Evidently, Judge Brack is the “manly” character in Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler just because his occupation means that he possesses money and power, qualities that continue to epitomize masculinity even in conventional societies. Notably, aside from his apparent confidence as a judge, the man is also keen to exert his influence and have the others serve his whims. For illustration purposes, one can consider Judge Brack’s exchange with Hedda Tesman after the former delivers news of Eilert Lovborg’s suicide. In Hedda’s words, she became “subject to [Brack’s] will and [his] demands” after he subtly threatens her with revealing the fact that she availed Lovborg with the pistol with which he ended his life (Ibsen 71). The relevance of the threat is twofold: shows that Brack was powerful enough to access information that the public was yet to know, and he was not above using coercion to gain what he desired. The man maximized the privileges and opportunities that his era offered to his personal advantage Meanwhile, Eilert Lovborg and George Tesman are the exact opposite, as they appear to be under the control of the female characters. In Lovborg’s case, the fact that he claims Thea Elvsted has “broken [his] courage andpower of braving life out” after they part ways shows his excessive dependency on the woman (Ibsen 58). Throughout, despite her being someone else’s wife, Mrs. Elvsted was central to Lovborg’s actions, including the time he opts to start drinking again. Concurrently, matters are no different in George Tesman’s situation as he not only fails to satisfy his wife but also appears to be under her control. In the play, Ibsen displays the married couple as one would a manipulator and his or her victim. For instance, in Act I, Tesman explains to his aunt “nothing else would have done” except for the expensive trip from which he had just come with his wife (Ibsen 5). Apparently, the man could not refuse his wife yet as per the cultural norms of a period where women required chaperones, men defined the absolute authority of the household.
Concurrently, the women are also different. While Hedda uses wit to get what she desires, Thea’s feminine qualities work to her advantage and Aunt Julie does not fight but just conforms to what society expects of her person. Foremost, Hedda’s dissatisfaction with life is evident to readers as she regularly declares that she is “mortally bored” even though she recently married and ought to be busy with settling down as a wife (Ibsen 27). Apparently, Hedda wanted more than what her gender availed but could not demand direct authority without risking personal disgrace. Hence, if her control over the husband and her ability to push Lovborg into committing suicide are anything to go by, she resorted to and perfected the “power to mould a human destiny” (Ibsen 47). Contrastingly, Thea Elvsted’s charm revolves around her beautiful appearance that includes the “irritating hair that she was always showing off” (Ibsen 11). Unlike Hedda, Thea’s existence stems from the men in her life, first her husband then Lovborg. In fact, when she leaves the husband, it to be with Lovborg and when that relationship fails, she promptly quips she sees “nothing but darkness before [her]” (Ibsen 58). One has to wonder what Hedda would have done with the chance to be without a husband and free to do as she pleases instead of worrying what the community would think of her actions. Now, about Juliana Tesman, the woman’s behavior goes on to show the outcomes of societies that confine women to the specific roles of caregivers within the boundaries of the family home. Juliana has no children and so, she devotes herself to caring for her invalid sister, Rina. Upon Rina’s death, Juliana declares that for her, having another person to live for is an “absolute necessity” (Ibsen 61). Juliana defines what the text can use as the ideal woman as she does not seek to disrupt the social norms as Hedda would and has no need to break marriages, as in the case of Thea leaving her husband. In that sense, if one were to rank the three females, Juliana would be the perfect woman and Hedda the worst while Thea falls somewhere in the middle.
With the given facts in mind, the conflicts in the play revolve around the “aberrant” behavior of its characters, with particular interest in Hedda Tesman and Eilert Lovborg. Hedda fails to accept her husband’s final status and appears to seek more than what the man can provide. As mentioned above, she even demanded a luxurious trip for a honeymoon with the full knowledge of George’s limited finances. Meanwhile, Lovborg misuses his privileges as a man and engages in excessive alcohol drinking that destroys his career. It is no wonder that both characters eventually commit suicide: they both diverted from the expected behavior standards and perished.
Works Cited
Ibsen, Henrik. Hedda Gabler. Dover Thrift Editions. New York: Courier Corporation, 2012. Print.
