Theme in Hedda Gabler
One of the central themes in Henrik Ibsen’s tragic and comedy plays, Hedda Gabler is the illusion of power among the social classes/ conflict between society and the individual. To expose this theme, Ibsen creates a powerful and socially privileged character whom he titles Hedda. She represents the social and cultural freedom that was believed to be possessed by those of higher class within bourgeois of the nineteenth century (Lytal). At the same time, Ibsen also presents other middle class and less powerful characters; such as Auntie Juju, Thea Elvsted and Eilert Loevborg. These characters contrast Hedda's powerful and often offensively privileged character, demonstrating the costs of social acceptance and control. As the play continues, Hedda exploits and manipulates the characters. She exerts these behaviors in order to maintain the social power and prestige as one of higher class. Throughout most of the play her deceptive actions towards power are successful as people submit without question. This perversion twists and wounds Hedda as she comes to realize that she does not have the social power to control those who are inferior to her. Disillusionment of the social system unravels as the reader recognizes that the power
Hedda further her social power upon the other characters in the play through manipulation and deception. Her husband, George Tesman, bends to her every demand and dismisses her destructive remarks. Tesman was not born into a successful family although he has little wealth and is in great debt. It is understandable as to why he is delighted to be fortunate enough to have "won" such a favorable bride (Maynard, 2483). This is why he is only able to see how "pretty and charming" she is. (Maynard, 2487). He is unable to see how uncaring she is as she does not morn the death of his Aunt Rena. Tesman is blind to the way that she manipulates him with the announcement of her pregnancy. She also has taken away the power from Loevborg by burning his manuscript (Maynard, 2526-2527). Hedda assumed that with her marriage to Tesman he would soon become an honored professor. With his appointment she would be able to climb back on the social ladder that she used to stand on while her father was alive. Loevborg poses a threat to Hedda's social growth as he unexpectedly became a challenger for her husband's position in an academic post (Maynard, 2498). This fear brought Hedda to impose her power over Loevborg as she manipulated him into drinking (Maynard, 2532). In his drunkenness, Loevborg brought upon himself his own ruin and lost the only item that was to advance him socially, his manuscript. When Loevborg comes to her, distressed at the loss of his new book, Hedda does not tell him that she possesses it (Lytal). Instead she uses it as a means to control the outcome of Tesman's competition against Loevborg for the position of professor and he
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Approximate Word count = 1104
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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