Hedda Gabler: Relevance to the 21st century In Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler, the protagonist, Hedda Gabler lives a confining life with her husband, George Tesman, whom she doesn’t actually love. When asked about her love for George, Hedda proclaims “Love? What an idea!” (23). Hedda’s enjoyment of manipulating others around her also stems from her boredom with life. When Miss Tessman buys a bonnet “on Hedda’s account”(33) so she “needn’t be ashamed of me if we happen to go out”, Hedda pretends she thinks it’s the maids bonnet for her own enjoyment. Furthermore, Hedda’s desire to have Lovborg die a beautiful death represents her own desire to end her dull life. Hedda’s suicide was a result of her unhappiness and boredom as a result of restrictions on her as a woman living in the 19th century. This made it impossible for Hedda to express herself, eventually leading to her suicide. The play does not relate to the modern world because the restrictions on Hedda by her society have become obsolete in the modern world. …show more content…
The play takes place inside the Tesman’s house suggesting that Hedda rarely leaves her home. She does not have a job or a child to keep her occupied and does nothing except wait on house guests. Her husband is a very boring man who loves nothing more than his work, something Hedda has absolutely no interest in. Hedda confided in Brack telling him, even on her honeymoon, “how mortally bored I have been.”(105). In order to end her boredom, begins manipulating people such as Judge Brack, and Lovborg, by making them feel special. When Hedda became bored with manipulation, she found nothing else to do but kill