is eager to read
them, especially Ejlert Lovborg's new book, and he goes to freshen up,
announcing as he goes that Aunt Julle won't be visiting Hedda that night. He
and Brack, on the other hand, will soon be leaving for an all-male party at
Brack's house. With Tesman still in the room, Hedda complains to Brack that she
isn't happy. Brack reminds her that at least she has the house she always
wanted, but Hedda replies that the house is a joke. The previous summer, she
had asked Tesman to escort her home, and one night when things were
particularly awkward--because Tesman could think of nothing to say--Hedda
playfully remarked that she would someday love to live in the house that they
happened to be passing--the house they now own. Brack suggests that she must
find something to amuse her, and Hedda says that she would like for Tesman to
enter politics, even though the thought is absurd given Tesman's scholarly
character. Brack hints that soon she will have children to occupy her
attention, but Hedda says she finds no happiness in things that make a claim on
her freedom.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The primary function of the beginning of
Act 2 is the development of Hedda and Brack's relationship. Although it is not
necessarily sexual, it has the flavour of adultery. Hedda's high level of
comfort with Brack is clear from her willingness to complain to him about her
marriage. When talking alone to Tesman or Mrs. Elvsted, she seems to be
manipulating them or merely whining. But here she seems to be truly revealing
her grievances.
Because we hear Hedda speak more or less
honestly for the first time here, we learn just how cold her feelings toward
Tesman are. Tesman's private conversations with Brack and Aunt Julle centre on
the cost of pleasing Hedda materially, especially on the
expense of the house, but now we learn
that the house basically means nothing to Hedda. Not only do her tastes
outstrip those of Tesman and his aunt, but she also appears mentally superior,
for they seem unable to comprehend her dissatisfaction.
The end of this part features a telling
exchange in which Hedda declares that not only is she sure that she is not
pregnant, she also has no taste for things that "make a claim on her
freedom. "This has implications that go beyond her relationship with
Tesman. In fact, they touch not only on the tragic nature of her quest for
freedom from the burdens of being a wife and a mother, but also on her
relationship with Brack. In many ways, Brack is one of her best friends, but,
at the same time, she seems to resent the extent to which he tries to control
her. This resentment will blossom later on in the play.
SUMMARY
Tesman enters, dressed for the party.
Hedda suggests that if, upon his arrival, Lovborg decides not to join the men
for the party, and he can dine with her. Tesman thinks this would be improper,
since Aunt Julle will not be there. Ejlert Lovborg arrives and discusses his
new book. He says that it's not very good because he was just trying to please
everyone with a general history of the past, but that another book, the
manuscript of which he has with him, will certainly be worth reading. The new
book contains a prediction for the future. Ejlert also states that he won't
compete with Tesman for a position at the university, as he only wants public
acknowledgement of his reform and success. Tesman is relieved and exclaims to
Hedda that nothing now stands in their way, but Hedda resents her inclusion in
his excitement.
At this point, Hedda suggests that the men
have some punch before leaving, but Ejlert refuses, not wanting to drink
alcohol. Thus, Brack and Tesman go to an adjoining room to enjoy their punch,
while Hedda entertains Ejlert. He immediately expresses dismay at having to
refer to Hedda as "Hedda Tesman" rather than "Hedda
Gabler." They begin a discussion about their past, and when Tesman
re-enters from the other room; they pretend to be talking about pictures of the
mountains that Tesman gathered on their honeymoon. Ejlert correctly guesses
that Hedda does not love Tesman and asks whether she ever loved Ejlert. She
admits that it was thrilling to share a special intimacy with him unknown to
anyone else. They reminisce about how Ejlert would confess his drinking problems
to Hedda. When their relationship as "comrades" became too serious,
Hedda broke off their relationship, even threatening to shoot Ejlert with her
father's pistols. Yet she was too afraid of scandal, and it was at this point
that Ejlert went to the Elvsted's. Ejlert says he has confessed nothing to Mrs.
Elvsted because she is too stupid to understand. Hedda then says she has
something to confess to Ejlert. Ejlert guesses that it might be that they share
a passion for life, but Hedda warns him not to get carried away.
At that moment, Mrs. Elvsted enters. She
greets the men in the other room. Hedda makes her sit beside her, so Hedda is
in the middle. Ejlert asks Hedda to admire Mrs. Elvsted, and he states that she
inspires him to keep his life on the right track. Hedda, however, insinuates
that some might think that he felt insecure and did not have enough confidence
in himself. Mrs. Elvsted is alarmed when Hedda mentions Brack's amusement at
Ejlert's hesitance to drink the punch, but Ejlert seems resolved and declares
he doesn't care what anyone thinks. Hedda tells Mrs. Elvsted that she
apparently had no reason to be so anxious when she visited that morning. Ejlert
is surprised and asks what Mrs. Elvsted could have been worried about. Ejlert
is angered by Mrs. Elvsted's presumption that he might go on a drinking binge
now that he is in town; in defiance, he quickly downs a drink and pours himself
another. Mrs. Elvsted is horrified, and Ejlert asks whether it was a conspiracy
between her and her husband that Mrs. Elvsted come to town to spy on him. He
decides to go to the party with Judge Brack
and Tesman, and he takes the manuscript of
his upcoming book with him, to show parts of it to Tesman at the party. He
promises to return later to escort Mrs. Elvsted home. The three men leave. Mrs.
Elvsted is very worried, but Hedda insists that she stay and wait for Ejlert's
return. She promises that he will return with wine leaves in his hair.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
We learn that the woman who Mrs. Elvsted
was worried about, the woman from Ejlert's past, who threatened him with
pistols, was Hedda. This was suggested at the end of Act 1, when Hedda goes to
play with her pistols. Ibsen often hints at the true nature of a relationship
before making it clear.
Hedda clearly keeps Ejlert in a fairly
high regard, yet she does not refrain from manipulating him, causing him to
drink after years of abstinence. She seems to enjoy semi-adulterous
relationships with men not because she admires the men but because she wants to
control them. A key method in controlling Brack and Ejlert, apparently, is to
make them think that she wants to keep them in her confidence without letting
Tesman know: when Tesman nears the couch where she and Ejlert are talking, she
quickly changes the subject.
At the same time, one often wonders at
Hedda's sanity. Because this is a play, not a novel, we gain no access to the
characters' thoughts. Ibsen does not even include soliloquies or asides, during
which the audience might hear a character's inner reflections. When Hedda
pretends to fire at Brack, it could be merely the playfulness of a capricious
girl or it could indicate incipient insanity.
SUMMARY
Act 3 begins in the same drawing room.
Mrs. Elvsted is bundled up on a chair by the dying fire, while Hedda lies
wrapped up on a couch. Berte enters, startling Mrs. Elvsted, who hasn't been
able to sleep. Berte is bearing a letter, but it is for Tesman Mrs. Elvsted is
very anxious. Berte's exit wakes Hedda. Hedda tells Mrs. Elvsted that the men
are no doubt staying the night at the Judge's house and that Ejlert is no doubt
reading to Tesman, with vine leaves in his hair. Mrs. Elvsted goes to Hedda's
room to try to sleep. Hedda fixes up the fire as Berte goes to answer the door.
Tesman enters.
He asks Hedda whether she was worried, and
she replies that it would never occur to her to be anxious about him. He tells
her that he had fun at the beginning of the night, when Ejlert read to him from
his fabulous new book. Tesman is ashamed to admit that for a moment he was
jealous. However, there was what Tesman calls an "orgy"; Ejlert got
quite drunk, made a speech in honour of the unnamed woman who had inspired his
work, and while being escorted home dropped his manuscript, which Tesman
retrieved and has brought home with him. Tesman assumes that Ejlert will be
embarrassed to have lost it and plans to return it to him as soon as possible.
Hedda asks whether that is necessary and whether it is the only one of its
kind. Tesman assures her that it is irreplaceable, and at that moment she shows
him the letter that came for him earlier that morning. It is from Aunt Julle,
saying that Aunt Rina is dying and that Tesman must come as quickly as he can.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
At the beginning of Act 3, it is clear
that something has gone wrong. The women have been up all night. Berte offers
to fix the fire, but the selfless Mrs. Elvsted urges her to let it die down and
save firewood. However, when Hedda awakes she demands that the fire be brought
back to life. This refers to the themes of the play's beginning, specifically
to Berte's anxiety to please Hedda. Yet at the same time, much has happened
since the beginning of the play. At the beginning of Act 3, one wonders if the
climax of the play has been reached, offstage, at Brack's stag party.
The matter of Ejlert's manuscript is a
curious one. Although Tesman is quite anxious to return it, his reasons for
picking it up seem feeble: his admission of fleeting jealousy confirms the
rivalry that was already apparent. This scene also evinces Tesman's
bookishness, as he characterizes as the highlight of the party the moments when
he was being read to by Ejlert and nervously refers to the rest of the evening
as an "orgy."
SUMMARY
Tesman leaves and Hedda locks the
manuscript in the writing desk. Brack visits and proceeds to tell Hedda about
the previous night in greater detail. Apparently, after Ejlert's group parted
ways with Tesman, Ejlert went to the rooms of a Mademoiselle Diana, who was
throwing a boisterous party. A fight ensued, when Ejlert began raving about
some lost parcel, and when the police came, he resisted arrest. Hedda stares in
front of her, murmuring about vine leaves in Ejlert's hair. She then changes
her tone and asks Brack why he is being so informative. He says that he doesn't
want to get implicated in the investigation and warns Hedda that she and Tesman
should close their doors to Ejlert. He also hints that he doesn't want anyone
interceding in the "triangle" he has formed with Hedda and Tesman. Hedda
says that he wants to be "the only cock in the yard."
Brack leaves and Ejlert arrives. Hedda
admonishes him for coming so "late" to pick up Mrs. Elvsted, and he
apologizes for coming so early in the morning. He asks what Hedda has heard
about the party, but she replies that she knows only that it was very merry.
Mrs. Elvsted enters. She is relieved to see him, but Ejlert tells her that
their paths must part, as he has stopped work on his writing and is, thus, no
longer of any use to her. Mrs. Elvsted protests passionately, but he explains
that he has destroyed his manuscript. He claims to have torn it into a thousand
pieces and thrown it into the fjord. Mrs. Elvsted says that this is tantamount
to killing a little child, and he has to agree. Mrs. Elvsted is bewildered and
leaves immediately. Ejlert doesn't want her to be seen with him, for her sake,
so he doesn't escort her. He then tells Hedda the truth--that he has lost the
manuscript. He also says that he no longer has the courage to face life. He
leaves, intending to commit suicide, and Hedda makes him promise to do so
beautifully, giving him one of her pistols. After he leaves, Hedda is alone in
the room. She takes the manuscript over to the fire, sits down, and begins to
burn it, page by page, saying that she is burning the child of Ejlert Lovborg
and Thea Elvsted.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
When Hedda murmurs to herself about
Ejlert's vine leaves, it is clear that she is disappointed and surprised. When
she kept telling Mrs. Elvsted that Ejlert would return with vine leaves in his
hair, she was reassuring not only Mrs. Elvsted but also herself. This is one of
the few moments of weakness she shows throughout the play. The speed with which
she comes to her senses and changes her tone is evidence of her vigilance in
maintaining a calm, controlled exterior, even when she is feeling confused on
the inside.
Her exchange with Brack also sheds light
upon Hedda's character. She asks Brack why he is so forthcoming with
information, as if she does not see friendship alone as grounds for
confidences. Also, her earlier comment about not wanting to be controlled makes
more sense once she describes Brack as being someone who wants to be the
"only cock in the yard": although she makes light of it, she is
clearly threatened by Brack.
As Act 3 comes to a close, the audience
comes to understand more clearly Hedda's ability to deceive those around her,
in complete disregard of their thoughts and feelings. At one moment she seeks
to comfort Ejlert. By seeming to understanding his desire to kill himself, she
at least seems to sympathize with him. Yet she does not seek to prevent his
death by returning the manuscript; instead, she burns it, thinking only of
venting her
own frustrations at the relationship between Ejlert and Mrs.
Elvsted. Further, while her willingness to give him one of her father's pistols
shows that she takes him seriously, it also shows that she thinks of Ejlert
more as an object than as a person; she wants him to die beautifully.
SUMMARY
It is evening at the Tesmans' house. The
drawing room is in darkness until Berte lights a lamp. Hedda, dressed in black,
is pacing. Aunt Julle enters, wearing a veil of mourning. She tells Hedda that
Aunt Rina has died, but Hedda has already received the news in a note from Tesman.
Aunt Julle apologizes for bringing bad news into a house of life and again
hints at the imminent arrival of children. Tesman arrives in a state of
bewilderment. Aunt Julle tells him to be content, for Aunt Rina has gone to a
happier place. She says that now she will find someone else for whom to take
care. She exits, unaware of the true cause of Tesman's anxiety.
Tesman is worried about Ejlert. He has
heard that he has told Mrs. Elvsted that he had torn up the manuscript. He
declares he is glad that Hedda said nothing to the contrary, as Ejlert was
obviously out of his mind to make such a claim, and there would have been no
use in reasoning with him. However, he becomes horrified when Hedda tells him
she has burned the manuscript. She consoles him by saying that she did it for
the sake of his career. He is overjoyed that she went to such extremes for him.
Hedda hints that she has something else to tell him, but she is repulsed by his
joy.
Suddenly, Mrs. Elvsted arrives. She is
worried that something more may have happened to Ejlert. She has heard rumours
that he hasn't been home all night and that he may be at the hospital. Tesman
is planning to go out and make further inquiries, when Brack arrives and
announces that Ejlert has been taken to the hospital and is dying. Hedda
guesses that he has shot himself. Hedda is very curious to know if he shot
himself in the temple and is satisfied to learn that he shot himself in the
chest. She exclaims that there is some beauty in his death.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Aunt Julle's final appearance in the play
is intensely ironic. At the beginning of the play, when Aunt Julle first
visited, the room was bright with morning? But Hedda immediately said that it
was too bright and closed the window. Now, largely because of Hedda's actions?
her cold treatment of others, her encouragement of Ejlert in his suicide, her
burning of the manuscript--the room has been "darkened" in a symbolic
sense, while also becoming literally dark with the fall of evening and the
donning of the black clothes of mourning. Aunt Julle's cheerful suggestions
that Hedda might be pregnant seem wildly naive in light of all that has
transpired.
When Tesman approves of Hedda's decision
not to give the manuscript back to Ejlert, it becomes increasingly clear that
he half hopes the manuscript will never be returned. All the same, his
conscious intentions seem to be good, until he learns that Hedda has burned the
manuscript. At this news, he avoids the question of whether this was right or
wrong; instead focusing on how much Hedda must love him. The fact that this joy
repulses Hedda only shows how wildly inaccurate his assumptions were. It
remains unclear what she was about to tell him, but given Aunt Julle's hints at
pregnancy, it is easy to think that she was with child. More likely perhaps,
she was going to tell Tesman about Ejlert's imminent death.
Hedda's interest in how Ejlert died proves
that she cares more for the beauty of his death than for his well being. This
is contrasted by the behaviour of Mrs. Elvsted, who is deeply sad.
SUMMARY
Brack is surprised to learn that Ejlert
has destroyed his manuscript. Mrs. Elvsted announces that she has some notes
from the book left over. Tesman and Mrs. Elvsted decide to try to reconstruct the
book, and they immediately sit down at the writing table in an inner room to
sort through the notes. Brack and Hedda begin to talk. Hedda goes on and on
about the dignity of Ejlert's suicide, until Brack interrupts her. He reveals
that he did not shoot himself in his lodgings but was fatally wounded by the
accidental firing of a pistol that was in his breast pocket. To make matters
worse, at the moment he died, he was in Mademoiselle Diana's bedroom, still
looking for his lost manuscript, and he was shot not in the chest but in the
stomach. Hedda is disgusted.
At this moment, Tesman and Mrs. Elvsted
move back into the main room, complaining of the bad lighting in the inner
room. Hedda clears off the writing desk for them, removing a certain package to
the inner room. Then, she and Brack begin to discuss Ejlert's suicide further,
in low voices. Brack tells Hedda that the police will trace the pistol and that
she may have to appear in court, and he knows how much she hates scandal. Hedda
is horrified by the thought of being dependent upon Brack to keep the secret of
the pistol's origin. Hedda goes to see how Tesman and Mrs. Elvsted are getting
along. She says that she is sure that Mrs. Elvsted will one day inspire Tesman
as she did Ejlert. She then goes out to lie down and rest. Wild piano playing
is heard from inside. It quiets, and then a pistol goes off. Everyone rushes
in. Hedda has shot herself.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Tesman's desire to dedicate his life to
reconstructing Ejlert's manuscript shows the fickleness and smallness of his
character. A few moments earlier, he had been elated that Hedda would destroy
the manuscript, but now he is horrified that Ejlert is dead, and he is eager to
restore the manuscript. It seems that he always tries to act appropriately,
whatever the situation, regardless of over-arching principle. Also, it is
possible that he is eager to work with Mrs. Elvsted. Earlier, in Act 1, Hedda
hints that Mrs. Elvsted may have been involved with Tesman at some earlier
date. At any rate, when Tesman plans for he and Mrs. Elvsted to meet daily at
his Aunt Julle's to work, one cannot help but imagine an affair, given that
Mrs. Elvsted also met her current husband by coming to work for him. Hedda
hints at this possibility when she says she is sure Mrs. Elvsted will inspire
Tesman.
When Hedda learns of the ugliness of Ejlert's
death, she is disgusted for the second time in Act 4?the first time being when
she was repulsed by Tesman's joy. She commits suicide in the belief that there
is no escape from a disappointing life. (An additional interpretation would be
that she wants to demonstrate what a beautiful death is, assuming she has shot
herself in the head.) The events of the act have been hinted at throughout the
play, beginning with the end of Act 1 when Hedda goes to play with her pistols
out of boredom; once again, she has turned to her pistols to alleviate her
worldweariness and sense of tedium.
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