My initial response to the main character, Hedda Gabler, is that she is a very manipulative and selfish woman. She only does what benefits her and has no interest in other people. Her lack of interest towards her husband and his aunt, shows her selfishness and a superiority she feels towards them, even though they are new members of her family. Even when Tesman's aunt Rena is about to die, Hedda won't go and see her, saying 'I loathe illness and death. Its all so ugly.' This creates the impression that Hedda can only think about herself and how things affect her, instead of other people. She feels she is above everyone else and demands things from other people, without offering anything herself. If she is ever kind or shows support, it is only to manipulate a situation to suite herself. In the play, it is hinted that Hedda is pregnant, but she doesn't want to be and is in denial because she doesn't want the responsibility of being a mother.
George Tesman is naive and unaware of his wife's true character. He doesn't realise that Hedda manipulates him and doesn't love him;or if he does know, he pretends not to and ignores it. He believes that Hedda is happy because they live in the house she told him she loved, although Hedda reveals that she was lying because she felt sorry for Tesman. Tesman is constantly trying to please Hedda, who takes advantage of this. He is caring and loving, especially towards both his aunts, showing how important family is to him. He values the people in his life and values his work even more. He is totally absorbed in his work and his research, we see this when Hedda tells Brack that the whole of their honeymoon was spent with Tesman writing his book.
Juliana tesman is sweet and caring, looking out for others intead of herself. She is happy looking after her sister, Rena, and after Rena dies, anut Ju Ju wants someone else to look after. She has cared for and brought up Tesman his whole of his life because his father, her brother, died when he was young. She is a mother figure for Tesman, which means that his happiness is very important to her. She is also keen for Hedda to be happy and looks forward to Hedda and Tesman starting a family. We can see how gentle and forgiving Juliana is, because when Hedda is insulting about her hat, she quickly moves on and continues to be polite to Hedda.
Thea Elvsted is a caring and unselfish character. She marries a man who does not love her, but finds an escape when she meets Eilert Loveborg and falls in love with him. Loevborg makes a great impression on her and because she is naive and innocent, she devotes her time to helping him write his book, and even after he dies, she is prepared to devote her time once more, to recreate his book. She lacks confidence, however takes a huge step by leaving her husband and step children, which in the late 1800's was not common or accepted as being normal. She is always trying to please others.
Eilert loevborg is an intelligent and creative man. The book he writes is much more insightful and thoughtful than Tesman's, showing the contrast between the two men. However, Eilert is weak when it comes to drinking and after being sober for several years, he is manipulated into drinking again by Hedda, which then leads him to loose his manuscript. After Eilert starts drinking on the night he goes to the diner party at judge Brack's house, he losses his manuscript and the following day, dies. This shows Hedda's ability to sabotage the lives of people around her.
Judge Brack is a friend of Tesman and Hedda. He is disloyal to Tesman, by flirting with Hedda behind his back. After Loevborg dies, Brack suggests to Hedda he knows the pistol that Loevborg had, was hers. He promises not to tell anyone, but this makes Hedda his slave, as he could use the information against her at any time. Brack pushes Hedda over the edge, because shortly after Brack tells her this, she commits suicide.
All the characters in the play are conected in some way. They each have a part to play in the death of Eilert Loevborg and Hedda Gabler. The two female characters, aunt Ju Ju and Thea, are used to show how different Hedda is to other women at the time. Eilert Loevborg and judge Brack are used to demonstrate how naive and unimaginative Tesman is.
The play is mysterious because it hints at things about the characters past and what is going on in their lives, but lets the audience figure out what is going on, instead of it being spelt out in the script. For example, the audience can work out that Hedda is pregnant, But doesn't want to start a family, although this is never said in so many words.
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