In the late 19th century, also known as the Victorian Age, scientific advancements and a newfound concern for human rights shaped the literary movement of realism. Henrik Ibsen emerged as one of the most influential playwrights of the realism movement. Ibsen particularly focused on the middle class, women’s rights, and moral dilemmas. Ibsen’s beliefs and the composition of his plays proved him to be an individual concerned with his society and the people in it. With its social class, gender roles, and psychology, Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen exemplifies the Victorian Age.
Due to the Industrial Revolution, the social class structure started to change. The once flourishing aristocrats started to dwindle due to the new variety of jobs the Industrial …show more content…
Despite all the advancements in the Industrial Revolution, gender roles were still the same, if not more defined. There was this firm idea that, “men were thought to have natures suited to the public world, women to the private,” (Radek). A man was ambitious and brave while a woman was pure and domestic. Despite this idea of purity and nurturing, women were thought to be easily corrupted by mental illness while men were rational. The way women dressed also reflected their oppression. They wore long skirts with many layers which made, “it both difficult for woman to dress and undress by herself and time consuming,” (Radek). The difficulty of something as simple as changing clothes reflects how women were socially constrained, especially when the corset is introduced. Corsets were tight and uncomfortable while accentuating a woman’s breasts and waist. This reflects how men ultimately controlled women and their sexuality. Throughout Ibsen’s play, he portrays these gender stereotypes. The women in the play are dressed in long gowns, which is a direct characteristic of the Victorian time period. Through Hedda Gabler’s character, the audience is given a physically conventional woman, but Hedda’s attitude goes against the housewife stereotype. This is blatantly revealed when Tesman asks how Hedda will kill time now that they are nearly poor and Hedda replies, “General Gabler’s pistols,” (Davis 579). A lady in …show more content…
It focused not only on how to make a machine, but why a machine worked the way it did. This sparked a curiosity in other areas of science such as nature. For the first time, religion was not a sufficient way of explaining a thunderstorm or gravity. Charles Darwin emerged with his evolution theory which was a remarkable turning point in scientific reasoning for the world. Because of this new scientific thinking, ideas on social issues were also shifting. People began to see humans as, “animals reacting instinctively to the physical and hereditary forces that work on them,” (383). This deep thinking is reflected in literature through realism because it is not only concerned with an individual, but the way that individual thinks and why. Ibsen’s realism particularly focused on this by exploring moral dilemmas, which the audience sees repeatedly in Hedda Gabler. The audience sees Hedda struggling with her psyche, or rather frustration at her unsatisfactory life. Hedda has to choose with how to deal with her unhappiness, and ultimately deals with it in an unhealthy way by tormenting other people. The audience also sees Tesman struggle with his career and his jealousy towards Lovborg. Tesman desperately wants to be a professor, but then finds out he might have to compete with Lovborg to get the professorship. When Hedda burns Lovborg’s manuscript, Tesman is then faced with whether to tell anyone or use the opportunity to
Due to the Industrial Revolution, the social class structure started to change. The once flourishing aristocrats started to dwindle due to the new variety of jobs the Industrial …show more content…
Despite all the advancements in the Industrial Revolution, gender roles were still the same, if not more defined. There was this firm idea that, “men were thought to have natures suited to the public world, women to the private,” (Radek). A man was ambitious and brave while a woman was pure and domestic. Despite this idea of purity and nurturing, women were thought to be easily corrupted by mental illness while men were rational. The way women dressed also reflected their oppression. They wore long skirts with many layers which made, “it both difficult for woman to dress and undress by herself and time consuming,” (Radek). The difficulty of something as simple as changing clothes reflects how women were socially constrained, especially when the corset is introduced. Corsets were tight and uncomfortable while accentuating a woman’s breasts and waist. This reflects how men ultimately controlled women and their sexuality. Throughout Ibsen’s play, he portrays these gender stereotypes. The women in the play are dressed in long gowns, which is a direct characteristic of the Victorian time period. Through Hedda Gabler’s character, the audience is given a physically conventional woman, but Hedda’s attitude goes against the housewife stereotype. This is blatantly revealed when Tesman asks how Hedda will kill time now that they are nearly poor and Hedda replies, “General Gabler’s pistols,” (Davis 579). A lady in …show more content…
It focused not only on how to make a machine, but why a machine worked the way it did. This sparked a curiosity in other areas of science such as nature. For the first time, religion was not a sufficient way of explaining a thunderstorm or gravity. Charles Darwin emerged with his evolution theory which was a remarkable turning point in scientific reasoning for the world. Because of this new scientific thinking, ideas on social issues were also shifting. People began to see humans as, “animals reacting instinctively to the physical and hereditary forces that work on them,” (383). This deep thinking is reflected in literature through realism because it is not only concerned with an individual, but the way that individual thinks and why. Ibsen’s realism particularly focused on this by exploring moral dilemmas, which the audience sees repeatedly in Hedda Gabler. The audience sees Hedda struggling with her psyche, or rather frustration at her unsatisfactory life. Hedda has to choose with how to deal with her unhappiness, and ultimately deals with it in an unhealthy way by tormenting other people. The audience also sees Tesman struggle with his career and his jealousy towards Lovborg. Tesman desperately wants to be a professor, but then finds out he might have to compete with Lovborg to get the professorship. When Hedda burns Lovborg’s manuscript, Tesman is then faced with whether to tell anyone or use the opportunity to