'Hedda Gabler'- Context Flashcards
‘Separate Spheres’
- Husband and wife only came together at breakfast and dinner
- women were considered physically weak but morally superior- was ok for men to misbehave
- have a great influence at home- one of the reasons why they got the vote
Educating women
- Women’s role in the house was known as ‘Angel of the House’
- important for a girl to soften her erudition with a graceful and feminine manner
Marriage and sexuality
- women were assumed to desire marriage because it allowed them to become mothers
- women had to stay chaste until marriage
- not allowed to speak to men unless there was a married woman in the room
Social society during the 1890s
The traditional class structure that had characterised Norway in the 19th century had been shaken up and the division between the social classes were becoming increasingly blurred
Describe Ibsen’s relationship with Emilie and how it like to Hedda
- met 1889
- She was the inspiration for the starting point of Hedda
- She represented spontaneous experience and the joy of life
- it was her lack of purpose in life that made her potentially dangerous
How is Ibsen like Loevobrg
- Both wanted to find a way “towards a companionship between a man and woman, whereby the true spirit of the individual may emerge” - Loevborg found this with Thea through their relationship based on non-martial companionship
- Loevborg was a warning sign to Ibsen about the consequences of giving into spontaneous emotions
How does Ibsen relate to Tesman
the amount of scorn he poured into Tesman was in effect a subconscious acknowledgement of his own pusillanimity in his dealings with Emilie
What was a working title for the play
‘Hedda’ but Ibsen wanted her “to be regarded as her father’s daughter than as her husband’s wife”
Context of Brack and jury system
Norway had no jury system in 1890s => Brack’s standing in society was very substantial
