Hedda Gabler: A Character Analysis
Centuries after it was written, Hedda Gabler still captivates audiences with its ability to make them sympathize with Hedda, though most would consider her acts unforgiveable. Hedda is a strong willed woman in a time of confining gender rolls, making her days unendingly boring and her life unhappy. She is married to a man she does not love and her social status has declined since the death of her father. She is now middle class and does not have the comforts she is used to. Though many of the viewers cannot imagine what it is like to be upper class in the 1800’s, they can sympathize with loveless marriages and the lack of the comfort of home. Being unhappy is a perpetually human emotion and it is displayed prominently in Hedda’s character. Similarly, since Hedda is a woman, she is expected to conform to standard gender rolls of the time; women were meant to keep house and to raise and care for the children. While debate of the actuality of Hedda’s pregnancy remains debated, …show more content…
She burns Lovburg’s life’s work and suggests he kill himself, even providing the weapon for his demise. Throughout the play it is shown that Hedda believes that beauty and aesthetic is more important than everything: relationships, friendships, even life itself. The viewers can see this delusion and though they know what she is doing is wrong, they can still sympathize with her character because of the human emotions that show; she may not feel love, but she feels spite, she feels frustration and she feels caged. Hedda Gabler, though not a hero in this story, is someone that every person can resonate with because of those emotions. Viewers can even sympathize with Hedda when she ends her life; She was in a desperate situation with no way out, and she did what she believed had to be done. Regardless of a person’s views on suicide, they can see Hedda’s reasoning and sympathize while not approving of her
Centuries after it was written, Hedda Gabler still captivates audiences with its ability to make them sympathize with Hedda, though most would consider her acts unforgiveable. Hedda is a strong willed woman in a time of confining gender rolls, making her days unendingly boring and her life unhappy. She is married to a man she does not love and her social status has declined since the death of her father. She is now middle class and does not have the comforts she is used to. Though many of the viewers cannot imagine what it is like to be upper class in the 1800’s, they can sympathize with loveless marriages and the lack of the comfort of home. Being unhappy is a perpetually human emotion and it is displayed prominently in Hedda’s character. Similarly, since Hedda is a woman, she is expected to conform to standard gender rolls of the time; women were meant to keep house and to raise and care for the children. While debate of the actuality of Hedda’s pregnancy remains debated, …show more content…
She burns Lovburg’s life’s work and suggests he kill himself, even providing the weapon for his demise. Throughout the play it is shown that Hedda believes that beauty and aesthetic is more important than everything: relationships, friendships, even life itself. The viewers can see this delusion and though they know what she is doing is wrong, they can still sympathize with her character because of the human emotions that show; she may not feel love, but she feels spite, she feels frustration and she feels caged. Hedda Gabler, though not a hero in this story, is someone that every person can resonate with because of those emotions. Viewers can even sympathize with Hedda when she ends her life; She was in a desperate situation with no way out, and she did what she believed had to be done. Regardless of a person’s views on suicide, they can see Hedda’s reasoning and sympathize while not approving of her