Hedda Gabler Themes

1.
Hedda Gabler Theme of

Manipulation
Hedda is famous as a cold-hearted, manipulative woman years ahead of her time. In
this play, her ability to influence others has a lot to do with her sexuality and good
looks. Machinations become a sort of game, a way of escaping the boredom of
Victorian-era Norway. Because women can’t seek power through careers or
scholarship, Hedda seeks it through controlling others.
Questions About Manipulation

1. Hedda declares to Thea that she has never had power over anyone: is this
true? What prompts her to make such a statement?
2. Who has more power over Eilert Løvborg – Thea or Hedda – and why?
3. When the play begins, who is in the power seat in the relationship between
Hedda and the Judge? What about when he tries to blackmail her? What about
when Hedda commits suicide? How do the dynamics of their relationship shift
over the course of the play?
4. Eilert asks Hedda: "Ah, what power was it in you, Hedda, that made me tell
you such things?" Good question.
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Hedda is a more powerful, manipulative character than Judge Brack.
Judge Brack is a more powerful, manipulative character than Hedda.
2.Hedda Gabler Theme of

Women and Femininity
Hedda Gabler takes place in Norway in the late 1800s. Women are restricted by
Victorian values and prevented from having any real lives of their own. As such, they
exist only in relation to men. The women in this play all seek to solve one
fundamental problem: what to do with their lives. Emptiness and malaise are the
only common factors between them, however, as the various "solutions" to this
"problem" differ greatly.
Questions About Women and

Femininity
1 | Page Themes of Hedda Gabler

1. How is femininity defined in Hedda Gabler? Who is more feminine, Hedda or
Thea?
2. What is it about Mrs. Elvsted that makes Hedda jealous?
3. If Hedda has so many masculine qualities, why are so many men in love with
her?
Chew on This
The three women in Hedda Gabler – Mrs. Elvsted, Miss Tesman, and Hedda herself –
all come up with different solutions to the "problem" weighing on women in the
Victorian era. Only Hedda’s solution is successful
3. Hedda Gabler Theme of

Wealth
Hedda Gabler explores a marriage between an aristocratic woman and a seemingly
middle-class man. Wealth is a constant barrier between them, not only as far as
money is concerned but also in regards to class. Interests, mannerisms, even
personalities and friendships, are all tied to class. Because of this, the notion of "rich"
and "poor" is often more about power, influence, and reputation than it is about
cash.
Questions About Wealth

1. Is money the only reason Hedda apparently hates her husband? What is it
about him that irritates her the most?
2. Hedda claims that she married Tesman because he promised to give her
everything she wanted. Is this really why she tied the knot?
3. Eilert tells George that he won’t compete for the professorship because he
only wants to win in the eyes of the world. Why doesn’t he care about money?
What exactly does he care about instead?
Chew on This
Hedda cares more about power than she does about money.

Respect and Reputation
In Hedda Gabler, playing by society’s rules is often more important than human life.
Set in the late 1800s, the characters are constrained by Victorian values, particularly
when it comes to sex. Because so many sexual topics are taboo, many of the
conversations and machinations can be understood only in subtext and innuendos.
The threat of public scandal hangs constantly over the characters’ heads,
threatening to ruin social status, and therefore lives. At the same time, some
characters find pleasure in rebelling, albeit it secretly.
Questions About Respect and

Reputation
1. What are some of the rules that govern Hedda in this play? Which of them is
the most restrictive? Destructive?
2. Why is it that Hedda is so afraid of scandal? She seems to flaunt her disregard
for Victorian values, at least as far as femininity goes – so why does this matter
so much to her?
3. After he tells Mrs. Elvsted off, Eilert claims that he no longer has any interest
for his former renegade lifestyle, as Thea has killed that part of him. Does he
resent her for this, or is he grateful for the reformation?
Chew on This
George doesn’t really love Hedda; she’s just a trophy wife.

Courage
Courage is tied to the idea of rebellion in Hedda Gabler – rebellion against society
and its constraints. For one character, this means secretly defying the limits of her
sex by manipulating and coercing the men around her. For another, this means
leaving the good graces of his aristocratic family and engaging in a life of alcohol
and debauchery. For yet a third character, it means leaving her husband behind to
be with the man she loves.
Questions About Courage

1. Is Hedda’s suicide courageous or cowardly? How about burning Eilert’s
manuscript?
2. Hedda says that Eilert is courageous, both before his death and after she
hears the (false) story of his suicide. What makes him seem courageous to her,
in each instance?

3. Aunt Julie claims that she always needs someone to take care of. What does
this say about her character?
Chew on This
Mrs. Elvsted is the only truly courageous character in Hedda Gabler.
Eilert Løvborg is the only truly courageous character in Hedda Gabler

Appearances
Beauty is power in Hedda Gabler. Hedda herself is a stunning woman of aristocratic
good looks, which she uses to get what she wants. Because everyone wants to sleep
with her, she has power over men – a rare scenario in a world defined by Victorian
values (according to which women are subservient and men dominant). Aesthetics
are important to the play as well: the aristocratic class, more so than the middle
class, is obsessed with appearances and with avoiding what it deems ugly. The
retreat into a romanticized, idealized world of aesthetic rather than moral values is a
hallmark of the titular character.
Questions About Appearances

1. Between George, Brack, and Eilert, it seems like all the men are drooling over
Hedda. Is this primarily because of her looks, or because of her personality?
2. How is "beauty" defined in Hedda Gabler? Everyone’s always talking about

Hedda’s looks, yet Eilert declares that Mrs. Elvsted is lovely to look at. Which
character better represents attractiveness?
3. Hedda is supposed to be beautiful, but there’s also something cold and

dangerous about her appearance (think about her all-black attire, her cold grey
eyes, her pale complexion). Does this "dangerous" element detract from or add
to her beauty? Does it depend on which character is looking at her?
Chew on This
George Tesman, Eilert Løvborg, and Judge Brack all find Hedda attractive for different
reasons.
7. Hedda Gabler Theme of

Dreams, Hopes, and Plans
If Hedda Gabler teaches one lesson, it is that dreams cannot be relied upon. In this
play, all plans for the future are predicated upon falsities, lies, misunderstandings, or
miscommunication. Whether it be marriage, friendship, babies, professional pursuits,
or economic risk, no thing is a sure thing. The characters continually act based on
these false certainties with regard to the future, and they are repeatedly punished
for doing so.
Questions About Dreams, Hopes, and

Plans
1. What "plans" do we see made in Hedda Gabler, and how do they go awry? Are
any plans successfully executed throughout the course of the play?
2. George remarks that there is a danger in getting caught up in dreams; would

Hedda agree? What about her constant retreat to an idealized, romantic world?
(Check out more on this aesthetic ideal business in Hedda’s "Character
Analysis.")
3. At what point has Hedda decided with certainty to commit suicide? When she
takes the gun from the writing table? Before that? After?
Chew on This
Dreams are never fulfilled in Hedda Gabler because every character makes his plans
dependent on someone else.
8.Hedda Gabler Theme of Drugs

and Alcohol
Hedda Gabler features a recovering alcoholic as one of its main characters. The play
draws a connection between the idea of courage and the idea of drinking – surely a
man must be courageous to turn his back on the rules of a Victorian society and
engage in drunken debauchery? In this play, yes, that is the case. Alcoholism is
interpreted as the mark of a free spirit, rather than a disease which needs to be
treated.
Questions About Drugs and Alcohol

1. Eilert, with clenched fists, asks Hedda why she didn’t just shoot him back in
the day. Does this mean he isn’t happy with his reformed life?
2. Hedda thinks that drinking again is a mark of courage on Eilert’s part. What
does Eilert think? What do YOU think?
3. Why is it that Hedda’s taunts about masculinity aren’t enough to drive Eilert
to drink, yet mistrust on Thea’s part is?

Chew on This
Eilert was never actually reformed in the first place.
Eilert is happier as an alcoholic than he is as a reformed man.

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1.

Hedda Gabler Theme of

Questions About Manipulation

Judge Brack is a more powerful, manipulative character than Hedda.

2.Hedda Gabler Theme of

Questions About Women and

1 | Page Themes of Hedda Gabler

2. What is it about Mrs. Elvsted that makes Hedda jealous?

3. Hedda Gabler Theme of

Questions About Wealth

4.Hedda Gabler Theme of

Questions About Respect and

5.Hedda Gabler Theme of

Questions About Courage

3 | Page Themes of Hedda Gabler

Eilert Løvborg is the only truly courageous character in Hedda Gabler

6.Hedda Gabler Theme of

Questions About Appearances

2. How is "beauty" defined in Hedda Gabler? Everyone’s always talking about

3. Hedda is supposed to be beautiful, but there’s also something cold and

7. Hedda Gabler Theme of

Questions About Dreams, Hopes, and

2. George remarks that there is a danger in getting caught up in dreams; would

8.Hedda Gabler Theme of Drugs

Questions About Drugs and Alcohol

5 | Page Themes of Hedda Gabler

Eilert is happier as an alcoholic than he is as a reformed man.

6 | Page Themes of Hedda Gabler

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