Hedda Gabler Character Analysis

In his play “Hedda Gabler” Hendrik Ibsen portrays the main character, Hedda, as both a sympathetic and an unsympathetic character. She is able to arouse both pity and dislike from the audience. Ibsen is able to do this because he gives her a despicable and manipulative personality, but at the same time he creates a feeling of understanding and empathy for her. The audience pities her because of her shortcomings and her situation. Because of this two sided personality she is a wonderfully complicated character and this would make her very difficult for an actor to portray. In the play “Hedda Gabler” by Hendrik Ibsen Hedda is both a pitiable and disagreeable person because of her cold and manipulative personality the audience hates her, but because of her situation the audience pities her.
Hedda can be seen in both a sympathetic and unsympathetic light. Her unsympathetic side is most visible throughout the play because of her cold, controlling, and manipulative personality. The audience dislikes her because of her manipulation and general disregard for the other characters in the production. Through the entire play Hedda remains cold and impersonal. She remarks to the Judge that she didn’t want the villa that she lives in she just took pity on George and made a remark and then did “other things” to make him purchase it. She also in a way forces Mrs. Elvsted to tell her all the details of her …show more content…
Her personality of cruelty and manipulation forces the audience to resent her actions, but at the same time they pity her situation. They feel that she is not a bad person but that she has forced to become this way or simply accept her fate, and her personality will not allow her to do that. These components would make Hedda very difficult for an actor to