Hedda Gabler

by Henrik Ibsen

Overview

A masterpiece of modern theater, Hedda Gabler is a dark psychological drama whose powerful and reckless heroine has tested the mettle of leading actresses of every generation since its first production in Norway in 1890.
Ibsen's Hedda is an aristocratic and spiritually hollow woman, nearly devoid of redeeming virtues. George Bernard Shaw described her as having "no conscience, no conviction … she remains mean, envious, insolent, cruel, in protest against others' happiness." Her feeling of anger and jealousy toward a former schoolmate and her ruthless manipulation of her husband and an earlier admirer lead her down a destructive path that ends abruptly with her own tragic demise.
Presented in this handsome, inexpensive edition, Hedda Gabler offers an unforgettable experience for any lover of great drama or fine literature. Among the most performed and studied of Ibsen's dramas, it continues to provoke and challenge audiences and readers all over the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780486264691
Publisher:	Dover Publications
Publication date:	07/01/1990
Series:	Dover Thrift Editions: Plays
Edition description:	Unabridged
Pages:	80
Sales rank:	374,825
Product dimensions:	5.19(w) x 8.25(h) x (d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Only Shakespeare's plays are performed more frequently than those of Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906). The Norwegian playwright, theater director, and poet scandalized many of his contemporaries as he led the theater into the modern era by exploring the realities behind 19th-century social conventions.

Table of Contents

	Henrik Ibsen: 1828-1906	iv
	Plot	xi
	Commentary
	The biographical and historical context	xxiii
	The geographical and stage environment	xxxiii
	The relationships
	Hedda and Tesman	xlvi
	Hedda and Brack	lii
	Hedda and Loevborg	lvi
	Conclusion	lx
	Hedda Gabler in context	lxv
	Hedda Gabler on stage	lxix
	Further Reading	lxxviii
	Hedda Gabler	1
	Note on the Translation	105
	Notes	106

Editorial Reviews

...stunning...amazingly contemporary in its considerations of the purpose of life, of the preservation of dignity and integrity...the big issues people don't dare to think about. And here is a staging that does not turn away...

NY Times

...by far the best play of the season...HEDDA GABLER has so many layers. The tragedy plays upon the irony, which acts upon fully drawn characters to make up a thoroughly modern work...You won't see a better production of this fascinating play...

Connecticut Post

When Henrik Ibsen...wrote HEDDA GABLER 110 years ago, a woman's place in society was far different from what it is today. The fact that this psychological drama plays as well now as it did a century ago is apt tribute to the sheer genius of the playwright.

The Record-Journal

The production of an Ibsen play impels the inquiry, What is the province of art? If it be to elevate and refine, as we have hitherto humbly supposed, most certainly it cannot be said that the works of Ibsen have the faintest claim to be artistic. We see no ground on which his method is defensible...Things rank and gross in nature alone have place in the mean and sordid philosophy of Ibsen.” —Excerpt from an original review, 1890s, Saturday Morning Review

From the Publisher

It can take a moment to get accustomed to any full-cast audio performance—the varied voices interact at breakneck speed, and pacing that works on the stage sometimes gives a listener pause. In this audio performance, however, once the adjustment is made, the experience is rewarding. Here, Ibsen's play is in full dramatic effect, with Hedda raving and her husband jauntily oblivious as the intrigue of a marriage with a past plays out in our ears. Some performers do amp up their deliveries and stand out starkly as a result, but the key players are effective in portraying the range of emotions explored. This production is a great introduction to classic stage performances and keeps the listener engaged to the surprise ending. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2020 - AudioFile

It can take a moment to get accustomed to any full-cast audio performance—the varied voices interact at breakneck speed, and pacing that works on the stage sometimes gives a listener pause. In this audio performance, however, once the adjustment is made, the experience is rewarding. Here, Ibsen's play is in full dramatic effect, with Hedda raving and her husband jauntily oblivious as the intrigue of a marriage with a past plays out in our ears. Some performers do amp up their deliveries and stand out starkly as a result, but the key players are effective in portraying the range of emotions explored. This production is a great introduction to classic stage performances and keeps the listener engaged to the surprise ending. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2020 - AudioFile