Eilert's Manuscript With Hedda example essay topic

Title: Hedda Gabler Author: Henrik Ibsen Setting: Un-named city in Norway (probably Christiania - the Norwegian capital then) Time Period: 1890 Major Characters Hedda Gabler - (married name: Hedda Tesman) Daughter of an aristocratic general who spoiled her. She's used to a life of luxury in which she gets anything she wants. She is bored with her life because there's nothing new for her to see or experience. She marries George Tesman so that she won't be an oddball in society. She's nearly thirty and realizes that she's not getting any younger or desirable. He's the only one of her suitors who grovels for her hand in marriage, so she chooses him.

She immediately sees that she will be able to manipulate him into giving her anything she wants. She puts up with the fact that he's only interested in past civilizations and he doesn't satisfy any of her needs. She wants the power to shape the lives of others, and her obvious ennui wrecks not only her life, but the lives of all who come in contact with her as well. George Tesman - very kind and intelligent man. He was raised by his aunts, Juliana and Rina. He remains devoted to them, even though Rina is an invalid.

He does everything in his power to give Hedda the life she's used to. He annoys not only characters in the story, but readers as well. After almost all his sentences he asks the question "Eh?" (or "What?" depending on the translation). He is a gentleman and serves Hedda as if he were her slave and not her husband. He even accepts financial support from his aunt Juliana so that he can provide the kind of life Hedda is used to, and to pay for the house he though she really wanted. He even depends on becoming the professor of history so that she " ll be proud of him and they " ll have more financial security.

He doesn't realize Hedda is manipulative, despises him, and doesn't even want to have their child. He believes her lies that she burnt the manuscript for him as an act of love. Judge Brack - likes to gossip and be know everything going on in people's private affairs. He has connections around the city and uses that to provide information to Tesman about his candidacy for professorship in history. He informs them of the competition from Eilert Lovborg for the professorship, and also of his death. Brack shares an intimate relationship with Hedda, and she confides in him about her boredom she has with her marriage.

He tries to convince her to become his mistress, but she expresses that she has no intent of committing adultery by cheating on George. When he realizes she provides Eilert with the medium for his suicide, he blackmails her into becoming his mistress in exchange for protection from scandal. Eilert Lovborg - a recovered alcoholic who escaped scandal through the release of a book which received great reviews. He also writes an insightful book about the future which he and Mrs. Elvsted refer to as their child. He was the confidant of young Hedda Gabler who craved knowledge of a life other than the one she was accustomed to. He's another victim of Hedda's manipulation, but unlike George, he realizes that she has a certain power over him.

He is driven to drinking excessively once again by Hedda, and ends up killing himself when he loses his treasured "child" (the manuscript), on account of his carelessness after being intoxicated. Mrs. Elvsted - convinced her husband to hire Eilert Lovborg to tutor her stepchildren. She grew attached to him and served as his personal secretary, helping him with research and writing two books. She follows him to the city, without her husband's knowledge, for fear he will become an alcoholic once again. She is kind and gentle-hearted, but not especially good at standing up for herself. When Hedda drives Eilert to have a drink, she doesn't do all she could to try and stop him from taking it.

She lets him go to Brack's party without much objection. There's also the fact that no one knows of her real situation with Eilert except for Hedda and George, and she's trying to keep it that way. Having an outburst to keep Eilert from going to Brack's party would reveal her circumstances to a key gossiper in the town, and everyone would know that she practically left her husband to be with him. Minor Characters Juliana Tesman - "Aunt Julia" is George's aunt. When his parents died, she raised him. She is a very sweet woman who continues to take care of George's needs.

She wants them to have a baby and is glad when George keeps talking of Hedda's "filling out" after the six-month honeymoon they went on. She hopes they " ll be having a baby to replace Aunt Rina, who dies during the play. She tries to get along with Hedda, but Hedda makes fun of her brand new hat, showing that because of her aristocracy and Aunt Julia's simple life, they can't overcome their differences. Berta - George and Hedda's servant. She was first Juliana's servant until she handed her over thinking that George would need her more now that he's married and may soon have children. She, like Juliana, tries to get along with Hedda, and does everything in her power to please her, but never performs up to Hedda's standards.

Aunt Rina - helped to raise Tesman, plays no major role and never appears onstage. Her death serves as a reason for George to leave his house and absent-mindedly leave Eilert's manuscript with Hedda. Summary George and Hedda Tesman have just returned from a six-month honeymoon. They are resting and George wakes up to find that Aunt Julia is at his house for a visit and she has given him her servant, Berta. Aunt Julia raised him after the death of both his parents. She uses her own money to support the purchase of Hedda's "dream house".

When Hedda wakes up, she is rude to both Berta and Juliana. She complains about all the curtains being drawn open and about Juliana's hat. Tesman asks her to be kinder to Aunt Julia. They discuss Hedda's "filling out" in context of expecting a baby.

Hedda is disgusted. Mrs. Elvsted arrives and tells them she's looking for Eilert Lovborg. After Hedda and Mrs. Elvsted (Thea) are left alone, Thea confides in her that she has secretly left her husband, and that she's scared Eilert will start drinking again. After Mrs. Elvsted leaves, Judge Brack arrives.

He is immediately recognized as a gossip. He tells Tesman of Eilert's return to town and successful book. He also tells him that he is competition for the professorship at the university. He also tells him not to spend too much as he's not sure he " ll win the title. Tesman tells Hedda that they have to cut back on expenses, and she gets upset. She says he can't play hostess without certain things.

Brack returns later and is entering through the back. Hedda is playing with her pistols. Brack tries to convince her to form a relationship with him parallel to the one she has with Tesman. She doesn't have any intentions of cheating on Tesman, but they form a personal bond. Hedda confides in him about her boredom in her marriage. She also explains how Tesman came about buying the house -- she expressed false interest in it and he thought she really liked it.

When Tesman arrives, he and Brack discuss the party. Eilert arrives and declines having a drink and attending the party with Brack and Tesman. Instead, he stays in the room with Hedda. They speak about old times, about how curious Hedda was about his sinful life and how open and honest he was with her about his devilish deeds. When Thea arrives, she joins their conversation. When Hedda unsuccessfully tires to convince Eilert to have a drink, she informs him that it was Thea's distrust in him that caused her to follow him into town.

Realizing that even Thea doubts he can stay away from alcohol triggers a drinking spree. He changes his mind and decides to go to Brack's party. He promises to return to escort Thea home. However, he doesn't return until the next day.

Thea stays up all night waiting for Eilert to return, and Hedda wakes up from her nap on the couch and convinces Thea to go rest in her room. George comes home and tells Hedda everything that happened during the evening of Judge Brack's party. He informed her that Eilert read part of his manuscript to him and that it was great. He also told her that he was somewhat jealous and by chance has it in his possession because Eilert carelessly dropped it on the way from Brack's house to town.

He plans to return it immediately. Hedda hands George a letter that has come from Aunt Julia informing him that Aunt Rina is dying. He reads it and goes immediately to Aunt Julia's house. Hedda refuses to go with him, and convinces him to leave the manuscript with her. Brack arrives and tells Hedda the latest news about Eilert.

He told her that Eilert, as well as a few of the other men, attended a sir " ee at Mademoiselle Diana's, and that the night ended with him accusing her and some of her friends of robbing him. His pocketbook, as well as the manuscript, were reported among the items missing. He was arrested for starting a brawl. Lovborg arrives soon after Brack leaves. Mrs. Elvsted enters the scene from the other room.

Eilert tells her that he destroyed the manuscript. After she leaves, he confesses to Hedda that he lost the manuscript. He explains that he lied to Thea because he couldn't tell her that he had been in all those scandalous places with their "child" and lost it, because that would be worst than killing it. Eilert expresses thoughts of suicide, and Hedda gives him one of her pistols as a gift, asking him to use it and make sure he does it "beautifully". Hedda then burns the manuscript in the oven, crying out that she is burning Thea and Eilert Lovborg's child. Aunt Julia arrives at the Tesman's house and everyone is wearing black.

They are mourning the death of Aunt Rina. Aunt Julia is going to sew a shroud and agrees with Hedda that she shouldn't have any hand in such mournful work. She should be sewing clothes for a newborn soon, she says delightfully. Aunt Julia plans to take care of some other invalid to escape her loneliness. After she leaves, Mrs. Elvsted arrives, telling them that she heard Eilert is in the hospital. Brack arrives and tells them it's true, but he's already dead.

He'd been wounded in the chest after asking about his child at Mademoiselle Diana's. In private, Brack tells Hedda that the gun went off accidentally and there " ll be scandalous talk of her if they find out she provided him with the pistol. He then blackmails her into becoming his mistress. Tesman and Mrs. Elvsted begin reconstructing the manuscript from notes in honor of his death. Hedda leaves the room and tries to distract them by playing the piano. She ends up shooting herself shortly after being told to stop.

Details of Author's Background As They Relate To Hedda GablerIbsen's youth was shaped by the changes in European society and politics. He became a young radical with atheistic and republican views. His beliefs of marriage, love, morality, and religion contrasted with those of society. His exploration of the revolt of the "imprisoned" and "misunderstood" self against the authority of family and community led to his dramatization of the influence of social disruptions on personal lives.

He didn't get into the university he wanted to, and he had been writing plays and theater reviews; so, when a new national theater was established, he had professional credentials and got hired. Through the process of directing, authoring, and staging hundreds of plays, he became a theatrical professional. He was awarded a substantial grant by the Norwegian government to travel and study in Italy. He left in 1864 and went to Rome, where he stayed for twenty-seven years. During this time, he earned international literary fame. He wrote many plays that stunned and outraged Europe; he also created modern drama.

He concentrated on the problems of middle-class people, with present-day settings and locations, in every-day speech instead of what the norm of writers did then. Themes and Examples of each Hedda Gabler has one major theme: the exploration of the playwright's concern with conflicts of personal freedom and social rules, especially in marriage. Marriage is portrayed as a great constraint which causes people to be unhappy. Tesman and Brack live their lives according to society's rules because they don't see anything wrong with the way things are, and can't envision anything better. Hedda and Lovborg are both bored with the life they have, and so strive for something different. They can't create a better world for themselves, however, and so their need for excitement is unfulfilled, leading them both to self-destruction.

Thea has incorporated both living in society the way things are while exhibiting personal freedom. She leaves her husband, which is unconventional, and to be with a man who has lived a life full of scandal. Yet she's not bored with the life she has in society and is happy to be Lovborg's lover / collaborator. In any case, it is a mark of Ibsen's dour view of the central human institution of marriage that escaping it seems the only road to happiness. We should perhaps note that Ibsen was married to the same woman for forty-eight years. Symbolism Death - There are many symbols of death in Hedda Gabler.

There is the comment Hedda makes about the house having the odor of lavender and dried up roses -- the odor of death. There is the child which should represent new life, but who never takes its first breath. Aunt Rina doesn't serve a very important role in the story, she's an invalid from the beginning and is soon on her deathbed. When she first dies, they are all dressed in black and then they learn of Eilert's death.

Main Conflict / Pivotal Event The main conflict is when Hedda realizes that Thea not only has more beautiful hair, but also the power that she wants -- the power to shape a human's destiny. This is when she leads Eilert to drinking and destroying himself. Quotable LinesLovborg refers to Thea when he says, "She has broken my courage and my power of braving life out". That is what caused him to have the relapse. Hedda looks straight ahead of her and comments, "So that pretty little fool has had her fingers in a man's destiny". Lovborg asks Hedda, "Was there no love in your friendship for me either?

Not a spark -- not a tinge of love in it?" In this he expresses that he truly felt love for her, and that is what gave her power over him. Hedda asks herself, "Oh, why does everything I touch become mean and ludicrous? It's like a curse!" This comment emphasizes the fact that her ennui is affecting all of those around her. It has caused her to become nihilistic and wreak havoc on the lives of others for her own amusement. Hedda comments, "I think I have a natural talent for boring myself to death". She realizes that much of her boredom is self-inflicted, just like when she told Judge Brack that "as you make your bed so you must lie...

". Lovborg tells Hedda, "It wasn't secret knowledge you wanted. You wanted life". They were discussing her curiosity in the past about his sinful life. She replies, "I want to have the power to shape a human being's destiny". Hedda says, "Yes, there's something in [the house] of the odor of death...

Oh, my dear Judge -- you can't imagine how horribly I'm going to bore myself here.".