Hedda Gabler

As Theatre majors, I think Hedda Gabler is one of those classic works that we all should be able to say that we have read, or in my case, attempted to read. I had never read the script from start to finish, because I honestly I couldn’t understand it. Even last year when working on this in Acting II I struggled arguably more than everyone else. These characters are so deep and complex. To play one of the characters would be such a double edge sword. On one hand, you have so much to work with that you can constantly discover new things with every line of text. While on the hand these characters are so specific. Like Hedda, I applaud any actress that has successfully portrayed her with the right about of maturity, narcissism, and sociopathic power.  There is a fine line with Hedda. She is both the woman and the man of the house. Hedda has such a need for power and control. Without it she is lost. This clearly is a result of her strict father and the upbringing he gave her. She loved him and hated him at the same time. His dominance over her was a comfort that she has yet to find in another mate aside from Lovborg. He has once shown her the domination and compassion that her father had given her. This is what constantly brings her back to him. This is also why she did not shoot him when she had the chance many years ago. She needs him. Tesman is nothing but a current arrangement for her financial stability. Once Hedda realizes she needs Lovborg, she knows that only way the two can be together with out restraint is in another life. She then simply convinces him to kill himself as a final test of true devotion before she ends her own life in this world to join him in the next.