Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Johan Ibsen Norwegian was
a
Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of
modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of
realism" and one of the most influential playwrights of his time
Born: 20 March 1828 – Died: 23 May 1906
Short Summary
Hedda Gabler
and her new husband, George Tesman, return from their six-month honeymoon to
their new house. We soon learn that Hedda, the daughter of an esteemed general,
deigned to marry Tesman only because she had reached the age at which society
dictated, she should wed. Hedda, not even a year into her marriage, is showing
signs of boredom with Tesman even though she's pregnant with his child.
Tesman's
Aunt Julia is there to welcome them home. Hedda is quite rude to the older
woman, so Julia leaves quickly. After her departure, Mrs. Elvsted arrives to
let the Tesmans know that Eilert Lovborg, Tesman's academic opponent, has
returned to town after having fallen into alcoholism and taken two years to
achieve sobriety and return to society. Mrs. Elvsted hints to Hedda that she
truly loves Lovborg, and doesn't care about her husband anymore - but that
she's worried that Lovborg's return to the city will mean that he'll start
drinking again.
Judge Brack
arrives as soon as Mrs. Elvsted leaves, and lets the Tesmans know that Lovborg
has been greeted warmly, and that his new book has been a major success.
Indeed, Brack tells Tesman that the professorship he's been expecting might go
to Lovborg instead. Privately, Hedda tells Brack that she cares little for her new
husband, and that she hopes that the Judge might be able to somehow entertain
her during these dull years of marriage. She agrees that Brack will be part of
their "triangle" - a relationship that won't necessarily involve
explicit adultery, but will provide her with some much-needed companionship.
Tesman
returns to the room and says that he's going the stag party that the Judge is
holding later that night. Eilert Lovborg soon arrives, and privately confesses
his long-held love for Hedda. Once upon a time, they used to be friends, but
Lovborg got "too close" and Hedda cut off ties with him - even, at
one point, threatening to shoot him. Now he hopes to at least restart a
friendship. Mrs. Evlsted arrives, and Hedda mischievously uses the information
she has from both parties to pit the two against one another. She makes Mrs.
Elvsted look like a fool for having worried that Lovborg would suddenly start
drinking again. In retaliation, Lovborg decides to follow Tesman and Brack to
their stag party, clutching the pages of the handwritten manuscript for his
"revelatory" new book about the future.
Hedda and
Mrs. Elvsted wait all night for the men to return, but Tesman doesn't arrive
until morning. He is carrying Lovborg's manuscript, which he says the scholar
dropped in a fit of late-night drunkenness. Tesman leaves the manuscript with
Hedda while he goes out to visit a dying relative, and in the meanwhile, Judge
Brack arrives to tell the women that Lovborg got into trouble with the police
the night before after assaulting a group of women whom he said took his
manuscript.
Lovborg soon
arrives and tells Hedda and Mrs. Elvsted that he didn't lose the manuscript,
but rather tore it into a thousand pieces. Mrs. Elvsted leaves, devastated that
Lovborg has become so self-destructive. Just before leaving, however, Lovborg
tells Hedda that he did in fact lose the manuscript. Hedda, who possesses the
manuscript herself, says nothing about it, but rather encourages him to follow
through on his thoughts of suicide, handing him one of her father's pistols.
Lovborg leaves, and Hedda burns the manuscript.
Mrs. Elvsted
arrives that night and tells the Tesmans that Lovborg is missing and is rumored
to be in the hospital. Brack arrives to confirm the reports that Lovborg has
died of a bullet wound to the chest. While Mrs. Elvsted and Tesman sit in the
living room trying to reconstruct his manuscript from the notes Mrs. Elvsted
possesses, Brack privately tells Hedda that Lovborg did not kill himself, but
rather died from a wound inflicted to the bowels - either the result of an
accident or someone else's fire. Brack tells Hedda that either she must account
for the pistol being hers, or do whatever he tells her to, as only he can keep
her from falling into the police's hands or suffering through a public scandal.
Realizing that she is now in Brack's power, Hedda goes into the next room and
shoots herself.
