Gender Roles In Hedda Gabler

The concept of gender norms for women is one that is widely referenced to throughout Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler. It shapes the outcome of the play and drives the actions of the protagonist, Hedda Gabler. For the audience, Hedda represents the upper-class women of that time, putting up a facade of being “the ideal woman” when in reality her desires are quite different. Since the play almost entirely follows Hedda and her interactions, Ibsen delivers many of his criques through her. One of these critiques is the expectations on women to become society’s version of an “ideal woman”, and how those expectations can act as a prison for some women instead. Ibsen starts off the play by establishing Hedda as a vision of status and class. Right in

Aunt Julie says, “Yes, so Hedda wouldn’t feel ashamed of me.” (Act 1, 224) This quotation establishes that even though Aunt Julie is practically Hedda’s mother-in-law, she has to be careful to not bring shame to Hedda’s status. As this sets Hedda apart from everyone else, mit also goes to show how she is seen at a hgiher level than other people. In the quotation, “And that it was you who carried off Hedda Gabler. The beautiful Hedda Gabler! Imagine! She, who always had so many admirers!” (Act 1, 225) Aunt Julie really places Hedda on a pedestal by referring to Hedda as “the Hedda Gabler”. The use of the article “the” instead of “a” indicates that there can only be one of her and that Hedda is above every one else. Aunt Julie also reveals in this quotation that Hedda had many admirers before she married Tesman, which brings the audience to quotes

Ibsen used Hedda’s craving of freedom to explore the true desires of women. Since the audience of that time would have mostly been wealthy, high-class families who could afford a trip to the theatre, it was very important that the audience were able to relate to the play. This is why Ibsen used a naturalistic setting, he wanted the audience to see themselves represented in the play. By doing so, Ibsen compelled the audience to look within their own lives and see how similar they were to the characters. Through Hedda Gabler and her journey of tackling with her desires and her commitment to her social status, Ibsen revealed the deadly truth behind the consequences of societal pressure and how damaging it can be to one’s mental state. Furthermore, Ibsen explored how social status comes with restrictions, and the higher up in status someone is, the more restrictions are placed upon them, to the point where those restrictions become a