| Hedda Gabler | |
|---|---|
 Poster of Alla Nazimova as Hedda Gabler (Sigismund Ivanowski, 1907) | |
| Written by | Henrik Ibsen |
| Date premiered | 1891 |
| Place premiered | Königliches Residenz-Theater Munich, Germany |
| Original language | Danish |
| Subject | A newlywed struggles with an existence she finds devoid of excitement and enchantment |
| Genre | Tragedy |
| Setting | Jørgen Tesman's villa, Kristiania, Norway; 1890s |
Hedda Gabler (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈhɛ̂dːɑ ˈɡɑ̀ːblər]) is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage.[1] The play has been canonized as a masterpiece within the genres of literary realism, nineteenth century theatre, and world drama.[2][3][4] Ibsen mainly wrote realistic plays until his forays into modern drama. Hedda Gabler dramatizes the experiences of the title character, Hedda, the daughter of a general, who is trapped in a marriage and a house that she does not want. Overall, the title character for Hedda Gabler is considered one of the great dramatic roles in theater.[5] The year following its publication, the play received negative feedback and reviews. Hedda Gabler has been described as a female variation of Hamlet.[6]
Hedda's married name is Hedda Tesman; Gabler is her maiden name. On the subject of the title, Ibsen wrote: "My intention in giving it this name was to indicate that Hedda as a personality is to be regarded rather as her father's daughter than her husband's wife."[7]
- ^ Meyer, Michael Leverson, editor and introduction. Ibsen, Henrik. The Wild Duck and Hedda Gabler. W. W. Norton & Company (1997) ISBN 9780393314496. page 7.
- ^ Bunin, Ivan. About Chekhov: The Unfinished Symphony. Northwestern University Press (2007) ISBN 9780810123885. page 26
- ^ Checkhov, Anton. Anton Chekhov's Life and Thought: Selected Letters and Commentary. Editor: Karlinsky, Simon. Northwestern University Press (1973) ISBN 9780810114609 page 385
- ^ Haugen, Einer Ingvald. Ibsen's Drama: Author to Audience. University of Minnesota Press (1979) ISBN 9780816608966. page 142
- ^ Billington, Michael (17 March 2005). "Hedda Gabler, Almeida, London". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
- ^ Ibsen, Henrik (2009). Hedda Gabler: A Play in Four Acts. The Floating Press. ISBN 978-1-77541-642-5.[page needed]
- ^ Sanders, Tracy (2006). "Lecture Notes: Pedda Gabler — Fiend or Heroine". Australian Catholic University. Archived from the original on 2008-10-26. Retrieved 2008-10-05.