What makes a play a tragedy? Generally defined, a Greek tragedy is “a drama of a serious and dignified character that typically describes the development of a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force (such as destiny, circumstance or society) and reaches a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion” (Merriam). The themes of the literary piece revolve around the main character and their actions, reactions, emotions and sufferings.
This main figure is the tragic hero, who also acts as the play’s protagonist. Prompted by will and or ignorance, the tragic hero is confronted at the end of the play with an undeniable fate that results in a sorrowful ending. Although the tragic hero may display characteristics such as integrity, superiority, and a host of other noble qualities, this character seems destined for failure due to a mistake or error known as hamartia (Merriam).
In Henrick Ibsen’s play, Hedda Gabler, the main character Hedda exemplifies the characteristics needed to be considered a tragic hero. In order to gain a better and more detailed understand of the qualities required for a tragic work, we should look to the discussion of tragedy found in Aristotle’s Poetics. He defines tragedy as “an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and possessing magnitude; and effecting through pity and fear the catharsis of such emotions” (Aristotle).
Aristotle goes on to describe the tragic hero as a character that has the ability to induce our sympathy and terror, especially since he or she is not necessarily good or evil, but instead, the character is a mixture of both qualities. Through the course of the play, the tragic hero will experience suffering through a change in happiness to despair because of an error or mistaken act. The error itself is led by the hero’s hamartia and regarded by some scholars as his or her tragic flaw. The hamartia eventually causes a recognition known as anagnorisis and a reversal in action known as peripeteia.
Aristotle believed that a tragedy should contain the following elements: a portrayal of the hero’s innate goodness and superiority; an error which leas to an eventual downfall; a realization in which the hero has realized his own destruction; and a change in events that exceeds the audience’s expectations (Aristotle). The Poetics lays out specific requirements that a tragedy must contain, and the play Hedda Gabler can certainly be interpreted so that it fits the description of a tragedy. At times the reader may feel sympathy towards Hedda. As a child she was raised in a life of comfort and luxury, ut in her new status as Mrs. Tesman, she feels she has become trapped in an unattractive life as a middle-class wife. At other times, however, the reader may feel absolutely no compassion for Hedda because it is obvious that she is spoiled, and impossibly difficult to please because of her exceedingly high standards. She is disrespectful and rude to her husband, and basically all others around her. Quite early on, the reader can gain a sense of how problematic Hedda’s relationship truly is with Tesman. We discover that Hedda may be pregnant, but she avidly refuses to even consider the possibility.
When Hedda declares that she has no taste for things that “make a claim on her freedom”, it is an implication that she not only wishes to be free from the burdens of motherhood, but also the constraints of her wifely duties. This revelation of her character may even suggest that her quest for freedom will end in tragedy. Hedda is also manipulative, controlling, and she constantly lies to those around her. She causes Lovborg to drink even though he is a recovering alcoholic that has been abstinent for years. Further, at the end of Act 3, Lovborg tells Hedda that he has lost his manuscript.
He is so depressed that he says he no longer has the courage to face life, and will “only try and make an end of it all—the sooner the better” (Ibsen). Hedda actually has the manuscript, but instead of preventing his suicide by returning it, she gives him one of her pistols and encourages him to take his life beautifully. Ironically, Lovborg’s death is quite the opposite – he accidentally shoots himself in the chest. Hedda's interest in how Lovborg dies proves that she cares more about the splendor of his death rather than his welfare.
When the character of Hedda Gabler is thoroughly analyzed, one will discover that she seems to be in complete control of her actions as she aims “to shape someone’s destiny. ” By accomplishing this feat – despite how injustice it may appear – Hedda seems as though she will have a fulfilled and favorable life. As the play continues, her control over the lives of others slips way, and in the end, Hedda is the one who is left powerless. This reversal in action is evident when Hedda states to Brack, “So I’m in your power now, Judge” (Ibsen).
The final action of the play not only reveals the true nature of Hedda Gabler, but also serves as the basis for classifying the play as a tragedy. When Hedda learns of the ugliness of Lovborg’s death, she becomes disgusted and decides to commit suicide by shooting herself “beautifully” through the temple with her father's pistol. Her suicide is an act of desperation because she feels that she cannot escape from a disappointing and boring life. Hedda’s sordid situation is largely of her own making, but she will not face reality nor assume responsibility for the consequences of her acts.
With Hedda’s suicide, the plot has been concluded and nothing more about the characters needs to be revealed, thus fulfilling one of the main aspects of an Aristotle tragedy. Aristotle says that Anagnorisis is an essential element of a tragedy. In a literary work, it is “the startling discovery that produces a change form ignorance to knowledge” (Aristotle). It is the recognition by the tragic hero of a truth about his or her identity and is “an understanding of, or higher knowledge gained by an acknowledgment of one’s hamartia” (Aristotle). As Hedda faces the lack of power she will hold in her life, anagnorisis is established.
She has come to the recognition that she has no control. Now, Hedda is faced with a decision that will ultimately determine the tragic essence of the play. She can either attempt to continue to influence other’s lives or she can come to see that this manipulation is meaningless. As the play ends, Hedda says, “From now on I shall be quiet” (Aristotle). These words signify Hedda’s tragic nature. As she realizes that she cannot control anyone, she takes her own life in an effort to avoid further misery. Although I do not think that Hedda is an evil character, she does possess qualities that lead to her suffering and reversal of fortune.
Her decline is the result of bad decisions and the fact that she could not stop their results. Using the guidelines that Aristotle establishes in his Poetics, it is evident that Hedda Gabler is an example of a modern tragedy.
Works Cited
Aristotle. “Poetics. ” The Norton Anthology of World masterpieces, 6th ed. Vol. 1: 831-835. Ibsen, Henrik. “Hedda Gabler. ” The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. Ed. Sarah Lawall. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Eighth Edition, Vo. 2, 2006. “Tragedy. ” Merriam Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature. 1995 ed.
Author: Marian White