Name: Hedda Gabler
ISBN: 9781625584120

At a Glance

Why This Clicks

Marriage and Identity

A sharp portrait of a woman defined neither comfortably by marriage nor by her father’s name.

Come here for

A classic play centered on the tensions of marriage and identity
A character shaped by family status and a restless life

Expect

A concise setup in Kristiania, now Oslo
A focus on Hedda’s ties to her husband and father

Book Details

Authors: Henrick Ibsen
Publisher: Start Publishing LLC
Published: December 28, 2012
Format: Print & ebook
Theme: Scandinavian Literary Criticism · Playwriting
Reading lane: Scandinavian Literary Criticism

Affinity

Publisher Categories

Scandinavian Literary Criticism
SF & Fantasy Criticism
Drama Criticism

About This Book

Hedda's married name is Hedda Tesman; Gabler is her maiden name. On the subject of the title, Ibsen wrote: "My intention in giving it this name was to indicate that Hedda as a personality is to be regarded rather as her father's daughter than her husband's wife." Hedda Gabler, daughter of an aristocratic general, has just returned to her villa in Kristiania (now Oslo) from her honeymoon. Her husband is Jørgen Tesman, an aspiring, young, reliable (but not brilliant) academic...

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Hedda's married name is Hedda Tesman; Gabler is her maiden name. On the subject of the title, Ibsen wrote: "My intention in giving it this name was to indicate that Hedda as a personality is to be regarded rather as her father's daughter than her husband's wife." Hedda Gabler, daughter of an aristocratic general, has just returned to her villa in Kristiania (now Oslo) from her honeymoon. Her husband is Jørgen Tesman, an aspiring, young, reliable (but not brilliant) academic who has combined research with their honeymoon. It becomes clear in the course of the play that she has never loved him but has married him for reasons pertaining to the boring nature of her life.