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Feminism In Hedda Gabler

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To what extent can the work you have studied be considered a work of protest?

Henrik Ibsen uses his play “Hedda Gabler” to delve into the difficulties women faced in a Victorian society. Written in 1890, and arguably set in 1860’s Norway, the play can effectively explore the limitations of these Victorian values, as they were as prevalent as ever in the setting. The play follows a young and dissatisfied general’s daughter, Hedda Gabler, as she and other women around her attempt to deal with their gender’s limited and pre-established lifestyle. In Victorian society, women were their husbands’ wives; they existed to help their husbands, raise their children, and eventually, pass away. To really create an effective argument against this pre-determined …show more content…

Due to the previously explained difficulty of finding meaning by leading a woman’s ‘pre-determined’ life-style, Hedda Gabler strays from the norm, as she tries to live through other men (Lovburg in particular) to find amusement and quests in life. Manipulative as she is, Hedda is able to control Lovburg. In search for drama, she convinces Lovburg that Mrs. Elvsted is dubious in his abilities to keep from consuming alcohol, and eventually leads him to begin drinking again. She begins to destroy his life from here onwards, as he loses his life’s work, and ultimately kills himself. Hedda considers this kind of cruel manipulation as an art than anything. When she gives him a pistol for him to kill himself, she explains that he should “let it happen…beautifully.” This not only emphasises the lack of meaning in a woman’s life in Victorian settings as Hedda must resort to finding artfulness in murder, but also highlights the comparatively much greater prospectus for interest, action, and adventure in a man’s life than in a

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