MAJOR WORK DATA SHEET

Name:___________________________Period_______

Title: Hedda Gabler Biographical CHARACTERS Information about the author: Author: Henrik Ibsen Adjectives from the story Date of Publication: 1890 Name Role in the story Why the character is that describe the significant to the story character George Tesman Heddas Husband, in He ties Hedda down and Intelligent, worrier, the running to be a bores her. But he also submissive. professor. provides for her and does Genre(s) and characteristics of genre(s): everything to give her everything she wants. Historical information about the period of the novels Hedda Gabler The main character She drives the entire story, Beautiful, insane, rude, setting: and instigates many of the upper-class. conflicts. It is her life that the story surrounds. Mrs. plot summary (just the highlightsof She is the one who comes An old school friend please): Worried, angry, upset, BRIEF Elvsted Hedda, and friend of and informs of Ejlert arrival. young George. She household, the worried All of the action takes place in the Tesmanloves him and is living room in particular. Mr. about him losing their honeymoon. Aunt Juile comes to Tesman and Hedda are newlyweds who have just returned forhis sobriety. visit them, and we learn that she was the one who raised George and will support him financially. It is also revealed that Hedda is of a higher class, and hard to please. Mrs. Elvsted, an old friend comes Ejlert in search Possible competition to afraid of threat to the deep Sober, intelligent to visit Lovborg of Ejlert Lovborg, who she isHe poses agoing off Tesman. end. Judge Brack arrives Tesman. Old close His actions prompt most of and informs Mr. Tesman he may have competition for the professor job from Ejlert Lovborg. This the events and the her spending until the job is secure. worries Tesman, andfriend of Hedda he informs Hedda that she must cut back finale where Hedda kills that she Act 2 begins with Hedda and the Judge talking. Hedda tells himherself. doesnt really love Tesman and that she was just bored. She also says that she doesnt really like the house that Tesman bought for her and that she only said she did to make conversation. Ejlert arrives at the Tesmans and says Judge Brack He is there to provide the Logical, rational, go for a that he doesnt want Another but heof a manuscript about the future. While the other men connected the job, friend has Heddas and friend and audience they once had. drink, Hedda and Ejlert talk about the close friendshipwith information Mrs, Elvsted arrives, Hedda finance see Ejlert they may not not otherwise hints the idea that other menworker for as a coward forhavedrinking and tells him that Mrs. Elvsted have known. was worried causing George.get angry. He downs two drinks and decides to go to the party. Mrs. him to Elvsted waits all night for him to return. Tesman comes home first in the morning and says he found Motherly, friendly, Ejlerts manuscript that he dropped. Before he can return it he gets news that his Aunt Rina is about Georges aunt. She She allows our first views on mourning. Aunt Next to drive. Julie the Judge arrives and tells Hedda what actually happened and how Ejlets was raised him and he says Hedda and reveals more into arrested. Finally Eilert arrives and plans onthat he destroyed the manuscript, but then reveals to helping him financially. gun and tells him to Hedda that he actually lost it. She gives him a Heddas personality. make it beautiful. She then burns the manuscript referring to it as a child. Act four starts with Aunt Julie telling Hedda of Aunt Rinas death. Mrs. Elvsted arrives and says she heard Ejlert was in the hospital. Judge arrives and confirms this, and that he tried to kill himself. He says aside to Hedda that it was an ugly death and the gun could be traced. She goes into the other room and shoots herself.

Berta The Tesmans housekeeper Berta is merely a stock character.

In This column, choose two quotes from the text, one focusing on each of the following literary elements: Theme: But Hedda Dearest-dont go playing dance music tonight.

In this column, analyze the significance of your quotations to guide your responses: Why is this important: What does this reveal? Why does the author say it this way? What is the tone/mood of this passage? One of the themes in this play is society can tame an otherwise wild nature. At the end of the play, right before Hedda decides to kill herself she plays a wild dancing number on the piano. This represents the wild nature she has inside of her. Since she plays it right before her death, it shows that she is about to free herself from society and everything that had been keeping her restrained. Another theme is that courage comes through the rebellion of society. Drinking was considered rebelling during the Victorian age. Ejlert, however, had become sober. When he refuses to drink at the Tesman house the other men look down upon him. Hedda convinces him that they think he is a coward for not drinking.

Otherwise, people might get the idea that youre not very bold at heart. That you arent very sure of yourself at all.

Characterization Here use it now! And beautifully, Ejlert Lovborg. Promise me that! Ibsen characterizes Hedda as being border line insane. At the beginning of the play it isnt clear that Hedda is insane. She is just characterized as an upper-class woman who is just uptight and hard to please. However, throughout the course of the play we begin to see that she truly is messed up. First she gives an emotionally unstable man a gun and tells him to kill himself and make it beautiful. Then she burns the manuscript referring to it as a child. Lastly, she goes into the other room plays dancing music and then shoots herself.

Setting A Large, attractively furnished drawing room, decorated in dark clothes. The setting is the Tesmans living room and the small room of off the side. Throughout the entire play the setting remains unchanged. However, with each act there are slight differences that may be based on the time of day the act is 2

occurring. There is also a large glass door with curtains that are occasionally opened to let light in, or the door is occasionally opened for Hedda to shoot her pistols into the back.

Symbolism Otherwise, people might get the idea that youre not very bold at heart. That you arent very sure of yourself at all. Ibsen uses Alcohol to symbolize courage. In this quote, Hedda tells Ejlert that the other men think he is a coward because he is sober and refuses to going to the party. Its not just the fact that he doesnt drink that makes him the coward, it is the refusal to rebel against societies standards. His sobriety symbolizes that he has chosen to conform to society and not rebel. The other men, not wanting to be cowards, choose to rebel by drinking the alcohol.

Imagery Now Im burning your child, Thea! You, with your curly hair! Most of Ibsens imagery comes more from the actions of the characters and stage set up, and that is how we form most of our mental images. However, Ibsen does reference fire and burning throughout the play and his description adds greatly to the symbolism of fire. Ibsen uses fire in reference to Hedda and her sanity, the image of Hedda burning the manuscript but using the image of her burning a child adds to the question of her sanity.

Tone Here use it now! And beautifully, Ejlert Lovborg. Promise me that! The tone changes throughout the play, but overall Ibsen uses a very straightforward and matter of fact tone. He doesnt really beat around the bush. The characters however talk in a very darkly comic tone. For instance, when Hedda gives the gun to Ejlert it has an underlying humor to the statement and beautifully. Yet she is still calling death beautiful adding to the dark part of dark humor.

Themes stated in sentence form: Alcoholism is a symbol of courage, to turn his back on the rules of society. You cannot rely on dreams; you will be punished for doing so. Courage comes from rebellion against society and its constraints. 3

Control and power can come from beauty. Societys restrictions can tame an otherwise wild nature. The power to decide how one dies is the ultimate freedom.

On my honor I have read this work in its entirety, and this work is solely my own unless otherwise directed. Signature: ____________________________________________________