Adriane Lattimore LIT 4043 Dr.

Hohenleitner Nov 3, 2011

ANALYSIS OF HEDDA GABLER

After several hours of searching, I found two articles that discuss Hedda Gabler but in different aspects. Havard Nilson discusses the inspiration for Ibsens character Hedda, arguing that many have their opinions as to whom the play was mirrored after, but he claims to holds the true answer and bases his assumption on the actions and personalities of certain people who were prevalent in Ibsens life. The other article is also about Hedda but it observes the circular motion theory which allows the reader to get an idea of her personality and discusses how her actions come full circle from the beginning of the play until the end. The articles are different in content but they both focus on the different aspects of Heddas character as it relates to historical facts and structural components. Nilson claims to have proof that he knows who the character of Hedda is modeled after. His approach to this subject is clever because he provides very specific details on the lives of those around Ibsen who are familiar with each other and who know the personality of the woman who is the Hedda model. I shall argue that Hedda Gabler is a pointed portrayal none other than Lou Salome herself, he claims ( Nilsen, ). He gives us insight into the life of Russian

immigrant, Lou Salome , a wealthy aristocrat and daughter of a general. He tells of the way men fell for her almost instantly after meeting her. Apparently, it was her stunning beauty

coupled with keen intelligence and a dominant male attitude. She was a take charge girl who led

conversations. According to Nilsen, in all discussions and intellectual exchanges, she would be the dominant one (Nilsen). Lou took what was seen as a dominant stance when she stopped believing in God at a young age, much to the dismay of her protestant father. Lou herself was introduced to Ibsen by the Literary critic, Georg Brandes. Ibsen got acquainted with Lou and was around for every relationship she encountered. Nilsen argued that Louise Lou Salome cast the same spell on Ibsen, although he also noticed her cold, analytical side. Lou recognized herself in Ibsens plays with its strong female characters, struggling with love and sexuality, the social bonds of marriage and the submissions conventionally expected of women (Nilsen). Nilsen also claimed that Lou Made a marriage mix match just like hedda when she married Carl Andreas, a sinologist and in doing so broke the heart of philosopher Paul Ree. While Nilsens approach to the story line of Hedda is original and plausible, the argument posed by Hal Blythe and Charlie Sweet of The Explicator at Eastern Kentucky University follows a more traditional hypothesis of the story. Their approach to the Play declares that Heddas character uses the circular conclusion which is a rhetorical device in which a word, theme or phrase from the introduction is repeated in the conclusionto empathize important themes in his poems ( Blythe, Sweet ). They argue that this technique is seen when Hedda first appears in the play. The play begins in the morning and ends in the evening. They suggest that the light color of Heddas attire is sentimental to the beginning of the play and the mood of the characters. Toward the evening when everything begins to unravel, Heddas clothing is black suggesting that everything has come full circle from light to darkness and even from the start of a marriage and the end of a life. ending with death and despair The maid and the aunt were seen in the morning and met by Hedda with an aire of haughtiness and sarcasm, but by the end of the play, when the two ladies are replaced by Mrs.Elvsted and Judge brack, and the

sarcasm turns to a defeated tone. Everything is running full circle according to Blythe and Sweet. Hedda had control over Tesman that morning but in a days time, that power shifted to Thea. They argue that in the beginning of the play Hedda makes an entrance and at the end of the play she exits. This observation of the circular motion is different from the analysis Nilsen gave to the play. While Nilsen chose to exploit the characteristics of Hedda by linking her to a real life character with a cold, calculated air of aristocracy, Blythe and Sweet will argue that the circular conclusion in Hedda helps the reader to be able to understand the emotions of the character and how with each passing moment she is losing control of everything around her. Nilsen at times seems critical himself of the character of Hedda, but the language of the article seems to suggest the he is somewhat intrigued by Ibsens portrayal of an old friend. He found it interesting how this woman inspired Ibsen to write about her and this began his search to delve into this inspiration for Hedda Gabler. He seems pleased at how Ibsen gave life to a character by building a model of her based on his careful, calculated encounters from a woman in his past who seem to cast a spell on men and who made herself a dominate force in all conversational settings. While Nilsen values the inspiration for the main character, Sweet and Blythe value the structure of the play and how events flow from morning around the clock to night again and how that sets the tone for the climatic series of events that occur. Nilsens perspective seems to suggest the character traits of significant people in the life of Ibsen could have affected and inspired some of his works while Blythe and Sweet write from the perspective of those who are concerned more with how the events of a play are written and perceived, rather than what is the inspiration for a character. Analyzing these two articles allow me to be able to see how people dissect the work of writers and artist. One work of text can be viewed by two people with two different results.

Both of these critics had an interest in Hedda Gabler, but for different reasons and each of them believe that those reasons help to develop the story and enhance the understanding of Hedda. Nilsens research on a possible Hedda Gabler model gives the character a more human nature and makes the reader less sympathetic to a woman who seemingly had it all yet still wasnt satisfied. If there was such a figure that Ibsen actually knew then the idea of him modeling a character after her is not that outlandish. Blythe and Sweets article seems to be a more traditional analysis where writers seem to focus more on the more traditional aspects of plays like structure and form, rather than things that the reader may not have known such as the inspiration for a certain character. Both articles are different; however, Nilsens article is more interesting and provides detailed factual information that sets a backdrop for the main character of the play.

Work Cited
Blythe, Hal, and Charlie Sweet. "Ibsen's HEDDA GABLER." Explicator 59.2 (2001): 78. International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. Gainor, Ellen J., Garner Jr.,Stanton B.,Puchner, Martin. Hedda Gabler. The Norton Anthology of Drama. Norton. New York. 1923. Vol 2. Nilsen H. HOW IBSEN FOUND HIS HEDDA GABLER. Ibsen Studies [serial online]. June 2003;3(1):7-31. Available from: International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 20, 2011.