Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen - Essay Example

Quotations: Hedda Gabler Page 17. George: (Patting her under her chin). “You positively think of everything, Aunt Julia !” Aunt Julia buys the new bonnet just to placate Hedda. She is aware that Hedda’s may look down upon George’s aunts. George fails to realize the truth of this, and condescendingly compliments his aunt. He is ignorant of the nuances of the women’s relationship. 2. Page 20. George: “About the journey?” Tesman’s reply to Aunt Julia’s query as to whether he has “anything particular” to tell her reveals his naivety. Julia enquires as to the possibility of Hedda being pregnant, while the rather obtuse Tesman fails to understand the purpose of her question. 3. Page 22. George: “But Hedda was bound to have that journey, Aunt!” George’s reply to his aunt acknowledging the great expense of his honeymoon trip reveals that he is unable to deny Hedda her way. He gives in to her wish for the trip although he cannot afford it. He falls into debt in order to indulge Hedda. 4. Page 23. George: “The only thing I don't know is what we shall do with the two empty rooms between the back-room there and Hedda's bedroom.” George again displays his obtuseness as to Aunt Julia’s hint that one of the rooms will serve as a nursery. 5. Page 33. George: “My old morning shoes! My slippers!” George gets sentimental over his embroidered slippers. He has been talking about them to Hedda on their honeymoon. He is unaware of her boredom and indifference to these slippers and shows them to her. His expectation that this will interest her reveals his absolute failure to understand his wife. 6. Page 36. George: “Yes, but have you noticed how buxom and plump she has become?” Here, George draws attention to the changes in Hedda’s figure, without the least idea that it is a sign of her pregnancy. He is oblivious to Hedda’s irritable reaction to this reference and fails to understand that she does not want him to discuss this matter. 7. Page 43. Hedda: “She with the irritating hair which she went around and made a sensation with.” Hedda’s jealousy over Thea Elvsted’s hair shows the mean streak in her character and her desire to always be in the limelight in any way. Thea later says that Hedda pulled her hair at school and threatened to scorch it. 8. Page 48. Hedda: “Good gracious, I hear it!” Hedda’s response to George repetition of Thea’s news of Lovborg’s return to town expresses her impatience with her husband’s dullness, which is in marked contrast to her own quickness. 9. Page 55. Hedda: “And do not put it off. Now, immediately, it seems to me.” Hedda ensures that her docile husband invites Lovborg home at once to satisfy her curiosity about her old suitor. George is like putty in her hands. Hedda easily has her way with him. 10. Page 56. Hedda: “Well! Now we have killed two birds with one stone.” Hedda skillfully maneuvers to get Thea to herself so that she can make Thea confide in her. This is an example of Hedda’s ability to manipulate people. 11. Page 58. Hedda: “There, there, there! And I shall say “thou” to you, just as I used to do, and call you my dear Thora.” Hedda pretends to friendship with Thea Elvsted in order to make her confess her feelings for Eilert Lovborg. Hedda has no moral scruples in using people. 12. Page 82. Hedda: “Tesman is always going about in a fright lest people should not be able to make a living.” Hedda’s blithe indifference to the details of finance and economy reflects her extravagance and need for luxury. 13. Page 95. Hedda: “Well, what in the name of goodness would you have me do to amuse myself?” Hedda says this in response to Judge Brack’s admonition on her playing with the pistols. This shows Hedda’s boredom with her life and the dangerous games she plays for amusement. 14. Page 102. Hedda: “Ugh! — don't use that hackneyed phrase.” Hedda sneers at love and admits to the Judge that she married Tesman for his ability to provide for her. She realizes that the days of her youth are over and Tesman is the best prospect available to her. 15. Page 110. George: “Yes. My dear Hedda, one can never have too many.” Tesman’s preoccupation with his professional publications bores Hedda, who pokes fun at him. Tesman, with his usual thickness, does not perceive Hedda’s sarcasm in her question as to whether he needs more publications. 16. Page 114. Hedda: “[Nervously, crosses the floor \] Yes, you see, it just takes me like that all of a sudden. And then I can't help doing it.” Hedda’s explanation of her willful cruelty towards Aunt Julia in the matter of the hat demonstrates her impulsive personality. 17. Page 119. Hedda: “No, I believe that is so. But could I not make him take them up all the same?” Hedda is willing to push George into politics in spite of being aware that he is not suited for it. She is selfish enough to do this as a vicarious means to find amusement for herself. 18. Page 125. George: [Looks dubiously at her.] “But, dear Hedda, do you think it would be quite the thing for him to stay here with you?” Tesman is uncomfortable with Hedda’s plan to be alone with Lovborg without a chaperone. This shows his orthodox views, which are in marked contrast to Hedda’s unconventionality. 19. Page 131. George: “Of the future? But, good gracious, we don't know anything about that!” Tesman’s amazement at the theme of Lovborg’s new book reveals his complete lack of imagination. His own staid book centers on the domestic industries of the middle ages! 20. Page 270. George: “For the rest of the evening you must be kind enough, dear Judge, to supply Hedda with society.” George is so involved in his restoration of Lovborg’s work that he is eager to keep Hedda occupied with Brack. His utter insensitivity to Hedda’s needs at this crucial point of the drama and his failure to comprehend Brack’s insidious character reveal his obtuseness. Hedda Gabler. Hedda is a highly intelligent woman who is completely bored with the stereotypical role allocated to her by the conventional society of her times. She reacts to her boredom by making it a hobby to manipulate the people in her life. Her dangerous search for excitement is seen in her firing of her father’s pistols for sport. She is ruthless in this game she plays, and does not hesitate to drive Lovborg to suicide. She is a past master at eliciting confidences from everyone. She has absolutely no scruples in resorting to pretensions of friendship with Thea, in destroying Lovborg’s papers, or in pushing him towards alcohol. Everyone who crosses her path is to be used to further Hedda’s pursuit of excitement. She is not romantic and scorns the concept of love. She is willing to flirt with Judge Brack. She desires an extravagant lifestyle and does not care that her husband is being driven into debt by indulging her expensive tastes. Hedda’s flawed character makes her selfish, indifferent to the pain she inflicts on others, and ultimately leads to her downfall. However, one cannot but admire her courage and strength. She takes her own life rather than submit to being under Brack’s power. She heroically lives life on her own terms. George Tesman. George Tesman is absolutely incompatible as Hedda Gabler’s husband. He is dull, slow and content with routine. He has no conception of Hedda’s character and the subtle, devious working of her clever mind. She remains an absolutely unknown entity to him. He is easily manipulated by Hedda. She cleverly overcomes his scruples regarding her destruction of Lovborg’s papers by saying “I did it for your sake, George” (Ibsen, 239). He is foolish enough to think that Hedda loves him. This makes him a rather pathetic character. Likewise, he is totally oblivious as to the true nature of Judge Brack. In the midst of all his foolishness, blindness to the character of his wife and his dull intellect, Tesman has one saving grace: he is very much in love with Hedda. He declares to his Aunt, “Hedda--she is the loveliest part of it all!” (Ibsen, 29). He indulges her every whim and is truly a doting husband. Works Cited. Ibsen, Henrik. “Hedda Gabler: a Drama in Four Acts.” Internet Archive. Web. 15 November 2012. http://archive.org/stream/heddagableradra00gossgoog/heddagableradra00gossgoog_djvu.txt Read More