Introduction
Following paper compares and contrasts Hedda Gabler and Nora Helmer. Both are the main characters from Doll’s House and Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen. Hedda is the main character in Henrik Ibsen's play Hedda Gabler. She called when Hedda Tesman by her husband, Jorgen Tesman. Ibsen has probably decided to name the piece after her pikenvn, Gabler, for the reason that Hedda has a problem with men. In the drama, it also acts as if she has a desire to be alone and to do without man. Another reason Hedda's problems is her fear of intimacy and sexual contact with men, this was a problem she has in her marriage. One may often wonder why she married at all. Ibsen illustrates Hedda’s reason for her marriage to “Jorgen Tesman because he was a need of her” (113). She believes that Jørgen will go far and be successful, ergo a good provider. As this is not a reality, she is unhappy with the marriage that does not match her expectations. While, Nora is best known role and she is very special. She asks questions about her time norms and rules and doing things that were not particularly well liked then. However, she is not the same in the first few minutes, as she is in the past and her development.
Analysis
Both Nora in A Doll's House and Hedda Gabler in the play of the same name must create meaning. They can no longer live like dolls or trophy wives in a traditionally male-dominated society. This solves the problem in different ways: Nora through concrete action and thus in line with modernity's faith in reason, freedom and progress, even though her future is uncertain. Hedda however lose the belief that life has meaning and can have a direction. She is an intelligent woman, but cannot use his intelligence in a constructive way. Instead, she manipulates people around her and she looked even risking that another shall prevail against her, she shoots him. We can say that the muted optimism about the future that we see in A Doll's House, followed by modernist pessimism and alienation in Hedda Gabler (Ibsen 55).
Ibsen illustrates that “after a six month long honeymoon arriving Jorgen Tesman and Hedda Gabler his home” (133). Jorgen Tesman has used the journey to study and work. Hedda is the daughter of General Gabler, who died before the marriage, was repaired, leaving her indigent and family. Eilert Lovborg, one of Hedda Gabler admirers from upper class environment is also back in town (Ibsen 199). The very talented, but also very alcoholic Løvborg forfeited at the time their chances in the city. He has led a stable life as a tutor outside the city and through his work became acquainted with Mrs. Tea Elvsted. Mrs. Elvsted has been Løvberg close friend and has helped and worked with him and he has published a book and written the manuscript of a new one. Assessor Brack invite merry men's team, Eilert Løvberg revert to old habits, losing the manuscript and ends in police custody. Not even Løvborg know that the manuscript is recovered when Hedda did not mention it to anyone. However gives Hedda Løvborg one of General Gabler's pistols so he can kill himself. Hedda destroys manuscript and Assessor Brack arrives this time to convey Eilert Løvberg demise. After explained to the circumstances of death for Hedda, she advised that Brack recognize General Gabler's pistol. All Hedda's illusions are gone; she chose the only way she sees for itself. She shoots himself (Ibsen 133).
In the first act, we meet a happy Nora who has been out on the Christmas trade. She is very happy that her husband has a new, stable job with good pay (Ibsen 37). It is also, why she has allowed herself to spend so much money on this day. However, Torvald, her husband, does not like her spending. When she asks him to come out and see, what she has bought, he replied; bought, did you say? All that? Having now the little bird plays been out and put money overrides again? He believes that she only wastes money, without thinking of the consequences. She would like to spend a lot of money, for she knows that he has a better job. However, he says that they cannot be wasting money all roads anyway. After the first few lines think that, she is a bit silly and happy young woman, who loves and needs her husband more than anything needs. One thinks that without him, she had not lived, she would have never worked and she had never been able to keep track of their money. Later, when Mrs. Linde come to visit, we get the retro inspection hear that Nora has actually worked, for she has a secret loan and have been forced to pay back large sums. She actually saved her husband's life.
According Ibsen, “Nora, is not as crazy as you think. Here we have certainly not had it so I've been able to wasting” (125). Now you get some second thoughts about her, when she told this, she contradicts in a way that one has thought before, that she wastes money and is dependent on her husband. However, the most important change here is that she suddenly goes from being a happy young woman who has lived in clover entire life, to be a woman who has worked and worried to save her husband's life. The same day Dr. Rank in the living room and talk to Mrs. Linde and Nora. Torvald is still in office. Now Nora eats sweets (macaroons) and says some ugly words like a nice woman would never say. When you notice that Torvald is on the way, she will not say the words more and macaroons are hidden. To realize one that she keeps things hidden from him and that she does it to be something that only she decides over. One notices that she does not want to be ruled by him and eating forbidden Macaroons is her rebellion on.
There will be a costume ball on Boxing Day and Torvald thinks she should be a Neapolitan fisher girl and dance the tarantella. When she will be practicing the dance, she becomes a little crazy and makes it all too quickly. The hair loose and she walks around in a tremendous speed. Tarantella was formerly known as a way to dance at the wedding and when she dances so fiercely, we learn that she is trying to dance to it, she blamed for the false signatures and lies. She is desperate and feels that her life is in pieces. An example of where you notice it is when Mrs. Linde see her practicing dance; - But dearest Nora, you are dancing as if her life. Nora responds, it is doing it too. In this ballet, you know Nora that Torvald is going to open the letter and she is very excited to see how he would react (Ibsen 43). She hopes that the most wonderful thing to happen, that he would take on all the blame her. However, when she realizes that he puts his own honor and pride in front of her, she knows that it will not happen. Towards the end she still hopes that they can talk together as equal, serious things, she thinks it should be a given in a relationship. However, he does not know what she means. She understands that her dream will not be fulfilled and she feels that she can no longer live with her husband when. She decides to leave him and her feels and knows that she is whole life has been guided by others and that she has never received its flows. She would go away and find out who she really is, what she thinks about things. She wants to find a purpose in life.
Towards the end of the play, Torvald calls her little inexperienced creature. She replied that when she had better try to get the experience. She has really no experience, but she never got the chance to learn something. However, Nora sets thus questioning this. She wants to travel, work, learn something, might be less alike. However, no matter what happens, she thinks it is better than being ruled by a selfish husband and end life as a little inexperienced lark (Ibsen 37).
Conclusion
Hedda is overall a very complex person, which is not easy to interpret. It has been interesting to try to put myself in her thinking. Sometimes it is easy to recognize in her manners and person. However, I am far from understanding me on this strange character. Nora is really a special form and it is probably impossible for me to understand how this piece was received at the time. With Nora, Ibsen perhaps tried to bring up a debate about the position of women in society was, or should be. In addition, what is special about Nora is that she is timeless. There are always oppressed women somewhere in the world and Nora can for them be a symbol of what they can do, or at least get them to think about how they really are.
Works Cited
Ibsen, Henrik. Four Major Plays: Doll’s House; Ghosts; Hedda Gabler; and the Master Builder (Oxford World's Classics). Oxford University Press, USA, 2008. Web. 15 Mar. 2013.
