Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) is known as the "father of modern theater." Among his controversial plays, A Doll's House and Ghosts are among those that caused much scandal during their performance. Hedda Gabler, however, has been compared to Shakespeare's character Hamlet because of the difficulty of the role. In any case, Hedda Gabler is a masterpiece of character design. Let's watch!
Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen
First published in 1890 and produced in 1891 to negative reviews, Hedda Gabler has become one of Henrik Ibsen's most remembered plays apart from A Doll's House, An Enemy of the People, The Wild Duck, Ghosts, and the Master Builder. This is primarily due to the rigor of the acting role of Hedda Gabler. As a character, Hedda is at once a romantic feminist but also a manipulative, conniving villain. Hedda is neurotic, a child with a stormy ego. Her superego (represented by society and her married life) clashes with her id (her impulses and desires) in Freud's psychology. She is a tempest of a character, full of contradictions and subtext that makes playing her onstage a joy for any serious actress.
In the play Hedda is the wife of Jorgen Tesman, but has had an earlier love affair with her husband's rival, Lovborg. In a gentler, simpler age this sort of behavior was considered shocking and inappropriate. The ending of this play made people very uncomfortable at the time. Hedda's sociopathic traits caused an uproar when this play was first produced.
Other characters in the play include:
There are four acts: each act has only one scene. The set does not change, so it's just lights up and down to indicate time passing.
HOMEWORK: Please read August Strindberg's Miss Julie, Oscar Wilde's Salome, and Anton Chekhov's The Boor. Examine the scripts for the major action occurring in the play and how the authors attempt to compress and tighten their stories. For each play, answer how the one-act centers around one major action (or EVENT). Identify and explain that event in writing. To help you, consider the Major Dramatic Question you have as an attentive reader. (i.e., what do you want to know about the characters or the situation by the end of the play?) This homework assignment is due Thursday, Jan. 5.
Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen
In the play Hedda is the wife of Jorgen Tesman, but has had an earlier love affair with her husband's rival, Lovborg. In a gentler, simpler age this sort of behavior was considered shocking and inappropriate. The ending of this play made people very uncomfortable at the time. Hedda's sociopathic traits caused an uproar when this play was first produced.
Other characters in the play include:
- Jørgen Tesman, Hedda's new husband; an academic
- Miss Juliane Tesman, Jørgen Tesman's aunt
- Mrs. Thea Elvsted, Jørgen's friend and Hedda's school rival
- Judge Brack, friend of the Tesmans; a judge (he represents law/order & moral society)
- Ejlert Løvborg, Jørgen's academic rival whom Hedda previously loved; a recovering alcoholic
- Berte, servant to the Tesmans and to Jørgen as a child
There are four acts: each act has only one scene. The set does not change, so it's just lights up and down to indicate time passing.
HOMEWORK: Please read August Strindberg's Miss Julie, Oscar Wilde's Salome, and Anton Chekhov's The Boor. Examine the scripts for the major action occurring in the play and how the authors attempt to compress and tighten their stories. For each play, answer how the one-act centers around one major action (or EVENT). Identify and explain that event in writing. To help you, consider the Major Dramatic Question you have as an attentive reader. (i.e., what do you want to know about the characters or the situation by the end of the play?) This homework assignment is due Thursday, Jan. 5.
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