General Gabler’s Pistols
Hedda inherited her pistols from her father, the great General Gabler, and her intimacy with them suggests the extent to which Hedda is so much more her father’s daughter than her husband’s wife. In…
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Alcohol, Drunkenness, and Vine Leaves
The excessive consumption of alcohol in the world of Hedda Gabler is a privilege enjoyed only by men, and so alcohol itself comes to symbolize, among other things, the social freedom accessible to men but…
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Lövborg and Thea’s Manuscript
While General Gabler’s pistols and alcohol are destructive temptations launched from characters’ pasts into their presents, Lövborg and Thea Elvsted’s manuscript symbolizes creation, the redemption of the past, and hope for the future…
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Fire and the Tesmans’ Stove
In the Tesmans’ drawing room is a dark porcelain stove which Ibsen invites us to pay attention to throughout the play. Hedda goes toward it when Tesman tries to show her his cherished old slippers…
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