Summary

The play opens with Aunt Julia and Berta, the housemaid, entering the house of George Tesman and his new bride, Hedda. Berta tells Aunt Julia that the couple just returned from their six-month honeymoon the night before, and that she's anxious about whether she will be able to please the new mistress of the house, since she seems "terrible grand." She comments that she was shocked to see how much Hedda had to unpack. Berta also feels guilty that she's leaving the house of Aunt Julia and Aunt Rina, especially since Rina's health is declining so precipitously. Aunt Julia comforts her, implying that the new Mrs. Tesman is a great catch for her nephew. She also says that in keeping with Jorgen's recent spate of good fortune, he's been given the title of "Doctor", and might have an even grander title coming his way in the near future.

Tesman enters the room, happily greets his aunt, and tells her of all the research he did on his honeymoon. Julia is surprised that Jorgen would work on his honeymoon. Tesman helps his aunt untie her new bonnet, and makes quite a fuss over its beauty. Aunt Julia, pleased, says that she purchased the hat so that Hedda wouldn't be embarrassed to be seen with her if they should go out in public together. Tesman and Julia sit, and Julia inquires as to whether Tesman has any important news that he wishes to share with her. Tesman, however, seems not to pick up on the reference to a baby, and says that his only big news is that he has recently become a doctor.

Both Julia and Tesman comment on the cost of the expensive honeymoon needed to satisfy a "lady" like Hedda, and Tesman points out that their pricey new house - the Falk Villa - was purchased only because Hedda said she so dearly wanted to live in it. It's a bigger house than they need, and Tesman wonders aloud what they will do with the two empty rooms next to Hedda's bedroom. Aunt Julia remarks that they may be filled soon enough, but again Tesman does not seem to understand the reference. Aunt Julia then tells her nephew that she's helped with the burden of the costs by taking out a mortgage on her annuities to pay for the house's security. Tesman is shocked at his aunt's kindness, but the news seems to relieve him somewhat. The last revelation Aunt Julia offers is that Tesman's academic rival, Eilert Lovborg, has recently published a book. Tesman reacts to this information with surprise, as Lovborg has had a decidedly difficult few years.

Hedda enters, and promptly complains that the maid has opened the windows. Within minutes, she manages to insult Tesman's favorite slippers, remark on the ugliness of Aunt Julia's bonnet, and coldly rebuff her husband's attempts to make conversation. When Tesman remarks that Hedda has "filled out" on their honeymoon, Hedda replies that she hasn't changed at all since the day they left. Aunt Julia takes Hedda's head in her hands and kisses her hair, blessing her "for George's sake." Aunt Julia leaves, and Tesman tells Hedda that she should be nicer to his aunt. Hedda says he should invite her over again later in the day. Tesman, happy at this seemingly conciliatory response, asks Hedda to start calling Julie "Auntie", but Hedda refuses.

Analysis

Ibsen structures Hedda Gabler almost like a classical tragedy, using the first act to set up a clear plant-to-payoff design. Information that will ultimately inform his characters' fates is clearly and gradually laid out. There is also a striking amount of foreshadowing - by the section's end, we are already aware of three of the major conflicts to come: Tesman's precarious finances, Hedda's unacknowledged pregnancy, and the arrival of Tesman's rival, Eilert Lovborg. Already we can sense that Lovberg will play a key role in resolving the tensions between Hedda and Jorgen, either as a foil that will force Tesman and Hedda to ally themselves against him, or as an iceberg that will drive them apart.

Hedda Gabler, of course, is one of the theater's most famous and coveted female roles. It's not hard to see why: in Hedda, Ibsen has created a woman of such complexity that for years critics and audiences have been divided in determining what it is that actually motivates her coldness and impenetrability. Critics have called her "a true type of degenerate incapable of yielding herself, body and soul, to the man she loves," "a complete perversion of womanhood," and even a dangerous example of "the New Woman, a female character common in fiction in the 1890s, when women were actively demanding equality with men" (Melani 3).

As we continue our examination of Hedda Gabler, it is vital to repeatedly consider to Hedda's role in the ensuing mini-tragedies - is she simply a player in a larger design, or is she a plague being delivered onto this small community? Or is she rather playing God, and dictating all of the events that take place? In other words, is Hedda a victim, a tool, or a perpetrator?

Perhaps our first clue comes from her dealings with Aunt Julia. Hedda makes it a point to comment on the ugliness of the hat on the chair, which she states that she believes is the maid's. When Aunt Julia claims the hat as her own, Hedda does little to retract her statement, even though she somewhat makes up for it by telling Tesman that she'll invite Aunt Julia over later. This is simple boorishness, barely redeemed by a transparent facade of manners. Later, however, we find out that Hedda in fact manufactured the whole event, knowing quite well that the hat was Aunt Julia's all along. This is a recurring theme in the play - Hedda's ability to not just react in a given moment, but to design, to plan interactions with characters in order to achieve a certain goal.

Another clue as to why these designs seem so integral to Hedda's character comes in the repeated references to Hedda's father, General Gabler. As the general's daughter, Hedda was known for her style and sophistication. Indeed, it was she who was responsible for keeping up the general's reputation, whereas with Tesman she is a burden on his meager finances. Hedda seems strangely resigned to her unhappy marriage, but we must ask: why did Hedda marry Tesman in the first place? In understanding the reasons behind her willingness to commit to a man that she either doesn't love or a man who she may love abstractly but despises practically, we will begin to unravel the mystery of her character.

Summary

Mrs. Elvstead, a pretty, delicate woman, arrives at the house, having left some flowers and a calling card there earlier. It is immediately apparent that she is distraught, but is hesitant to reveal the source of her dismay. Finally, she reveals that she is at her wit's end because Eilert Lovborg has recently arrived in town, and that she fears the town will be full of "temptations" for him. Lovborg used to be the tutor to Mrs. Elvsted's step-children, and recently wrote a bestselling book. He was a model of sobriety while he was living with the Elvsteds, but Mrs. Elvsted is concerned that living in the city will prove too much for him. She begs Tesman to keep an eye on Lovborg, as he will certainly seek out his old friend. Hedda tells Tesman that he should invite Lovborg over to visit (and urges him to write a "long" letter), and Tesman goes out of the room to compose the invitation.

As soon as Tesman leaves, Hedda tells Mrs. Elvsted to explain what's really happening. Mrs. Elvsted is reluctant, saying that Hedda used to torment her viciously at school, but Hedda dismisses the incidents as mere childhood play. She treats Mrs. Elvstead with remarkable affection, urging her to call her "Hedda" and looking at her with compassion in her eyes. Slowly, Mrs. Evlsted opens up and reveals that she never had a happy marriage - indeed, that her husband is "repellant" to her - and that when Eilert Lovborg began to tutor her husband's children, they developed a close relationship. Mrs. Elvsted claims she saved him from vice, and that in return, Lovborg taught her a great many things. She also says that they worked on his book together. But Mrs. Elvsted adds that she's afraid there's another woman in his heart - a woman he only spoke of once. She recalls that Lovborg said that when he and this woman parted, the woman threatened to shoot him with a pistol.

Mrs. Elvsted leaves, and Judge Brack enters the house. Brack and Tesman sit down to talk, and Brack promptly brings up the subject of Lovborg's return. Brack subtly implies that because of Lovborg's influence in the town, he may receive the professorship that Tesman's been expecting. Brack leaves, and Tesman tells Hedda that since the professorship is in doubt, they need to be more frugal. Hedda drolly replies that she at least has one thing left to amuse her - her father's pistols. As Hedda leaves the room, Tesman runs after her, pleading with her to leave the dangerous weapons alone.

Analysis

The plot thickens considerably in the second half of the first act, offering more information that will assuredly pay off in the play's climax. First, Brack sets up the implied duel between Jorgen and Lovborg over the professorship that is essential to Tesman's financial solvency - and thus crucial for the success of his marriage, since Hedda comes with certain expectations about her standard of living. Second, Mrs. Evlsted reveals that though she and Lovborg have grown close, she is afraid a woman stands between them - a woman who shoots pistols. The final image of the first act is of Hedda leaving Tesman to go shoot her father's pistols, thus revealing that not only does Lovborg stand between Tesman and the professorship, but also between Tesman and Hedda.

Readers gain a fuller understanding of Hedda's character in the second section of the act. For example, Mrs. Elvsted tells Hedda that she cannot confide in her because of the way Hedda treated her at school (threatening to burn her hair, tormenting her), but Hedda calmly dismisses it as "talk" and manipulates Mrs. Elvsted into confiding in her. As readers, we already sense that Mrs. Elvsted is slowly becoming wrapped up in a snake's coils, but Hedda is the play's protagonist, so more information is needed before we can completely abandon our sympathies. Later, when Hedda encourages Tesman to invite Lovborg over in order to get him out of the room, we have the same reaction: curiosity as to what Hedda is planning, but continued refusal to wholly implicate her as the villain.

One of the key moments comes at the end of the act when Tesman suggests that the loss of the professorship would mean the end of Hedda's extravagant lifestyle: she would have to curb her spending for the sake of the marriage. Hedda promptly replies that she still has her pistols to amuse her. The question, of course, is who the pistol would be pointed at: Tesman, herself, or Lovborg?

At this point, it is perfectly clear that Hedda is miserable in her marriage, and yet completely responsible for her own misery - she not only willingly married Tesman, but is seemingly pregnant, and we have no idea why she's allowed either situation to come to pass. As General Gabler's daughter, we assume she had other options for marriage, and yet there is the strange sense that she forecasts her own doom - that she senses in her an alien nature that cannot exist in harmony with the world. She must cause chaos, or she must die.

Indeed, Hedda has set designs into place that we cannot yet quite understand - simply because we have yet to fully decode the target of her rage. If it is an internal conflict that drives her, then she is strangely devoid of self-loathing. If it is anger at the world, then she is curiously passive-aggressive. As we move into Act II, we will achieve a better understanding of how Hedda's state of mind motivates her actions.

Summary

Hedda is in the drawing room of the house, loading one of her father's pistols. When she sees Judge Brack approaching, she spooks him by pretending to shoot at him. Brack gently takes the pistols from her, and asks her if she has nothing else to do but play with guns. Hedda replies that she does not. She then informs him that Tesman is at his Aunt Julia's and that he's come too late. Brack says that if he had known Tesman was away, he would have come even earlier. Immediately we realize that Brack is quite fond of Hedda; he even tells her that during her honeymoon he prayed every day that she would return.

Hedda tells Brack that her honeymoon was deathly boring: Tesman worked all day, and there was no one from their circle to entertain her. She also says that she found it "intolerable being everlastingly in the company of one and the same person." When Brack asks her whether she loves her husband, she tells him not to use the word "love" and says that she married him because her "time was up" - it was time to get married, and Tesman seemed poised for success. Now, however, Hedda isn't so sure that she made the right decision. Brack suggests that he would like to be in a "triangular friendship" with the couple, free to come and go as he pleases. Hedda says that it would be a relief to have someone around to engage her in conversation, but it is obvious that Brack would like to provide much more.

Tesman arrives carrying his scholarly tomes, including Eilert Lovborg's new book, which he is quite impressed by. Tesman tells Hedda that she'll be alone that night, because Aunt Julia won't be visiting - likely the result of the hat incident, which left her deeply offended. Tesman exits to get ready for the all-male party that he and Brack will attend that night, and Hedda reveals to Brack that she had known all along that the hat was Aunt Julia's, and that she had behaved so mischievously because she couldn't help doing so; sometimes "irresistible impulses" come over her. Hedda then expresses how deeply bored she is, and Brack suggests that she find a vocation. Hedda says that she wishes Tesman would go into politics to allay her boredom, even though Brack laughs off the suggestion, as Tesman is so ill-suited to the political world. Brack then makes an allusion to the fact that Hedda might have a "new responsibility" on the way. When Hedda tries to avoid the subject, Brack says that having a child depend on her is a woman's greatest talent. Hedda replies that her only talent is boring herself to death.

Analysis

Two key questions about Hedda's character are answered for us in the first section of Act II. First, we are offered an explicit explanation as to why she married George Tesman: "I'd danced myself out. That was all. My time was up." It's a curious statement, because from all we've learned about Hedda, we might wonder why she would succumb to societal pressure to get married. What seems more likely is that for all her "dancing", she isn't financially independent. Ultimately, she needed to ally herself with a man who could support her and take care of her material needs. And in that sense, Tesman is a "model" - if not superior - husband.

Hedda, it seems, has an oddly narrow conception of life. There are only a certain number of people and things that she is "interested in", and when none of these are present, she becomes deathly bored. This feeling of boredom seems to well up in her like a tide of black sludge - not unlike the rage or envy seen in countless flawed tragic heroes or villains. When Hedda gets bored, it seems, terrible things start to happen.

A second revelation comes when Brack implies that children might help alleviate Hedda's boredom and renew her, but she refuses to acknowledge that she is pregnant, or to even entertain the idea of having children. The idea of having children with Tesman, of her time fully being "up", is abhorrent, and she seems to view raising children with the same sense of boredom. Indeed, the only thing that continually gets a rise out of Hedda is shooting her pistols - the idea of ending life at any moment keeps her boredom at bay.

The issue of Brack's "triangle" proposition is an interesting one if only because we cannot gauge for certain whether it's sexual in nature. Brack at first suggests that Hedda "jump out" of her marriage every so often - in other words, have an affair with Brack - but Hedda quickly rebuffs such a possibility. However, when Brack says he will "jump in" with the couple, creating a triangle, Hedda is more than open to the idea. But what, exactly, does Brack mean by "jumping in"? How can this kind of triangle possibly sustain itself if one of the points - namely Tesman - is unaware that it exists?

Slowly, we're beginning to understand Hedda's modus operandi - she feels trapped by a world that she feels is closing in on her, and has no recourse but to try to expand her circle as much as she can without endangering her marriage. If there's one thing Hedda's afraid of, it's "scandal" - the idea that somehow her name might be tarnished, since it's the only thing left that's still wholly her own.

Summary

Eilert Lovborg arrives at the house, having been invited by Tesman via note. When the group compliments him on the success of his book, he produces his new handwritten manuscript - a sequel to the earlier book that presents his predictions for the culture of the future. The subject of the professorship comes up, and Eljert says he doesn't have any plans to compete with Tesman, as what he wants is fame. Tesman is relieved, but Hedda seems more irritated by the news than happy about it.

When Lovborg suggests that he read some of his book that evening, Tesman tries to tell him that he and Brack are off to a party, but is afraid to invite Lovborg because of his alcoholic past. While Tesman and Brack go to enjoy some punch before leaving, Hedda and Lovborg quietly discuss their past, and it becomes clear that Hedda is the "other woman" that Mrs. Elvsted was so afraid of - it was Hedda who threatened to shoot Lovborg with her pistol when their relationship "grew too close." When Lovborg tells Hedda that she should have shot him - that he doesn't understand why she didn't - Hedda replies simply, "The scandal."

Mrs. Elvsted appears and discovers that Brack and Tesman are going out to a drinking party. When Lovborg refuses punch and declines the invitation to the party, Hedda points out to Mrs. Elvsted in front of Lovborg that her concerns were unwarranted - that Lovborg is "a man of principle." Mrs. Elvsted is horrified that Hedda has said this in front of Lovborg, and Lovborg is equally enraged at Mrs. Elvsted's belief that he would suddenly start drinking again the moment he returned to town. Lovborg downs two successive drinks to punish Mrs. Elvsted.

Lovborg then decides to accompany Brack and Tesman to the party and takes his manuscript with him, hoping to read some of it at Brack's house. He promises to return later to take Mrs. Elvsted home, and the three men leave. Mrs. Elvsted is concerned that Lovborg will have a relapse, but Hedda tells her to stay and have tea, and assures her that soon enough Lovborg will return "with vine leaves in his hair."

Analysis

Every time Tesman leaves the room, isolating Hedda with another man, we learn that she had some kind of relationship with that man in the past. First Brack, and now Lovborg, who arrives at the new Tesman home and quickly reveals that it is Hedda who he has not been able to forget - the woman whom Mrs. Elvsted said threatened to shoot him with pistols.

Hedda, then, is in a strangely untenable position - she has an absent husband, is pregnant with a child, and has two other men (Brack and Lovborg) throwing themselves at her. Perhaps there is a way of working these conflicts out, but Hedda has two character "flaws" that make her feel trapped - she is paralyzed by her fear of scandal, and is simultaneously incapacitated by her fear of getting too close to anybody. Thus the idea of a baby, an emotional relationship with Lovborg (whom she nearly killed when he got too close to her), or a sexual relationship with Brack are all impossible to her - she is both bored by life and unable to take steps to engage with life deeply enough to become excited by it.

When Mrs. Elvsted arrives, Hedda has been presented with the possibility of entertaining Lovborg for the night while the other men are at the party, but instead she sees only an opening to wreak havoc. Having earlier earned Mrs. Elvsted's confidence, she now sets Lovborg against Mrs. Elvsted, induces Lovborg to relapse into drinking after two years of sobriety, and drives him to go to the party with Tesman and Brack, leaving her alone with Mrs. Elvsted - a companion that, we might imagine, is most undesirable to Hedda. For all of her seeming intelligence in the way she strategizes and designs, Hedda nearly always manages to create a situation she didn't quite plan on.

It's important to realize that Hedda isn't a sexual infidel; she does not seem to have consummated her relationship with either Brack or Lovborg. In fact, it's implied that it was Lovborg's proposition of sex that inspired Hedda to bring out her pistols. This begs the question: why is Hedda so threatened by sex? Why does she link sex and "getting too close" to a man? There are of course a variety of theories that might be offered on the matter, but her sexual frigidity is one of the defining aspects of her character.

Hedda also shows a strange penchant for violence and destruction - she shoots off pistols, pinches Mrs. Elvsted's arm and threatens to burn her hair, and encourages Lovborg to drink. Whenever Hedda feels threatened - or even simply bored - her violent streak begins to show itself. This proclivity will, of course, play a crucial role in the play's climax.

Summary

Mrs. Elvsted and Hedda sleep in the living room, waiting for Tesman, Brack and Lovborg to return. Berta enters, giving Mrs. Elvsted false hope that the men have arrived home, but she is only carrying a letter for Tesman. Hedda is irritated that the men still aren't there, but theorizes that the men simply stayed at Judge Brack's house out of consideration, so that they wouldn't wake the women. Hedda convinces Mrs. Elvsted to go try and sleep, saying that she'll continue waiting for the men. Mrs. Elvsted goes to Hedda's room.

Hedda reprimands Berta for having allowed the room to become so cold, but the doorbell rings and Hedda bids her to answer it, saying she'll tend to the fire herself. A moment later, Tesman enters. Tesman tells Hedda that they had arrived at the party an hour too early, and so Eilert had passed the time by reading to him from his new book. He remarks that he was just dazzled by it, but Hedda replies that she "doesn't care" about the book; what she's interested in is the goings-on of the previous night. Tesman tells her that Lovborg began to drink, and once he was intoxicated he began making speeches about his "muse" - the unnamed woman who inspired his work. Hedda asks Tesman if Lovborg named this woman, but Tesman says that although he did not, he assumes that he was referring to Mrs. Elvsted. The men escorted Lovborg home, but on the way, he dropped his new manuscript, which Tesman picked up and has brought home with him.

Hedda's interest is piqued by this turn of events. She asks Tesman whether anyone knows that he has the manuscript, and he replies that no one does. He says that for Lovborg's sake he didn't tell a soul, and simply plans to return it in the morning. Hedda is clearly conjuring some sort of plan, but she distracts Tesman by handing over the letter that arrived earlier. Tesman opens the letter and learns that Aunt Rina is "at death's door" and that he must come immediately to the house. He begs Hedda to come with him, but Hedda is repulsed by the very idea of being in the presence of death. Berta enters and announces that Brack has arrived, so Tesman makes a hasty exit to avoid him. Just before he leaves, Hedda convinces her husband to give her Lovborg's manuscript for safekeeping.

Analysis

Hedda Gabler is set in a single location - the Tesman house - and, even more incredibly, in only one room in that house. Ibsen carefully manipulates who is in the drawing room at any given time, ensuring that his dramatic purposes are served without sacrificing the credibility of story. There are a few moments when the exits seem tenuous - Lovborg arriving as soon as Brack leaves, Tesman arriving when Mrs. Elvsted retires - but these machinations generally appear to be in the service of time compression, rather than plot convenience.

Hedda, in a strange way, seems to represent the collective unconscious in the play. Her husband, for instance, is clearly jealous of Eljert's new book, and holds onto it as if he has every intention of destroying it, but ultimately resigns himself to the fact that it must be returned. By handing it to Hedda, however, his unconscious desires will come to fruition. The same holds true for Lovborg. He is clearly a self-destructive man - or, in a sense, Hedda's puppet in the wake of her rejection. His unconscious desire is to be freed from her, to be freed from the constant thoughts that plague him. By the end of Act III, however, Hedda will do to Lovborg what she's done to her husband: appropriate his desires as her own. The book will burn, and Lovborg will find the "courage" to die.

A quote from Ibsen offers a great deal of insight as to the motivations behind Hedda's actions: "Hedda's desperation is a conviction that life must offer so many possibilities of happiness, but that she can't catch sight of them. It is the want of a goal in life that torments her." Hedda lives for the rush of a moment, the adrenaline that comes with controlling life and determining the fates of others - for it is only this that gives her the fleeting sense of purpose and control that makes her feel alive. Ultimately, though, the boredom keeps returning - that feeling that she ultimately has no control over her own fate. She had to marry a man she didn't love simply because her time ran out; she is carrying a child that will dictate her future; she is ultimately at the mercy of the men who covet her.

Hedda wants to keep the manuscript not because she knows exactly what she's going to do with it, but because it gives her an ephemeral sense of control over other's lives. In an instant, she is transformed from the observer to the puppetmaster, holding a bunch of pieces of paper that ultimately control all of the main characters in the play. Tesman is deeply jealous of the book and would be freed by its eradication, Mrs. Elvsted needs the book in order for Lovborg to regain his reputation and ultimately marry her, and Lovborg needs the book for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it remains his only connection to Hedda, his "muse". Now that Hedda has the book, however, she has all of these characters lodged firmly in her web. It is not out of malice that she will continue her machinations, but rather out of her desire, as Ibsen says, to find happiness in the fleeting accomplishment of a goal.

Summary

When Brack arrives, Hedda immediately pesters him for details about the previous night's events. After leaving Tesman, she learns, the "inspired" Lovborg visited Mademoiselle Diana's "boisterous soiree" - an exclusive party to which he had been invited but had promised Brack and Tesman he would not go to because he had "turned over a new leaf." At the party, however, Lovborg's mood turned from merriment to fury when he discovered that his manuscript was gone. He began assaulting the women at the party, and the police soon arrived to break up the fracas. Lovborg resisted arrest, attacked one of the policemen, and ended up at the station.

Brack tells Hedda that Lovborg might use the Tesmans as a haven if he is shunned by the town, and encourages Hedda to close her doors to him. Brack also implies that he doesn't want Lovborg joining their new "triangle"; he fears that he will find himself "homeless" if Hedda allows Lovborg to take refuge with her. Hedda says that she feels as though Brack is threatening her, but Brack replies that he is not, he is merely saying that the "triangle ought to be spontaneously constructed." Brack exits, and moments later Eilert Lovborg arrives.

Hedda offers Lovborg no clues that she knows what happened the night before, but he seems extremely distraught. Mrs. Elvsted enters the room, and Lovborg tells her that their "ways must part" because he has abandoned his book and she can thus no longer be of "service" to him. Mrs. Elvsted is aghast and insists that she will not leave his side, but Lovborg is adamant. Lovborg says that he shredded the manuscript because he shredded his life to pieces, so it was only natural he should shred his work as well. Mrs. Elvsted leaves, devastated, realizing that she and Lovborg cannot have a future now: his reputation is ruined, and the possibility that his book could save it is now gone.

Hedda is left alone with Lovborg, who reveals the truth to her - that he's lost the manuscript. Lovborg implies that now he must kill himself, and Hedda encourages him to "make it beautiful." She tells him never to return again, and gives him one of her pistols "as a memento." He says that he recognizes the pistol - it was the same one she pointed at him years before - and says that she should have used it on him then, but she replies that he can use it now. Lovborg leaves, fully intending to commit suicide. Upon his exit, Hedda sits down by the fire and burns Lovborg's manuscript.

Analysis

In Brack, Hedda sees a man whose thirst for control frightens even her. The moment Brack senses that Lovborg might become part of their new "triangle" he immediately threatens Hedda, saying that he will not protect the Tesmans if they fall into disrepute. Hedda says ominously, "I am heartily glad you have no power or control over me at all," and we immediately sense the subtext behind her words: for all of the lack of control Hedda has had in her own life, she fundamentally believes in free will - hence her obsession with pistols, which serve as a perpetual reminder that it is she who decides who lives and who dies.

There is, however, a rather sadistic game-playing element to Hedda's character that cannot be dismissed. In a sense, she sees society as a parlor game - one must behave and keep up one's reputation, all the while trying to conceal darker impulses and motivations. When one loses by succumbing to scandal or revealing these darker impulses or motivations, time is "up" and the consequences must be acknowledged. On one level, this explains her marriage - she "danced around" and tried different men until she likely saw that her reputation was at stake and had to marry Jorgen to remain a part of society. Even more, however, Hedda believes that the only natural option is death when scandal subsumes one's character. She puts an abrupt end to her scheming whenever her own reputation seems poised to fall into disrepute - for that would mean that she too would now have to check out of life's parlor game.

Hedda is a highly idiosyncratic character, but Ibsen nevertheless appears to view society's stiff repercussions for individuality with some disdain. In a sense, it is the opinions and perceptions of the community that seem to dictate all of the important decisions of an individual's life - when they marry, who they marry, when they have children, what they do for a living, how they live, and when they die.

Hedda, in her own way, seems to have declared herself judge, jury, and executioner, assimilating all of the necessary information and ushering people towards the realization of their deepest desires. The only character she can't seem to fend off is Brack, who seems even more intent on controlling people than Hedda herself. In her efforts to play the game and rid herself of Brack's threats, Hedda destroys Lovborg: the absence of Lovborg means that Brack can no longer hold the threat of ruining Hedda's reputation over her head.

In the fourth act, all of these threads in this drawing-room reenactment of life converge in a final struggle for power and control. Hedda has essentially commanded Lovborg to his grave; Brack will be left without his prime source of control over Hedda; Mrs. Elvsted has lost her love; Tesman will return to find that the manuscript he entrusted to his wife has seemingly evaporated. Hedda is very much the ringmaster at the end of the fourth act, but can she maintain this level of control, or will her need for power be her undoing?

Summary

Act IV opens with Berta, her eyes rimmed with red, lighting a lamp against the evening gloom. Aunt Julia comes to the house and tells Hedda that Aunt Rina has died. She laments the passing of her beloved sister, but says that the old woman died peacefully. Hedda asks Julia if there is anything she can help her with, but Julia protests, saying that she wouldn't think of it. She also makes yet another reference to Hedda's supposed pregnancy, saying that it is not the time for her to be bringing "misery" into Hedda's house. When Tesman asks Julia what she plans to do next, she says that she might move another sick person into Rina's vacated room. Julia also implies that she may move in with her and Tesman once Hedda's child is born. Hedda reacts to the idea with revulsion, and Aunt Julia exits.

Once alone with Tesman, Hedda remarks that his aunt's death seems to be affecting him even more deeply than it is Aunt Julia. Tesman, however, tells her that he is simply preoccupied - he went over to Eilert's house to tell him that the manuscript was safe and sound, but Lovborg was nowhere to be found. He then ran into Mrs. Elvsted, who told him that Lovborg had been to their house in the morning, and had said that he had torn the manuscript to shreds. Tesman asks Hedda if she told Lovborg that she had the manuscript, but Hedda replies that she did not. Tesman says that he must return the manuscript immediately, but Hedda reveals that she herself has burned the pages. Tesman screams out in horror, asking his wife how she could have committed such a blatant crime. Hedda tells him that she did it because she knew he was jealous of the work, and she didn't want anyone to overshadow her husband. Tesman becomes ecstatic at the idea that his wife might love him after all, and is also overjoyed when Hedda refers to him as "George" - presumably she rarely calls him by his first name. Hedda, for her own part, is utterly repulsed by his happiness, and says in despair, "I can't stand this."

Analysis

In the fourth act, the play comes full circle. Whereas we opened with sunlight bathing the drawing room and a lively young couple returning from their honeymoon, it is now evening, and the atmosphere is one of funereal darkness. At the same time, the sense of possibility that characterized the play's first act - Hedda was in a new marriage, and a new home, and pregnant with her first child - has now given way to a sense of stifling inevitability. Now that Aunt Rina is dead, it seems certain that Hedda will be burdened with two new housemates: an infant child and an elderly woman. She will be stuck in a loveless marriage, raising a baby she seemingly has no interest in, and fussed over by a woman for whom she can barely hide her revulsion.

One of the biggest mysteries of Hedda Gabler is why, exactly, Hedda burns Lovborg's manuscript. It is possible that she simply wants to destroy the "child" that has sprung from Lovborg and Mrs. Elvsted's relationship - and indeed she witnesses the two of them referring to it as such, Mrs. Elvsted saying that she feels as though he has killed their child, and Lovborg confiding to Hedda after Mrs. Elvsted's departure that he is as distraught as if he had lost his offspring. However, it would be inconsistent with Hedda's character to be motivated by such a trivial concern. It is also possible that Hedda sees the book as yet another one of society's puppet strings, keeping Lovborg tied to a circle and a life he wants to be freed from. Throughout the play, Hedda's machinations are intended to free people from the societal bonds that restrict them, alerting them to their deepest desires. Indeed, Hedda seems to see Lovborg as very much like herself: he cannot seem to find happiness in the conventions of life. Lovborg's alcoholism is what separates him from society, but it is also an integral aspect of his character, and perhaps Hedda believes that by burning his book, she is setting him free.

The unfortunate consequence of this, however, is that she must somehow account for her actions and frame them in some kind of socially acceptable light. Even though it is likely that even Hedda herself does not understand why she burned the book - on a conscious level, at least - she must explain to her husband why she did so. Tesman is aghast when Hedda reveals to him what she has done, but she quickly turns his mood to one of joy by insisting that she did it for him, so that he would not be overshadowed by his rival's success.

Tesman's career, of course, is the last of Hedda's concerns, but her rationale certainly pacifies her husband. In fact, he is so thrilled that his wife is finally showing him some affection that he's tempted to tell everyone on earth of his wife's grand gesture. Hedda, of course, is utterly mortified at this idea - her husband is threatening to reveal her act of liberation as an act of self-sacrificing devotion. Hedda can't bear the idea, and it is this that precipitates her final decline.

Summary

Mrs. Elvsted arrives, terribly distressed, and tells the Tesmans that Lovborg never returned to the boarding house. She has heard some strange rumors, and she is afraid that something terrible might have happened to him. Brack enters and says that he heard about Rina's death, but that he has more "sad" news for them. Lovborg, he says, shot himself in the chest with a pistol and is lying "at the point of death." Mrs. Elvsted breaks down in despair, but Hedda merely questions Brack about the circumstances: where, she wants to know, did it happen, and is he certain that Lovborg shot himself in the chest, and not in the temple? Brack replies that he did indeed shoot himself in the breast, to which Hedda replies, "That's a good place too." Hedda then states that there is beauty in the act, shocking everyone. Hedda goes on: "Eilert Lovborg has closed his account with himself. Had the courage to do...what had to be done."

Mrs. Elvsted then reveals that Lovborg's book has been destroyed, which Brack finds suspicious. Mrs. Elvsted cries out that she wishes there was some way the book could be reconstructed, but then realizes that there is a way: it seems she still has in her possession all of the original notes. Tesman and Mrs. Elvsted announce that they will reconstruct the book together, and Tesman says that he will dedicate his life to the task. They both exit triumphantly.

Left alone with Brack, Hedda reveals that Lovborg's death has shown her that they are truly free, "because I know it's still possible to choose. Freewill! Still possible, and beautiful." Brack, however, tells Hedda in confidence that Lovborg didn't shoot himself: he was shot in Mademoiselle Diana's boudoir, and he is already dead. Hedda is stunned that he went back, but Brack adds that he entered Diana's raving about his "lost child" - which Brack assumes is a reference to his pocketbook, since Lovborg presumably tore his manuscript to pieces. Brack adds that Lovborg was fatally shot not in the chest, but rather in the bowels.

Brack then tells Hedda that the pistol with which Lovborg shot himself was Hedda's. He says that there will be an inquiry since the police are now in possession of the pistol, but as long as Brack doesn't say anything there is no way they will be able to trace it back to her. If he were to hint that the pistol might have been stolen, however, Hedda would be implicated in a terrible scandal and would have to appear in court to defend herself. Hedda, it appears, is wholly in Brack's power. "You...own me," she tells him, and exits the room to go lie down. A few moments later, a pistol goes off in the back room. Tesman runs in and calls out that Hedda has shot herself.

Analysis

Hedda's singular goal throughout the play has been to prove that she is still in possession of free will. She believes that happiness, peace of mind, and purpose can be found in maintaining power over oneself despite all the pressures that the world places on an individual. As she manipulates those around her in an attempt to prove this to herself, she occasionally finds fleeting moments of peace, but as the last act hurtles towards its tragic conclusion, Hedda discovers that it she who spun the web in which she now finds herself trapped.

Several distinct moments precipitate Hedda's decision to take her own life. The first occurs when her husband and Mrs. Elvsted decide to resuscitate Lovborg's book. After she so deliberately destroyed Lovborg and Mrs. Elvsted's "baby", her husband will now join a new triangle in which she will have no part. Meanwhile, her husband has completely abandoned his own work for that of another man, and Hedda will be left with a permanent reminder of the man she couldn't love, and a mere shadow of the man whom she married.

Next, Brack tells Hedda that Lovborg's death wasn't so "beautiful" after all. Instead of shooting himself with Hedda's pistol, he went to Diana's boudoir, raved about the lost manuscript, and ended up getting shot in the stomach by someone else. His death was not only marked by a distinct lack of free will, but was also terribly painful. Hedda laments that everything she touches ends up being "sordid", but does not have the insight to see that it is her machinations that create these unfortunate circumstances.

Brack also reveals that he knows that it was Hedda's gun that killed Lovborg, and tells her that the only way she can avoid scandal is if he keeps quiet. Hedda has always been terrified of scandal, perhaps because it would tarnish her father's memory, or because it would limit her freedom to manipulate those around her while playing the part of the impartial observer. Even more, however, she is frightened of being beholden to another, of losing her free will entirely. She is faced with an impossible choice: throw herself on the mercy of society, or become Brack's "slave". Ultimately, of course, she realizes that there is a third option: death.

Brack never sets out any specific terms for his ownership of Hedda, but it certainly seems likely, given their earlier conversations, that a sexual element would be introduced at some point. Regardless, the mere idea of losing her free will is what finally leads Hedda to make her decision. She has bound herself into a corner from which she cannot escape. Hedda sees her life unspooling before her: she will remain wed to Tesman, who will in all likelihood fall in love with Mrs. Elvsted as they bond over their passion for their shared project. She will be prisoner to Judge Brack, who will "own" her for the rest of her life. She will bring a child into this toxic environment, and will most likely have to spend each and every day in the company of Aunt Julia. This, Hedda thinks, is what her life will be - drained of free will, drained of possibility - and so she gives herself the beautiful death she so badly wanted to see, convinced that perhaps it might set her free after all.

• Biography of Henrik Ibsen
• About Hedda Gabler
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• Summary and Analysis of Act III, Part II
• Summary and Analysis of Act IV, Part I
• Summary and Analysis of Act IV, Part II
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