Q: TRACE THE INFLUENCES OF
GENERAL GABLER ON THE LIFE AND
PSYCHOLOGY
OF HEDDA.
Q: WHAT IS SIGNIFICANCE OF
THE TITLE OF THE PLAY "HEDDA GABLER"?
Q: THE PLAY "HEDDA
GABLER" IS ALSO CALLED "GENERAL GABLER'S
DAUGHTER",
FOR WHAT IT STANDS FOR?
Q: WHY HEDDA LIKES TO BE
CALLED HEDDA GABLER, WHILE SHE IS
HEDDA TESMAN
ON THE STAGE?
Q: 'HEDDA PERISHES IN THE
CLASH BETWEEN REPRESSIVE MASCULINE
SOCIETY OF
THE ERA AND FREEWILL'. GIVE A SATISFYING ANSWER.
Q: HEDDA IS THE COLD,
EMOTIONLESS PRODUCT OF A DISAPPROVING
AND
DOMINEERING SOCIETY AND FATHER, COMMENT.
Ans:
Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler is not truly
indicative of his vast body of work: the protagonist is female and the play is
a character study. Oddly enough, though, Hedda does not evolve or progress
throughout the entirety of the work. Rather, she remains a cold and
manipulative woman. When this fact is realised, the only task is discovering
why Hedda continues as a flat character that is restrained from gaining the
status of a hero. Truthfully, there are many variables that shape Hedda's life.
Nonetheless, two factors in particular stand out—her father, General Gabler,
and the repressive, masculine society of the era.
It is fitting that the title of the play
is Hedda's maiden name, Hedda Gabler, for the play is to a large extent about
the formerly aristocratic Hedda's inability to adjust to the bourgeois life
into which she has married. Her tragedy lies not only in her own suicide but in
her desire that Ejlert should have a "beautiful" suicide: she hopes
that life can be beautiful, can measure up to a certain standard, regardless of
practicalities like professional success or failure. She is amused by how much
Tesman worries about making a living.
This aristocratic privileging of
"aesthetic" matters causes Hedda to feel very unsympathetic to
Tesman. She doesn't allow him to use the word "we" to describe the
two of them. It also allows her to feel little guilt when "cheating
on" him, if only on an emotional level, with Ejlert and Judge. Her values,
based on an aesthetic standard rather than the moral standard to which her
husband conforms, are beyond Tesman's control or even his understanding; as a
result, he cannot predict her actions. At the same time, however, Hedda's
apparent pregnancy draws attention to the tragic nature of her quest. She
continually denies the inevitable.
The rest of the male characters are more
or less in love with Hedda, perhaps because of her almost decadent sense of
beauty. Brack wants to establish a private relationship with her, parallel to
her relationship with Tesman, and Ejlert dearly hopes that she shares his "passion
for life." She finds both of these ideas silly, openly rejecting Ejlert's
notion and teasing Brack by saying that he wants to be "the cock of the
walk." Even Mrs. Elvsted feels intimidated by Hedda. Because of this
popularity, she is the most powerful character. She toys with others because
she can find no solace or entertainment in life. Indeed, Hedda's power is so
far-reaching that her own self-destruction leads almost inevitably to the
destruction of the other characters' lives.
Although Ibsen does not directly address
certain influences of surroundings over Hedda, he succeeds in conveying their
critical significance. A common underlying theme in Ibsen's work is the linking
of death and music. And, as one might have deduced, this premise is employed in
Hedda Gabler. Moreover, the ever-present piano, belonging to
the late General Gabler, symbolises
Hedda's past freedom, prior to marrying George Tesman, as the "General's
daughter." A more obvious example of General Gabler's influence over Hedda
is the large portrait of him that dominates the "inner" room. In
fact, as Ibsen initially describes the single set, he momentarily focuses on
the presence of the portrait of the "handsome, elderly man in a General's
uniform".
With this description, the reader is made
aware of the General's presence, even after his death. Arguably, the most
significant influence the General has over Hedda is the fact that Hedda is
unable to rid herself of her "Hedda Gabler" identity. It is extremely
odd to be known by a name that is, in effect, a product of the past, as Hedda
has recently become "Hedda Tesman." Throughout the play, Hedda is
referred to as "Hedda Gabler," or, more simply, "General
Gabler's daughter." This fact is also indicative of the kind of
"facelessness" that women of the era were often subject to.
Yet another aspect of the General's
rearing of Hedda is her unusual fascination with his pistols. This fascination
is one of the first given clues that Hedda was raised as a boy would have been.
The mere possibility of Hedda being raised as a male is sufficient evidence to
explain her underlying disdain at being a woman-unable to express herself as a
man would. Instead, Hedda simply "contents herself with negative behaviour
instead of constructive action". Since she cannot express herself
outright, she amuses herself by manipulating others. The most compelling
episode of Hedda's perfected brand of manipulation is the role she plays in the
death of Eilert Lovborg, a former love. Despite the fact that Eilert is the
only person who can evoke true passion in her, Hedda feels the need to destroy
him, purely for the purpose of "having the power to mould a human
destiny". Since she is unable to directly control anyone or anything,
Hedda chooses to rebel against the society that shapes her and obliterate one
of its future leaders.
Needless to say, the Victorian era of
literature and society did not offer a profusion of opportunities for young
women. This fact is made abundantly clear in Hedda Gabler. Despite the fact
that society stifles Hedda, it is not the only factor that restrains her from
gaining independence, as well as expressing herself. In reality, Hedda's own
cowardice generously contributes to her inescapable end. But, of course, the
root of her cowardice is her former life involving her father, General Gabler.
Even though Hedda takes pleasure in
creating scandal, however, she is deathly frightened of being associated with
it. One such incidence involves Thea Elvsted, Hedda's long- forgotten
schoolmate, explaining to Hedda her current, scandalous situation concerning
Eilert Lovborg, who is Thea's stepchildren's tutor. Specifically, Thea is
rebelling against the conventions of society and pursuing Lovborg. Hedda,
constantly aware of scandal, responds in a predictable manner: "But what
do you think people will say of you, Thea?" This scene is the first of
many that reveals Hedda's inability to disregard society and scandal and live
the life she has never dared to live. Indeed, the sole reason that Hedda marries
George Tesman is due to the fact that he is the only one of her suitors that
expresses an interest in marriage. Once again, Hedda's fear of society's ideals
for women forces her to compromise her thoughts and desires, thereby causing
her to feel jealous and trapped.
Ellis Fermor encompasses the real fact
when he opines: "It (Hedda's mind) has merely gone round and round the
cage she has built for herself, looking for a way to escape". In other
words, Hedda has come to the realization that there is no way out of her
"place" in society, as well as life. She will never be any man's
equal or a "real" person.
Also, much like the rest of society,
Tesman views Hedda as an object, a collectible. Finally, due to the
circumstances imposed upon her by Norwegian society, Hedda responds with the
one act of courage she has managed to muster in her short, meaningless life-she
kills herself with her father's pistol. While Hedda is considerably
responsible for her cowardice and her
failure to sufficiently express herself, the way in which she was raised, as
well as the society in which she lives, both play major roles in the shaping of
her character. If it were not for her extenuating circumstances, as well as her
solitary act of courage, one can only speculate what she might have come to
represent in contemporary feminist literature. However, literature is not
founded on speculation and guesswork; it is based on visible feelings,
emotions, and actions. With this in mind, one is forced to recognize what Hedda
truly represents: the cold, emotionless product of a disapproving and
domineering society and father.
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