Critical Essay on Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen

Introduction

The book narrates the original story of a desperate housewife. Hedda Gabler who was once the best catch in town turns out to be the most constrained by Victorian values in a loveless marriage. The only solace that remains it to manipulate others, an act that she does the better part of the play. This may have been because Norway was not ready for a female fatale since she received negative reviews. But gradually, Hedda Gabler won critics as reviews steadily improved (Ibsen and Doug 47). To date, she is one of the most celebrated imaginary women in all of the drama. Also called "the female Hamlet", her character is also the most difficult to play. The book focuses on human struggles in the society between the expression of will and limitation of circumstances, describing how the "new woman" pushed against limitations which the society has set to find satisfaction in liberation and express their will ultimately.

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The extract from the play Hedda Gabler before the suicide incident is an illustration of how the expression of will and limitation of circumstances exists in the society. The play writer (Ibsen) has developed Hedda's character in a specific way to reveal the conflict Hedda, and other characters in the play such as George Tesman and Judge Brack, and this reveals her revolution from an individualistic to a miserable individual displaying the theme of oppression and freedom in the society at large. The relationship and conflict between Hedda and Judge Brack have been used to indicate Hedda's effort to express her will and power in a society dominated by male. These two have been united as peers who are members of the nobility and as fellow manipulators who are in control. Both judge Brack and Hedda find themselves in a flirtatious conversation that symbolizes power relations between two different genders in the society where Judge proposes a sexual relationship only to be rejected. Hedda continuously engaged in flirtatious chat for the better part of the boom despite his deceitful moves, with the belief that she is in control. In this context, the writer asserts that Hedda is mistaken about the nature of her power as she is overpowered and sinks into defeat, indicating that the male power has dominated the society and women cannot express their will because of the social norm and the fact that it is acceptable.

An evident social issue in Ibsen's dilemma plays is the limited freedom which is often bestowed on the women, reducing them to domestic lifestyle hence hindering them to express their will. Hedda is seen battling with an independent intellect (the husband) while trying to satisfy her ambitions in a society surrounded by limitations on the role of women. Unable to express her creativity the way she wants, her passion becomes destructive to herself and those surrounding her. Through her resilience, Hedda is able to manipulate the husband (George) because she is unable to access the authority she wants for herself and tells Thea "I want the power to shape a man's destiny." The discussion of her pregnancy shows ambiguousness as a result of unsuitability. She, however, manages to acquire some level of freedom but with limits through the balance of security and liberation when she marries an academician who is buried in the books, moving between libraries. In the end, Judge Brack tries to relieve her boredom by being someone she can engage with in flirty chat. Judge Brack takes advantage of the powerless condition of Hedda as a woman for his benefit.

Through her struggles to express her will, her actions turn destructive to Eilert, Thea and finally to herself. Besides envying Thea for her top-notch creative collaboration with Eilert, there is a sense of hatred for compromising with a man she saw as rebellious in the past, disobeying social values. She teases Eilert to join a party of men while in real sense she knows there are limitations; he is yet to reform, but since it is a male-dominated society, this is seen as normal. In the process, she imagines him returning as a champion, a free man for the rest of his life. Since Eilert's night turned stale due to the events that unfolded, Hedda dropped her first principle and urged him to forget about life and commit suicide. Hedda had a strong conviction that the power to control how and when a person dies is the eventual freedom and is the sole control that a person has. She attempted to convince Lovborg to have a "beautiful death" and hands him the pistol, to pull strings that might make him swing to commit suicide. As a result, Lovborg dies from an accidental gunshot, and Hedda appreciates that even the beautiful death is illusionary and she can only achieve it for herself. The destruction of their script signifies Hedda's viciousness to both Eilert and Thea. "Now I am burning your child, Thea!--Burning it, curly-locks! " (Ibsen and Doug 292). This shows the limitations of women in society to express their feelings and that men can engage in any illegalities and walk free.

Conclusion

Everybody's will is to have control of all activities in life. But in Ibsen's book, it is evident that Hedda has little influence in his life due to the external limitations that force them to live according to the societal norms. Hedda is continuously reminded of the life they ought not to live through the normal objects that signify life. By confiscating these objects, Hedda tries to gain control of her life and be able to express her will. At the end, she realizes that the only way to freedom and express her will is to die rather than live with things around her. Marriage to her is like a prison, and the only test of freedom is through the veranda doors when she stands by the door looking out. She is forced to focus on her pregnancy after the honeymoon, and she immediately thinks of life without a husband, children and all that is limiting her to express her will. The limits set are not ideal for her since often she longs for things she might not obtain. To make her restriction appealing, Hedda compromises herself that "(the leaves) are yellow and withered" (Marber 21). Convincing herself that the trees symbolize she is destined to wither from growing old and bored. In this case, therefore, by shutting the windows or even killing herself to freedom created a symbolism that the outdoor looks attractive than Hedda's indoor life. This means that her freedom will allow her to express her will and avoid some of the limitations of circumstances set by society.

Work Cited

Ibsen, Henrik, and Doug Hughes. Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler: English Version. New York, NY: Dramatists Play Service, 2001. Internet resource.

Marber, Patrick. Hedda Gabler. , 2016. Print.