FREE ESSAY ON HEDDA GABBLER

HEDDA GABBLER

A spider becomes caught in it's own web. This is an example of an attempted manipulation
that went awry. Hedda Gabler, by Henrik Ibsen, is a work about a woman who manipulates
the fates of others in order to fulfill her own desires. The title character is a woman
who has recently returned from a six month "honeymoon" with her groom, Tesman, a man whom
she does not love. She yearns for freedom, but she feels as if she cannot leave her
marriage. To occupy her time, she manipulates the lives of everyone around her. Hedda
kills herself after becoming engorged in her own manipulations. 
Through the use of theme, setting, and then-current affairs, Ibsen produces a work that
uniquely portrays the sources of the motivations of this manipulative woman. 
Whether it be the burning of her former love's manuscript or supplying him with the
pistol to shoot himself, Hedda's malevolence shows the ability of man to have total
disregard for the life of another. Hedda coldly manipulates the lives of everyone around
her. Through these manipulative actions, she ruins the lives of all of her acquaintances.
Because she is not happy in her marriage, she attempts to forbid anyone else to live a
content life. For example, after she persuades Eljert Lovborg to consume alcohol, he
ruins his reputation and loses something that is most precious to him: the manuscript of
a book that he had been writing with Mrs. Elvsted. Although Hedda realizes the importance
of this manuscript to both Lovborg and Mrs. Elvsted, she chars it. Because Lovborg and
Mrs. Elvsted have put their souls into this manuscript, Hedda metaphorically relates her
action to burning their child. This cold thoughtlessness demonstrates Hedda's disregard
for the life of a fellow human being. Hedda's actions 
ultimately lead to her demise. After giving Lovborg her pistol and insinuating that he
must kill himself, Hedda's cruel intentions are finally revealed. Judge Brack learns of
her dealings and, thus, gains an opportunity to take advantage of this situation. When
Hedda realizes that she will always be at the mercy of Judge Brack, she does the only
thing she can do to escape this situation; she shoots herself. Throughout her
manipulations, Hedda maintains a fa?ade of innocence. Her truly malevolent nature,
though, is displayed through her actions that relate this theme of man's inhumanity to
man.
One may be able to determine the cause for Hedda's desire to manipulate when the setting
is examined. The whole of the play occurs indoors. Therefore, Hedda is constantly
submerged in a place in which she is unhappy. Because her husband Tesman is constantly
occupied with other happenings, Hedda is left in a setting that lends itself to plans of
manipulation. Hedda's true dreams and aspirations are those of freedom and
independence.Her setting however, is an antithesis to her proclivity. While Hedda
maintains a desire to be free to do as she pleases, her situation is one in which she is
confined in her home. Because she constantly remains in this monotonous setting, she
occupies her time with scheming against everyone around her. This is perhaps the
principal cause for Hedda's manipulations.