Q: DISCUSS THE ROLE AND CHARACTER OF JUDGE BRACK IN "HEDDA GABLER". Q: TO WHAT EXTANT JUDGE BRACK IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TRAGEDY OF HEDDA?
Q: DISCUSS THE ROLE
AND CHARACTER OF JUDGE BRACK IN "HEDDA
GABLER".
Q: TO WHAT EXTANT JUDGE BRACK IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TRAGEDY
OF HEDDA?
Ans:
Brack is a judge of relatively inferior
rank. He is a friend of both Tesman and Hedda, and he visits their house
regularly. He has connections around the city, and is often the first to give
Tesman information about alterations in the possibility of his professorship.
He seems to enjoy meddling in other people's affairs. He is a worldly and
cynical man. On certain occasions he seems to represent the whole society of
the time, his opportunism, meanness, blackmailing and lusty love aspiration
make him an epitome of society.
Brack strikes as a very immoral man from
the very beginning, due to the aplenty advances he made towards Hedda. He had
always subtlety hinted that he thought that Hedda might like "a new
responsibility" and most importantly, that he will "fight for the
end, for the "triangle" to be "fortified and defended by mutual
consent."
To flirt with an unwed lady is one thing.
But to be thoroughly suggestive of certain immoral acts to a legally wed lady
would seem to be a moral crime. A crime, which would deem Brack as an immoral
judge, which is juxtaposition in the phrase itself. The depraved misdeed was
too much to expect from a judge, much less to say the way that he had
insinuated himself into the household of a married couple.
Brack's manipulative nature can perhaps be
considered the most powerful tool that he has, to be able to control people at
his beck and call. The way he withholds his information, only to disseminate it
at an 'appropriate' time, when it will hit the victim the hardest, shows how
well he can play the psychological game. He was apparently so good at
calculating his steps that he was able to have Hedda exclaim with pain that she
is "in your powers, Mr. Brack. From now on, I'm at your mercy." He
played his last hand of the pack very well, henceforth gaining control over
Hedda almost at once, after we have seen her authoritative throughout the plot.
The unexpected twist of events, definitely illustrates an element of surprise
for the reader.
Nothing much can be mentioned or commented
about Brack, except that he seems to be a guru at the game at which both he and
Hedda seemed to be indulged in. His callous ways together with his tricky
language have caused the one all mighty Hedda to fall prey to him, exposing the
extent of his scheming nature to the reader. It certainly allows the reader to
realize his true nature and to confirm the suspicions of Brack's ulterior
motives.
The presence of Brack alone is enough to
allow Tesman appear trivial and ridiculous. His language as compared to Tesman
seemed to have many underlying meanings, while Tesman's, for an academic, seems
rather superficial. Tesman, being a worrywart, starts to fret like a young lady
when informed that his appointment might not come. He "clasps his hands
together" and "flings his arms about" asking his "dearest
Hedda, how can you (she) take it all so
calmly." Brack on the other hand, being the surely and confident self
tries to comfort him by telling him that he will "most probably get
it" but "only after a bit of competition". Brack's calm composure
and surely words certainly outweigh Tesman's unnecessary gestures and fretful
language.
The vulnerability of Tesman and Hedda's
marriage has also clearly been brought out by the intrusion of Brack. The fact
that Hedda would "clasp her hand at the back of her neck, lean back in the
chair and look at him" indicates how comfortable she feels with Brack. The
stichomythia in their speeches also brings out the level of intimacy the both
of them share as seen by the quote " Brack: A trusted and sympathetic
friend... Hedda: .who can converse on all manners of lively topics. Brack:. and
who's not in the least academic" It shows how well they complement each
other, finishing each other's thoughts as though they were in a relationship
themselves. As Hedda could easily pour out her woes to a man other than her
husband gives an indication of how sterile her marriage with Tesman was. So
unfruitful that they had absolutely no proper communications between husband
and wife that Hedda was glad to have a friend who could converse with her.
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