Hedda Gabler

“IT GIVES ME A SENSE OF FREEDOM TO KNOW THAT A DEED OF DELIBERATE COURAGE IS STILL POSSIBLE IN THIS WORLD--A DEED OF SPONTANEOUS BEAUTY.” Hedda Gabler, a classic play set in the late nineteenth century, was written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen in 1890. Blending comedy and tragedy, the work was universally condemned when it was first written. Today, however, Hedda Gabler is one of Ibsen's most performed and studied plays. It is considered a masterpiece, combining literary realism, timeless themes, and thought-provoking drama. Ibsen explores the hidden anxieties and thwarted ambitions of his characters against a backdrop of current social norms and deception. Hedda, the beautiful daughter of a general, is a young socialite, whose life is filled with endless boredom and longing. Evan as she struggles to find her place in society, she is too scared of scandal to become involved with the man she loves, a brilliant writer. So instead, she is trapped in a marriage and a house that she does not want and overwhelmed by her own powerlessness.. Hedda's inner turmoil is reflected in her desperate attempts to break free of the societal norms that bind her and her emotional journey is filled with drama and suspense as she realizes her choices will shape her destiny. When her first love threatens her husband’s career, Hedda takes drastic and fatal action as she begins to manipulate the fates of those around her. Written as one of the great dramatic roles in the theater, she has been described as a female version of Hamlet. Hedda Gabler is one of the most powerful and thought-provoking plays of all time.