Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen | Act 4

Course Hero Literature Instructor Russell Jaffe provides an in-depth summary and analysis of Act 4 of Henrik Ibsen's play Hedda Gabler.


The play's titular protagonist has just returned from her honeymoon with George Tesman, her tedious bourgeois husband and feels the joy and romance slipping from her life. She seeks release by trying to control the lives of others.

Figures from her earlier life begin to pass through her pleasant, but middle-class home—demonstrating her reduced circumstances. Hedda was born to a higher-class family and is accustomed to more genteel surroundings.

A former love interest, Eilert Lövborg, has taken up with a married schoolmate, provoking Hedda's manipulative tendencies. She encourages the reformed alcoholic Lövborg to drink and later destroys the manuscript he leaves behind.

His academic success threatens that of her husband and she is annoyed by his involvement with her friend. As her jealous jibes escalate, she induces him to commit suicide and then follows suit.

While the play is unsparing in its depictions of Hedda's foibles, it also serves as a biting indictment of the restrictive societal positions afforded women, who often feel trapped by the limited choices afforded them.

Considered the father of modern drama, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen's iconic play Hedda Gabbler was first performed in 1891. Ibsen hit his stride as the author of brooding, realistic plays that challenged the hypocrisy of contemporary society. Hedda Gabbler unflinchingly investigates the changing roles of women in late 19th century Norwegian society.

The Norwegian tragedy Hedda Gabbler contains many important symbols, including pistols, representing Hedda’s defiance against threats of all kinds; Eilert’s Manuscript, representing the bond between Eilert and Mrs. Elvsted; and vine leaves, symbolizing Eilert’s drinking, which Hedda sees as bold and romantic.


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[Urspo]

Mr. Jaffee, thank you for doing this and your other lecture summarizes. I am a big fan of Dickens and of Ibsen; you do a fine job summarizing their work. Thanks.