Role Of Patriarchy In Hedda Gabler

In Henrik Ibsen’s play, Hedda Gabler, the title character states that more than anything in life, she wants control over another human being; this desire reveals Hedda’s challenge of the mandate promulgated by patriarchy that control is the purview of males, not of females. Hedda Gabler challenges the patriarchal paradigm of control in three specific ways; her pure love of control is verified throughout the novel as she plots the lives of the people surrounding her. It is also demonstrated by her superior attitude that determines the technique in which she treats the people around her, and through her horrific reaction to her loss of complete control that ultimately leads to her suicide. Similarly to the description of the stereotypical male monopolized quality of control, Hedda seemingly thrives through the ability of manipulating other people when in reality her need for control stems from her loss of regulation in her own life. Hedda Gabler challenges the patriarchal mandate that control is in the purview of only men through her lust for domination over other people. It is a necessity in Hedda Gabler’s life to regulate the lives of the people surrounding her; she thrives from …show more content…
Hedda Gabler challenges these decrees as demonstrated through her lust for domination, and her superior attitude which affects the way she treats others. She also challenges these patriarchal decrees through her reaction to her loss of control. The play, Hedda Gabler, demonstrates a gender role reversal where the women are capable of achieving control and are not simply present to thrive in the domestic sphere; the play illustrates the decline of a woman who loses control in her life while she is stuck in her role as a