THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF MAIN CHARACTER’S
CHARACTERISTICS TO THE TRAGEDY
IN HENRIK IBSEN’S
HEDDA GABLER
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree ofSarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
JEFRY SETIAWAN Student Number: 084214083
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
i
THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF MAIN CHARACTER’S
CHARACTERISTICS TO THE TRAGEDY
IN HENRIK IBSEN’S
HEDDA GABLER
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree ofSarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
JEFRY SETIAWAN Student Number: 084214083
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
iv
“Surely your goodness and love
will follow me
all the days of my life.”
v
Dedicated to
vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First, I would like to thank Jesus Christ for giving me His wisdom,
guidance, and grace to finish this undergraduate thesis. I also would like to thank
my advisor and co-advisor, Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd., M.Hum. and Drs. Hirmawan
Wijanarka, M.Hum., who have given a lot of their guidance to help me finish this
study. Many thanks are also dedicated to my academic advisor, Linda Valentina
Budiman, S.S., M.Hum., and all the lecturers for teaching me about many things
in classes that I could use to write on my thesis.
In the process of making this thesis, there are some other supports which
are given to me. I would love to thank my beloved father and mother for their love
and support all the time, especially for giving me a chance to study in Sanata
Dharma University and for always reminding me to finish my thesis. I also would
like to thank all my friends in the campus, especially Vebry, Siska, Cicil, Gustin,
and Vita, for having great times with you all during my college life. I thank them
for the togetherness that they share with me. They are all my spirit.
I also do not forget to give my thanks to all the musicians and friends in
my beloved church, GBI Keluarga Allah Impact Center Yogyakarta. It has been a
pleasure for me to play music and to hang out with all of them, especially to Ezra,
who can be my partner in playing Dream Theater’s songs. He is the first whom
with I can play DT’s songs, and that is great. I also thank one of the musicians
finish this study. All these moments that we share together have become my spirit
during my hard times in finishing this study.
The last, I would like to thank everyone who give me supports that I
cannot mention one by one in this page. I thank them for all the supports, loves,
and spirits that they gave to me. I really appreciate them.
x
2. The Relation between Literature and Psychology ... 10
3. Theory on Tragedy ... 11
C. Theories on Psychology ... 12
1. Pain and Pleasure ... 12
2. Family Ties and Transitions ... 14
3. Stress and Locus of Control ... 14
D. Theoretical Framework ... 15
A. The Characterization of the Main Character ... 20
B. The Tragedies in the Story ... 26
1. Hedda’s Tragedy ... 26
2. Lovborg’s Tragedy ... 30
xii ABSTRACT
JEFRY SETIAWAN. The Contributions of Main Character’s Characteristics to the Tragedy in Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, (2012).
This thesis analyzes a play which was written by Henrik Ibsen entitled Hedda Gabler. This play tells a lot about a main character named Hedda Gabler who has some negative personalities. These personalities will eventually bring herself to the tragedy. Not only do they bring her to the tragedy, but they also bring the other person to the tragedy in his or her life.
In this thesis, there are three main points that are going to be discussed. The first is to characterize the main character, the second is to identify the tragedies that appear in the story, and the last is to find the contribution of her characteristics to the tragedy.
The method that is used in this thesis is library method since many sources are primarily taken from the books. There are also a few sources which are taken from the internet. The approach that is applied in this thesis is psychological approach. It is suitable for this thesis because psychological approach often deals with a person’s personality and mind, and this can be used to reveal the real personality of a main character that eventually can make someone experience a tragedy in his or her life.
xiii ABSTRAK
JEFRY SETIAWAN. The Contributions of Main Character’s Characteristics to the Tragedy in Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, (2012).
Skripsi ini menganalisa sebuah drama yang ditulis oleh Henrik Ibsen yang berjudul Hedda Gabler. Drama ini bercerita banyak mengenai karakter utama bernama Hedda Gabler yang memiliki beberapa kepribadian yang negatif. Beberapa kepribadian inilah yang pada akhirnya akan membawa dirinya masuk ke dalam tragedi. Kepribadiannya tidak hanya membuat dirinya mengalami tragedi, tetapi juga membuat orang lain mengalami tragedi di dalam kehidupannya.
Di dalam studi ini, ada tiga hal utama yang akan dibahas. Pertama adalah mengkarakterisasikan karakter utama, kedua adalah mengidentifikasi tragedi-tragedi yang muncul di dalam cerita, dan yang terakhir adalah mencari kontribusi dari karakteristiknya tersebut kepada tragedi.
Metode yang digunakan di dalam skripsi ini adalah studi pustaka karena sumber-sumber yang diperoleh banyak berasal dari buku. Adapun juga sebagian kecil sumber yang diperoleh dari internet. Pendekatan yang diaplikasikan di dalam skripsi ini adalah pendekatan psikologis. Pendekatan ini sesuai untuk skripsi ini karena pendekatan psikologis sering terhubung dengan kepribadian dan pemikiran seseorang, dan pendekatan ini dapat digunakan untuk mengungkap kepribadian dari karakter utama yang sebenarnya yang pada akhirnya dapat membuat seseorang mengalami tragedi di dalam kehidupannya.
1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
The main object of this study is a literary work. Therefore, it is important
to have a brief understanding by knowing the definition of literature first.
So, ‘literature’ includes forms of writing which deliberately and creatively experiment with language in order to suggest images and ideas which engage the reader’s imagination (Goodman, 1996: vii).
By looking at the quotation, we can see that when reading a literary work, we are
not supposed to read it like the way we read a newspaper or an article.
Imagination is needed to understand the work of literature since it is aimed to be a
creative writing (Goodman, 1996: vii).
In this world, it is undeniable that human beings are created to be different
from one another, as said by Larry A. Hjelle inPersonality Theories.
Human beings come in many shapes and sizes and behave in exceedingly complex ways. Of the several billion people who presently inhabit the earth, no two are exactly alike (1981: 1).
According to the quotation, it is obvious that basically human beings are different
from each other. One of things that make them different is their physical
appearance. We believe that no one in this world has the exact same appearance as
the other person, even twins still have some differences in the appearance. This
makes every single person unique to each other.
The other thing that makes human beings different is the characteristics.
person from each other. Furthermore, it is said by Hjelle, “Personality has also
been viewed as the individual’s most striking or dominant characteristics” (1981:
6). This means that dealing with characteristics also means dealing with
personalities. Whether one’s personality is good or bad, it can give some effects
and contributions in some aspects in the real life. Elizabeth B. Hurlock stated in
the book entitled Personality Development that “A ‘pleasing’ personality has ‘a
marketable value’ in a complex society and is highly prized and sought after”
(1974: 1). It can be seen that a positive personality is something which is
respected by people or society.
From the previous statement, it can also be inferred that people with
positive personalities will bring a good impact to the society and they will receive
a lot of respects. This represents a positive personality will also give a good
contribution. However, in this study, the focus will be on discussing the
personality which tends to be negative and its contribution in life.
One example of negative personalities is being ignorant. Basically, people
in general do not want to think about anybody else and they have their own
problems and business to deal with. For them, to deal with their own problems is
frustrating enough, moreover if they have to deal with the other people’s business.
The concrete example of ignorance is in the world of business. People are
fighting against each other to be the best, to get everything that they want, even
they have to hurt the other people’s feelings which even might be their own
siblings to achieve their goals. These attitudes can lead to the broken kinship that
build a friendship between them. Friendship also can be broken if one or more
people cannot give an understanding towards them. A good friendship can be
build by putting their ego so that they will not only think about themselves, but
also to the others. This does not only happen in a friendship, but it can be also the
other kind of relationship, such as in a love relationship, family, and more. There
is a statement that was said by Martin Luther King Jr., “Nothing in the world is
more dangerous than sincere ignorance and consciencious stupidity”
(http://mistupid.com/people/page019.htm). This statement wants to emphasize
that ignorance is something which is really dangerous because it can hurt other
people’s feeling.
The play Hedda Gabler written by Henrik Ibsen is used as the object to
analyze because this play represents the condition similar to above where one or
more aspects of life can be affected because of one’s characteristics. The play
Hedda Gabler tells a story about a woman as a main character who has several
negative characteristics. One of the examples is that she is ignorant. She is
ignorant towards her husband, especially in his work. Not only she is ignorant
towards her husband, but also towards the other people. Also, she just does
anything she likes without thinking about the consequences of doing that action.
In this thesis, the topic that is going to be discussed is about the
contributions of main character’s characteristics to the tragedy. The reason why
this topic is chosen is to find out how her characteristics give the contributions
that can lead to her tragic life in the end as the main focus. Not only do they
focuses on the main character because this play tells a lot about Hedda Gabler as
the main character.
B. Problem Formulation
To be able to understand this play better, three problems are formulated as
follows.
1. How is the main character characterized?
2. How is the tragedy identified in the story?
3. How do the characteristics give the contributions to the tragedy in life?
C. Objectives of the Study
In order to make this thesis become more focused, the objectives which are
going to be achieved are narrowed down into three. The first objective is to find
out the characteristics of the main character. After identifying the characteristics,
the next objective will be identifying the tragedies happening in the story. The last
objective after identifying the characteristics and the tragedies is to find the
relation between those two things by finding out the contributions of her
characteristics to the tragedy in life.
D. Definition of Terms
To avoid any ambiguity to understand this study, it is necessary to give
1. Character
Characters are the persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral, dispositional, and emotional qualities that are expressed in what they say – the dialogue– and by what they do – theaction.
(Abrams, 1993: 23)
According to the statement, characters are the persons who have some
emotional qualities. They are manifested through the speech among the
characters, or through the actions and behaviours.
2. Tragedy
According to The New Oxford American Dictionary Second Edition,
tragedy is defined as “An event causing great suffering, destruction, and
distress, such as serious accident, crime, or natural catastrophe” (Kean, 2005:
1786). Through the quotation, it can be concluded that tragedy is closely
related to the condition where suffering, distress, and even destruction occurs
in a person’s life due to some events. The term “tragedy” is also defined in a
literary context as representations of important actions that can results in a
6 CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review of Related Studies
Hedda Gableris a story about Hedda, the wife of Jorgen Tesman, who has some negative personalities. One of them is ignorant. Because of her ignorance, she cannot find any happiness in her marriage although her husband really loves her. This was stated by a reviewer.
She has recently married, but, for a young bride, is uncharacteristically cheerless. She lives in a grand house with a husband who adores her, but she seems unaware or apathetic of these things that could bring her joy (http://hubpages.com/hub/Strife-A-Critical-Review-of-Ibsens-Play-Hedda-Gabler).
The study above will also be a part of the discussion in this study. However, this study will not only discuss one personality, but there are more several negative personalities which will be revealed.
Another statement was said by a reviewer about the main character’s characteristics. It was stated that
She hides Ejlert’s manuscript and encourages him to commit suicide even hands him one of her pistol. And in the ultimate act of selfishness, she commits suicide at the end (Cuizon, 2008).
feeling. Instead of handing the manuscript back to Lovborg, she tells him indirectly to do a suicide.
In the play, Hedda is also represented as somebody who wants to be independent from anyone. She does not want to be considered as a unity with her husband in her marriage. Therefore, she always thinks about herself all the time, also she does not want to depend on her husband like a wife in general. This is shown through her name “Hedda Gabler”.
Even though Hedda is married to Jorgen Tesman, she is presented as "Hedda Gabler" in the title, and later as "General Gabler's daughter" (Act I). The title does not only suggest her independence from her husband, but her independence from any other person in the play (http://www.helium.com/items/149636-literary-analysis-hedda-gabler-by-henrik-ibsen, 2007).
Another statement was given by Ari Nuryanti, a graduated student of Sanata Dharma University, in her thesis entitled The Significance of Symbols as a Reflection of Hedda’s Authoritarian Character in Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler. She also said that the main character, Hedda, is a selfish person. It is represented through her action that she cannot place herself in an appropriate situation and does not care about other people’s feeling. This is the following statement.
Here, Hedda’s selfishness is showed by her playing music in a wrong situation. She plays wild dance tone while the people in the house are sad about Lovborg and Aunt Rina’s death. She does not care about other’s feeling. It shows Hedda as an authoritative person supported by her selfishness (2000: 32).
The pistols have important meaning for Hedda because they can be good companions when she is lonely and she has nothing to do. Unfortunately, she also uses it to get her own satisfaction and forget others’ safety. She uses to make fun of other’s life and to play God (2000: 25).
Another concept of authoritarianism is also discussed in the other undergraduate thesis entitled The Concept of Determinism as Reflected in the Dramatic Character in Ibsen’s Hedda Gablerby Ririn Mardiana. It is stated that Hedda has an influence to make someone inferior and make someone to do something that she wants.
Hedda has power toward Miss Tesman. She can make Miss Tesman feels inferior. In order to please Hedda, she buys a new bonnet and parasol. She has bought those things without Hedda’s knowing before. This means Hedda can influence other people to do something to please her. Hence, Hedda has the power over the Tesmans (2000: 36).
It is also discussed in Mardiana’s undergraduate thesis that Hedda is represented as a cruel character. It can be seen through the way she dresses in black.
In act IV Hedda dresses in black. Besides showing her condolence toward her aunt’s death, her dress shows how dark her heart is. In this act, it presents the darkness of the spirit that she has. She is cold, cruel, and hypocritical. Those characteristics are shown in the other details of her dramatic character (2000: 36).
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theory of Characterization
In order to reveal the characteristics of the main character in the play, we need to use characterization theories. One of the theories is from M.H. Abrams, who says that the way of characterizing people is divided into two ways, showing and telling.
In showing, the author simply presents the characters acting and talking and leaves the reader to infer the motives and dispositions that lie behind what they say and do… In telling, the author intervenes authoritatively in order to describe, and often to evaluate, the motives and dispositions qualities of the character (Abrams, 1993: 24).
This theory indicates that by looking at the way a character talks and acts, we can figure out the real characteristics of a character, even the real motives of doing something in the deepest heart of a character.
The similar theory was stated by Christopher R. Reaske in his book entitled How to Analyze Drama. He stated that in drama, the way of characterizing a person must be shown through the dialogues (1966: 40). Furthermore, he also mentioned some devices of characterization in drama.
1. The Appearance of the Character
The physical appearance is described by the playwright in the stage direction to give the first understanding of a character (1966: 46).
2. Asides and Soliloquies
3. Dialogue between Characters
The characteristic of a character is described through the way he or she talks to the other characters (1966: 47).
4. Hidden Narration
The character is described in a way where another character narrates something about that character (1966: 47).
5. Language
The personality of a character is described through the use of language and expressions when he or she talks to another character (1966: 48).
6. Character in Action
The character is depicted through the way he or she acts in the play to give a better insight of his or her personality (1966: 48).
From those six devices of characterization according to Reaske, all of them are important ways to define a person’s characteristics. It can be noticed that most of those ways of characterizing concern on the dialogues. According to the author, the dialogues are the most effective ways to define characteristics, especially in a drama or play, which does not have any narration or description (1966: 40).
2. The Relation between Literature and Psychology
psychology can gain something from the other fields and vice versa. One of the fields are literature. He stated that
A good novelist can communicate the feelings of his fictional characters and make them seem more lifelike than the real people whose behavior the psychologist attempts to describe. Plays and films can produce the same result. Writers can use the understanding provided by psychologists to enrich their stories, and psychologists can gain their understanding of human behavior by drawing from deep sensitivity of good authors (Kalish, 1966: 8).
From the statement above, it can be inferred that basically a world of psychology and literature can gain knowledge each other. The characters in works of literature can be created more lifelike and complex by applying the authors’ understanding on human beings psychologically. While psychologists, at the same time, can get more understanding about human behaviors through the characters depicted in literary works by the authors.
3. Theory on Tragedy
Since this study is also focusing on tragedies, it is also important to give a theory that explains about tragedy. The purpose of the theory is to give justification so that all the tragedies presented in this study can be classified as a tragedy according to what the theory will say.
it can be inferred that basically a tragedy is always connected to destruction or suffering in someone’s life, and the suffering or destruction that happens always has a reason. The destruction can be various. It can be physical, such as deaths that can be caused by accidents, crimes, or natural catastrophe (Kean, 2005), or it can be mental, such as frustration and misfortunes.
C. Theories on Psychology
1. Pain and Pleasure
It is stated earlier that one’s characteristics can give some effects to the aspects in the real life. One of the aspects is the tragedy. In this part, we are going to see some theories about characteristics that can give some contributions to the tragedy in real life. The first theory that will be discussed is about pain and pleasure. Richard Dewey stated in the book entitled The Development of Human Behaviorthat
One of the most obvious of all of the principles of activity on the human level is the one which points out that we do what is pleasurable and avoid that which is unpleasant (1951: 187).
From the statement, it is obvious that human beings tend to get pleasures in life and avoid things which makes them under pressures.
not allowed to seek his or her own interest (1951: 187). It means that a selfish person will do anything to satisfy himself or herself without thinking of other people. Another statement about pleasure and pain was further given by Richard Dewey. It is stated that
Careful observation of the behavior of others, as well as introspection, will evidence the truth of the statement that we never do anything that we do not want to do, at least in the sense that what we do is less unpleasant than suffering the consequences of not having done it (1951: 187).
By looking at the quotation, we can see that people tend to get pleasures by avoiding the consequences of things they have done. Running away from all those tense conditions that people experience will make them feel the pleasure because they will be free of all pressures and pain. This kind of situation is still happening until now.
The example is a lot of suicide cases which happen recently. This example really represents the condition of avoiding pressures and difficulties in life. They think that death is the most suitable way to run away from those pressures.
Psychologically, there are some reasons why people tend to avoid the pressures in the real life. Some of them can be the anxiety and fear. Richard A. Kalish stated that “Two familiar emotional states are fear and anxiety. Fear is a response to an actual stimulus” (Kalish, 1966: 133). Furthermore, it is also stated by Kalish that
themselves in the future, and they are not able to escape from the consequences they have to accept.
2. Family Ties and Transitions
Another contribution of one’s characteristics also, in fact, can happen in the marriage life. In the book entitled Development in Adulthood, Barbara H. Lemme stated that
In the transition from prenuptial bliss to reality, from the family of origin to the marital family, and from a passion-based to a companionate relationship, commitment to stick with the relationship may determine which marriages are likely to survive. In addition, having or being a spouse who has the qualities of a good friend – caring, integrity, sensitivity, warmth, acceptance – will be a tremendous asset (1995: 262). In the quotation, it can be seen that a good marriage will be well-maintained if there are elements, such as caring and warmth.
However, if someone does not have those elements which are stated above, like caring, warmth, and sensitivity, he or she will not be happy in the marriage since they are important elements. The husband and wife need to care to each other so that the marriage will be in happiness. It cannot just be done by only the husband or the wife. Also, an acceptance towards the husband or wife will be a key to the long-lasting marriage. Otherwise, he or she will be ungrateful and always look at his or her marriage as a burden in his or her life.
3. Stress and Locus of Control
an attitude that can lead himself or herself, and even the other people, to the tragic situation. Lemme says in his theory that, “Stress occurs when a person perceives an event as threatening and feels overwhelmed, helpless, and unable to cope” (1995: 400). This means that when a person is facing something which makes the person threatened and unable to overcome it, the person will feel stressed. According to the theory, stress can lead someone to have many emotional responses, such as anger, annoyance, or grief (1995: 400). Further explanation was given by Lemme that,
The general rule is that as stress increases, negative emotions increase. Stress can impair cognitive ability and task performance, disrupting attention, concentration, memory, and judgment. It can lead, too, to interpersonal problems as the individual becomes self-absorbed, insecure, irritable, and so on (1995: 400-401).
Stress does not only lead someone to some negative expressions, but also there are some effects. The effects of stress can be dangerous. There are some symptomps when somebody gets some depressions in life, such as feeling of hopelessness, pessimism, and thoughts of suicide or death (Lemme, 1995: 416).
D. Theoretical Framework
character. Another theory of characterization that will be used is from Christopher R. Reaske. This theory will be used to reveal the characteristics by looking at the language, hidden narration, dialogue between characters, etc.
The next theory that will be used in this study is the theory that explains about tragedy. The theory that will be used is from Edward J. Gordon. The theory will be used to give explanation on what kind of tragedy that becomes the focus of this study, so that all the tragedies which are presented and discussed in this study are the same with the tragedy which is defined by the theory.
17
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
Hedda Gabler is a play which is written by Henrik Ibsen. It is a novel consisting of 100 pages and was first published in 1950 by Penguin Books in Australia, and it was also published together along with the other two plays from Henrik Ibsen, which areThe Pillars of the CommunityandThe Wild Duck. Those three plays are translated into English by Una Eilis Fermot.
This play was first performed in Munich at the Königliches Residenz-Theater on 31 January 1891, with Clara Heese as Hedda. The first British performance was at the Vaudeville Theatre, London, on 20 April the same year, starring Elizabeth Robins, who directed with Marion Lea, who played Thea (Mrs. Elvsted).
Hedda Gabler is a story of a woman who has some personalities which tend to be negative. During her life, she is likely to do something that can ruin someone’s feeling, and what she does can even put herself in a danger situation which can finally make her life end tragically.
B. Approach of the Study
of the psychological criticism, which is to analyze a work of literature by identifying the personality and mind of the characters so that we can clearly understand what is going on in the story.
The psychological criticism is suitable to this study because this study discusses a lot about characteristics, especially on the main character. Dealing with one’s characteristics means dealing with one’s personalities, and personality is one of the scopes in the world of psychology. That is the reason why psychological criticism is used. This criticism will be used to analyze the personality of the main character and to prove that personality can give effects to one or several aspects in life.
C. Method of the Study
This study is considered as a library research because it deals with the sources from the books. The primary work analyzed is Hedda Gabler written by Henrik Ibsen. Some of the theories used are taken from A Glossary of Literary Terms written by M.H. Abrams, Development in Adulthood by Barbara Hansen Lemme, The Psychology of Human Behavior by Richard A. Kalish, and many more. There are also some studies taken from the internet and the undergraduate thesis.
20
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
In this analysis, there are three problems that are going to be discussed.
The first is analyzing the characteristics of the main character, the second is
identifying the tragedy in the story, and the last is finding out the contributions of
characteristics to the tragedy.
A. The Characterization of the Main Character
In this study, the writer is going to find out the characteristics of the main
character, Hedda Gabler. In order to find out those characteristics, some ways of
revealing the characteristics will be used. In this section, the writer is going to
give several evidences in some of the scenes that show and represent the
characteristics.
The first characteristic that Hedda has is rude. Her rudeness is shown in
some scenes in the story. The evidence is in the beginning of the play when Hedda
treats Miss Tesman, the husband’s aunt.
MISS TESMAN. [gazing at her with clasped hands]. Hedda is lovely – lovely – lovely! [She goes up to Hedda, takes her head in both hands, and, bending it down, kisses her hair.] May God bless and take care of our Hedda. For Jorgen’s sake.
HEDDA[freeing herself gently]. Oh – let me go.
MISS TESMAN[quietly, but with emotion]. I shall come over and see you two every single day.
The method used to analyze this characteristic is Abram’s method which is
showing. In showing, the readers infer the personality of a person by looking at
the way the person acts and talks (1993: 24). From the quotation, it can be seen
that there is rudeness in the way Hedda talks and reacts to Miss Tesman. In the
dialogue, Miss Tesman is represented as an old woman who really likes Hedda.
She puts a lot of adoration towards Hedda. It is clearly stated in the Miss
Tesman’s utterance, “Hedda is lovely – lovely – lovely!”, and in the action, she
gently touches Hedda’s face and kisses her. While Miss Tesman is showing her
affection to Hedda, Hedda says to Miss Tesman, “Oh - let me go.” Her rudeness is
also strengthened through her reaction towards Miss Tesman. Although it is stated
in the stage direction that Hedda tries to free herself gently in the action, it is still
a rude attitude, because what Hedda does to Miss Tesman can actually make Miss
Tesman feel offended. But due to the kindness of Miss Tesman, she does not take
that as an offense and she still loves and adores Hedda.
There is also another evidence that shows the rudeness towards Miss
Tesman. It is represented through Hedda’s conversation with her husband, Jorgen
Tesman.
TESMAN. If you could bring yourself to speak a little more affectionately to her – as if you were one of the family. For my sake, Hedda? Eh?
HEDDA. No, no. You musn’t ask me to do that. I’ve told you that once already. I’ll try to call her ‘Aunt’, and that must be enough.
TESMAN. Oh well, all right. Only it seems to me now that you belong to the family –
HEDDA. Well, I really don’t know. ... [She goes up towards the centre doorway.]
In the dialogue, the rudeness towards Miss Tesman is revealed through language;
one of devices of characterization where the character is described through the use
of language and expressions when he or she talks to another character (Reaske,
1966: 48). In this dialogue between Hedda and Tesman, Tesman tells Hedda to
speak a little more affectionately to Miss Tesman. Based on that utterance, it can
be concluded that the language and the expression that Hedda used did not show
any affection and respect to Miss Tesman when Hedda talked to her. Although her
husband asks Hedda to do that for him, she still insists of not doing that.
The next characteristic which is going to be discussed is ignorant. The
evidence that shows the ignorance of Hedda Gabler is in the situation when Miss
Tesman gives Tesman a present.
TESMAN [opening it]. Well, I’m blessed! You’ve kept them for me, Aunt Julle! That really is sweet of her, Hedda, isn’t it? Eh?
HEDDA[by the what-not on the right]. Yes, my dear. What is it?
TESMAN. My old morning shoes. My slippers – look! ...
In the dialogue between Tesman and Hedda above, we can see Hedda’s ignorance
obviously by using a dialogue between characters; where the personality of a
character can be revealed through the way he or she speaks to another character
(Reaske, 1966: 47). In this case, the other character is Tesman. When Tesman
receives the present from Miss Tesman and then asks Hedda to take a look at it,
“No, thanks. It really doesn’t interest me.” By looking at that dialogue, we can
also see that Hedda does not care about her husband’s feeling after getting a
present by saying, “Not for me, particularly.” For Hedda, it is not important at all.
What she really cares about is just herself.
Another characteristic that is going to be revealed from the main character
is selfish. The evidence that represents the selfishness of Hedda is shown almost
at the end of the play when Hedda is playing a piano in an appropriate condition.
The situation and the dialogue is the following.
[Hedda goes into the inner room and draws the curtains after her. There is a short pause. Suddenly she is heard playing a wild dance tune on the piano.]
MRS ELVSTED[jumping up from her chair]. Oh! What is that?
TESMAN[running to the doorway]. But, Hedda, my dearest – don’t play dance music this evening. Think of Aunt Rina! And of Ejlert, too! (p. 363)
Through this excerpt, the selfishness is revealed by using one of the methods of
characterization which is called character in action; where one’s characteristic is
depicted through the his or her own actions (Reaske, 1966: 48). In this scene, the
author uses the stage direction as the mean to tell the action. In the stage direction
provided, it is stated that Hedda is playing a piano with a wild dance tune. From
it, we can infer that Hedda’s behavior or action is showing the selfishness because
she is playing a piano on such joyful tones while everyone is still in grief due to
Aunt Rina’s and Lovborg’s death. She cannot place herself in an appropriate
condition and she does that without concerning the situation. Through the scene, it
Another personality which can be revealed from the main character is
heartless. This personality is revealed through the scene when Hedda is sitting
alone and burning the manuscript on the fire stove.
[Hedda listens a moment at the door. Then she goes across to the writing-table and takes out the manuscript in its package. She glances inside the wrapper, pulls some of the sheets half out and looks at them. Then she goes across and sits down in the easy-chair by the stove with the packet in her lap. After a moment, she opens the stove-door and then the pocket.]
HEDDA [throwing some of the leaves into the fire and whispering to herself]. Now I am burning your child, Thea. You, with your curly hair. [Throwing a few more leaves into the stove.] Your child and
Lovborg. We can see the reason why the script is regarded as a child through the
following scene.
MRS ELVSTED. Do you know, Ejlert, this, what you have done to the book – all my life, it will seem to me as if you had killed a little child.
LOVBORG. You are right. It is like murdering a child. (p. 342)
Mrs. Elvsted and Lovborg consider the script as their child because they were
working together to make it. If it is considered as their child, it means that the
script is very precious to them. However, Hedda has destroyed the manuscript on
purpose and she clearly knows that it is really precious to Elvsted and Lovborg.
That is the reason why Hedda says that she is burning a child instead of burning a
Her heartlessness is also shown in the other scene when Hedda is giving
something to Lovborg as souvenir.
[She goes to the writing-table and opens the drawer and the pistol case. She comes back to Lovborg again with one of the pistols.]
LOVBORG[looking at her]. Is that the souvenir?
HEDDA[nodding slowly]. Do you recognise it? It was aimed at you once.
LOVBORG. You should have used it then.
HEDDA. There it is. Use it yourself now.
LOVBORG[putting the pistol in his breast pocket]. Thanks.
HEDDA. And beautifully, Ejlert Lovborg. Promise me that. (p. 344)
In the scene, Hedda gives Lovborg a gun as a souvenir. What Hedda does to
Lovborg is showing her heartlessness because by doing that, she is provoking
Lovborg to commit suicide. Her provocation to Lovborg is also shown through
her speech, “There it is. Use it yourself now.” From those scenes, Hedda is
classified as a heartless person.
The next characteristic on the main character that is going to be analyzed
is ungrateful. This characteristic can be observed through the scene where the
conversation between Hedda and Brack happens in Act two.
HEDDA. Oh, he did all right. Rummaging in libraries is the most No, my dear sir. I was excruciatingly bored.
(p. 298)
The ungrateful characteristic is shown by using one of Reaske’s ways of
characterization which is the dialogue between characters, in this case between
Hedda and Brack. In the dialogue, she is expressing her ungratefulness by telling
we can see that Hedda does not have any intention to put her interest in what her
husband is doing and accept everything from her husband. Instead she just keeps
saying that she was bored with what her husband was doing in the trip.
B. The Tragedies in the Story
After identifying the characterization of the main character in the previous
analysis, this study will discuss the tragedies that appear in the story. As explained
in the definition of terms and the theories on tragedy, tragedy is basically related
to a condition where a person is experiencing destruction, suffering, or distress
due to some reasons and problems. In this study, the writer is going to discuss
some events in the story that reflect on the kinds of tragedy which usually happen
in the real life.
There are two subtopics that will be discussed in this part. The first
subtopic will discuss on the tragedies which are experienced by the main
character, Hedda Gabler. The tragedy in Hedda’s life happens in her marriage life
with Tesman and also in a condition when she commits suicide. The next subtopic
will give discussion on the tragedies that happen in Lovborg’s life. The tragedy in
his life happen when he is in desperation due to his career and also in his death.
1. Hedda’s Tragedy
The first discussion is the tragedies that happen to Hedda. The tragedy
scene can be found in Act Two where a conversation between Hedda and Brack
happens.
HEDDA. Oh, he did all right. Rummaging in libraries is the most entrancing occupation he knows. Sitting and copying out old parchments, or whatever they are.
BRACK [with a touch of malice]. After all, that is his vocation in life. Partly, at least.
HEDDA. Oh yes, quite; it is. And of course then one can – But as for me! No, my dear sir. I was excruciatingly bored.
(p. 298)
This scene shows that Hedda is not happy in her marriage through her saying that
she is excruciatingly bored. She cannot stand with her husband who always deals
with his works and libraries. That is why, for her having such a husband only puts
her in boredom. This reflects to one kind of tragedies that usually happens in
someone’s life where one cannot be happy in his or her marriage life, which later
may end up divorcing.
Another scene that represents Hedda’s unhappy marriage can also be seen
in another dialogue between Hedda and Brack.
HEDDA. Well, you can just imagine it for yourself. To go a whole six months and never meet a soul even remotely connected with our circle. Not a soul to talk to about the things we’re interested in.
BRACK. Well, yes. I should feel the lack of that too.
HEDDA. And then, what’s the most intolerable thing of all ...
BRACK. Well?
HEDDA. Everlastingly having to be with ... with one and the same person...
....
HEDDA. Jorgen Tesman is – a learned man, you must remember.
BRACK. Admittedly.
HEDDA. And learned man are not entertaining as travelling companions. Not in the long run, anyhow.
In this conversation, another distress experienced by Hedda is shown. She is not
happy in her marriage because she says that she considers her husband as
someone who is not entertaining. She feels as if that there is no chemistry between
them since she says that her soul did not connect to her husband’s. Therefore,
whenever it comes to have a chat with her husband, she is not comfortable
because there is nothing to talk to that interests her.
The reason why Hedda does not find any happiness in her marriage life
with Tesman can be observed through this following conversation between Hedda
and Brack.
HEDDA. I had simply danced myself out, my dear sir. My time was up. [With a little start.] Ah, no! I’m not going to say that. Nor think it either.
BRACK.And, by Jove, you have no reason to!
HEDDA. Oh, reason! [Watching him rather carefully.] And Jorgen Tesman...one must admit that he’s a thoroughly good creature.
HEDDA. And I can’t see that there’s anything actually ridiculous about him. Do you think there is?
....
HEDDA [with a weary expression]. Yes, so I did. And since he insisted with might and main on being allowed to support me, I don’t know why I shouldn’t accepted the offer.
(pp. 299-300)
Hedda cannot find happiness in her marriage because she does not actually love
Tesman. She accepted Tesman as her husband just because her time is up. She
feels that not having a husband at her age is such a shame for her. Since she meets
Tesman and finds that Tesman is, at least, a good man and he always supports her,
she feels she has no reason to neglect him. This situation can be classified as a
tragedy. As explained in the theory that tragedy deals with misfortunes (Gordon,
wrong decision in choosing a husband that eventually puts her in an unhappy
marriage life.
The next tragedy that happens in Hedda’s life is the death of herself. The
scene can be observed at the very end of the play in Act Four.
[A shot is heard within. Tesman, Mrs. Elvsted, and Brack jump up.]
TESMAN. Ah! Now she’s playing with the pistols again.
[He pulls the curtains aside and runs in. So does Mrs. Elvsted. Hedda is lying lifeless, stretched out on the sofa. Confusion and cries. Berte comes in distractedly from the right.]
Hedda is dead is stated in the stage direction that states she is lying lifelessly and
stretched out on the sofa. Her death makes everyone sad, especially Tesman and
Brack. Tesman’s sadness is shown in the stage direction that states he is shrieking
to Brack, and Brack’s sadness is also stated in the stage direction that he is
half-collapsed after seeing Hedda’s death. In the theory, it is stated that a tragedy is
dealing with the reason a man suffers (Gordon, 1973: 1). It is also stated that
tragedy is related to actions that can lead to a disastrous conclusion (Abrams,
1993: 212). This means that a tragedy is connected to an action that can cause
destruction or disaster. This scene is considered as a tragedy since it concerns to
the physical destruction of Hedda Gabler which is caused by her act of
2. Lovborg’s Tragedy
After discussing the tragedies in Hedda’s life, the next thing to discuss is
the tragedies that happen to Lovborg. The first tragedy that happens to Lovborg
occurs in the scene where Lovborg is in desperation. This scene can be found in
Act Three where the dialogue between Hedda and Lovborg occurs.
HEDDA.About the manuscript?
LOVBORG. Yes. I didn’t tear it to pieces. Nor throw it into the fjord, either.
HEDDA.Well, but – where is it, then? ....
LOVBORG. Suppose now, Hedda, that a man, along towards morning, say, after a wild, riotous night, came home to his child’s mother and said: Look here. I have been here and there, in such-and-such places. And I took the child with me. In such-and-such places. And I lost the child. Lost it completely. The devil knows what hands it’s fallen into, who’s got it in his clutches.
HEDDA. Oh but, when all’s said and done, this – well, this was only a book.
LOVBORG. Thea’s whole soul was in that book.
HEDDA. Yes, I understand that.
LOVBORG. And so you understand also that there is no future before us, her and me.
(pp. 343-344)
Through the conversation above, it can be seen that Lovborg is in a great
desperation due to the lost of his manuscript. The lost of the manuscript can be
observed through Lovborg’s long speech that tells about him “losing a child”. He
tells Hedda about the lost of the script just as losing a child because the script is
very precious to him and also his partner, Elvsted. For him, without the
manuscript, he becomes desperate and he feels that there is no future before him
anymore. According to the theory on tragedy, it is explained that tragedy deals
with the reason why a man can suffer (Gordon, 1973: 1). This scene can be
due to an event, in this case, the lost of the manuscript, that causes him to go to
his downfall in his life or career.
Another tragedy that appears in Lovborg’s life can be found in the Act
Four where Hedda and Brack are having a conversation.
BRACK. No. This affair of Ejlert Lovborg did not happen quite as I described it.
HEDDA [in suspense]. Have you been keeping something back? What is it?
BRACK. For poor Mrs. Elvsted’s sake I did make one or two slight modifications.
HEDDA. What were they?
BRACK. In the first place, he is actually dead already. ....
BRACK. It does, rather. For I must tell you Ejlert Lovborg was found shot in – in Mademoiselle Diana’s boudoir.
HEDDA [half gets up, but sinks back again]. That’s impossible, Mr Brack. He can’t have been there again today!
BRACK. He was there this afternoon. He came to demand something that, he said, they had taken away from him. Talked wildly about a child, that had been lost –
(p. 358)
Another tragedy that can be inferred through the conversation above is the death
of Lovborg. The death is caused by a gun shot to his body at Mademoiselle
Diana’s boudoir. He comes to Diana’s place to make an accusation to her due to
the lost of the script because he thinks that she is the one who stole it. The real
cause of Lovborg’s death is still unknown in the story, whether it is accident or
homicide. It can be noticed through the following assumption by Brack in Act
Four.
BRACK. ...Both you and Mademoiselle Diana. She will have to explain how the thing happened. Whether it was accident or homicide. ...Did he try to pull the pistol out of his pocket to threaten her? And is that how it went off? Or did she snatch the pistol out of his hand, shoot him and put it back in his pocket again?...
Gordon explained in his theory that tragedy is connected to the sufferings or
destruction (1973: 1). The destruction can be caused by some events, such as
crime, accident, natural catastrophe (Kean, 2005: 1786). In this case, this scene
can also be classified as a tragedy because there is a great destruction in
Lovborg’s life physically, which is his death, due to a crime or an accident.
C. The Contributions of Characteristics to the Tragedies
The next discussion after discussing the characteristics of the main
character and identifying all the tragedies in the story is the discussion on the
contributions of characteristics to the tragedies. It is already discussed in the first
chapter of the study that basically one’s personality can give an impact in life. A
personality which is pleasing has “a marketable value” that will be respected and
highly prized. In other words, one’s positive personality will bring a positive
contribution to one’s life and the other people (1974: 1). On the contrary, one’s
negative personality will bring a negative contribution as well. In this part, the
writer is going to give explanations on how Hedda’s characteristics that tend to be
negative can bring tragedies in her own life and the other’s. The first analysis will
be Hedda’s characteristic contributions to her tragedies, and the next will be its
contributions to Lovborg’s.
The first tragedy that happens in Hedda’s life is the unhappy marriage with
Jorgen Tesman. The things that contribute to her unhappy marriage can be seen
through some excerpts and conditions. First of all, it can be seen through her
from Aunt Rina. He wants Hedda to see it by saying, “My old morning shoes. My
slippers – look!” (p. 274), but Hedda is not interested to take a look at it and she
says, “No, thanks. It really doesn’t interest me” (p. 274). The next can be
observed through her ungratefulness in Act Two where Hedda is having a
chit-chat with Judge Brack about her business trip with Tesman. In the chit-chit-chat,
Hedda sighs and shows her boredom with Tesman in the business trip. She is
bored with all that Tesman did in the trip about the books, libraries, and
professorship by saying, “Oh yes, quite; it is. And of course then one can – But as
for me! No, my dear sir. I was excruciatingly bored.” These two characteristics
are the triggers of the unhappy marriage that happens in Hedda’s life. According
to the theory of family ties and transitions which is given by Barbara H. Lemme,
to have a well-maintained and long lasting marriage life, there are some elements
needed by the husband and wife. Some of them are caring, sensitivity, warmth,
acceptance, and integrity. By having these kinds of elements, the marriage life
will tend to survive (1995: 262).
In this case, Hedda is lacking these elements. In the situation where
Tesman shows Hedda his pair of shoes and asks her to have a look, she shows her
ignorance and an uninterested expression. As a matter of fact, being ignorant is
something which is contrary to the elements needed in marriage. In other words,
she does not own these personalities to maintain a good marriage life. One of
those is caring. A good wife should show her care to her husband in anything,
including small things, such as showing an interest expression to what the
when Tesman asks her to look at the present as a symbol of her care to Tesman so
that he does not feel disappointed.
The next is when Hedda is expressing her boredom with Tesman in the trip
while she is having a conversation with Brack. In this condition, the elements that
Hedda lacks are caring and acceptance. While Tesman is doing his work in the
trip, Hedda does not have any intention to put her interest expression to what
Tesman is working. It means that Hedda is doing something contradictory to the
caring, which is not to care about Tesman’s work condition especially in his work.
At the same time, she also lacks an acceptance towards Tesman because she
cannot be ungrateful in her marriage with Tesman. She does not want to accept
him in any aspect including his interest and his work. A marriage couple should
be in a companionate relationship (Lemme, 1995: 262), which means they have to
be a company that is always beside him or her and able to accept and support each
other in every aspect, such as in work, career, and more. Therefore, a happy
marriage life will be maintained.
Another thing that contributes to Hedda’s tragedy in her marriage life is
her rudeness to a person who is a part of Tesman’s family, Miss Tesman. It can be
noticed through the situation where Miss Tesman adores and kisses Hedda as a
sign of her affection towards Hedda. Instead of respecting what Miss Tesman
does, Hedda frees herself and shows her rudeness by saying, “Oh – let me go.” (p.
275). Another rudeness to Miss Tesman is shown through the situation when
Tesman warns Hedda to talk more affectionately to Miss Tesman, but she does
Besides her ignorance and ungratefulness, her rudeness is also a key to trigger the
tragedy in her marriage life because she lacks warmth as an element needed for a
happy marriage. When a person is not having warmth, automatically the person is
not able to be kind to other people. In this case, due to her lacking a warmth, she
keeps on being rude towards Miss Tesman and does not think about Miss
Tesman’s feeling. As a part of Tesman’s family, she should learn to give her
warmth and love to the people in the family including Miss Tesman. By doing
that, Hedda can feel happier and more comfortable in her marriage life.
Those are things that contributes to her tragedy in her marriage life. Her
rudeness, ignorance, and ungratefulness towards Tesman and his family are
caused by her mistake of choosing a husband. From the beginning, she is not in
love with Tesman, but she keeps sticking with her decision to marry Tesman. As a
result, she cannot live her marriage life pleasantly that makes her act unpleasantly
to her surroundings. Those unpleasant characteristics that eventually bring a
misfortune in her marriage life.
Another tragedy that happens in Hedda’s life is contributed by her
selfishness. This can be observed through the situation in Act Four where Hedda
is playing a wild dance tone on her piano while everyone is still grieving for
Lovborg and Aunt Rina’s death. In this case, she is selfish because she cannot
place herself in the right situation and does not think about the other people’s
feeling.
However, her selfishness is not only shown in that situation, but also in the
Her death can be noticed through Tesman’s utterance while he is shrieking to
Brack, “Shot herself! Shot herself in the temple! Think of it!” (p. 363). Richard
Dewey stated in his theory called pleasure and pain that basically people tend to
do something pleasurable and avoid anything that is unpleasant. It means that
when people are faced to the situation that is unpleasant for them, they just run
away from it and do not want to suffer any consequence (1951: 187). In the story,
Hedda does the similar situation. She commits suicide because she does not want
to accept the consequence of what she has done. According to Judge Brack
investigation, Hedda is assumed as one of the suspects that causes Lovborg’s
death. It can be seen through this following excerpt.
BRACK. No. But you will have to answer the question: Why did you give Ejlert Lovborg the pistol? And what conclusions will people draw from the fact that you did give it to him?
HEDDA[dropping her head]. That’s true. I didn’t think of that.
BRACK. Well, fortunately there is no danger, so long as I say nothing.
HEDDA [looking up at him]. So I am in your power, Mr. Brack. From now on, you have a hold over me.
(pp. 361-362)
Hedda is involved in Lovborg’s death because she is suspected to be the one who
gave the gun to Lovborg on the day before he is murdered, and it is investigated
that his death is caused by a gunfire in his stomach. It can be noticed through
Brack’s statement, “Yes, there. With a discharged pistol that had gone off in his
breast-pocket. The shot had wounded him fatally.” (p. 358). Once Brack suspects
her, she feels accused and guilty. She cannot stand with the fact that she is in
Brack’s power. As a result, she decides to run away and avoid the consequence by
committing suicide. According to the theory, Dewey states that a selfish person is
he or she cannot find his or her own interest (1951: 187). The act of committing
suicide that Hedda does is a form of selfishness because she does something that
is self-satisfying, in this case, freeing herself from the consequences by
committing suicide. By doing that, she expects that she can get the pleasure since
she can avoid the fact that she is in Brack’s power due to the accusation. Due to
her action which is triggered by her selfishness, it brings her to her own tragedy
which is her own death.
After discussing the contribution of Hedda’s characteristics to her own
tragedy, the writer is going to discuss their contribution to Lovborg’s tragedy. His
tragedy happens in his life because of Hedda’s heartlessness. Her heartlessnesss is
shown through the moment where Hedda is burning Lovborg’s manuscript in the
fire stove that can be a key of his success. While Hedda is burning the script, she
is saying, “Now I am burning your child, Thea. You, with your curly hair...Your
child and Ejlert Lovborg’s.” (p. 345). Instead of saying that she is burning the
manuscript, she is saying “burning your child”. This indicates that she knows the
fact that the manuscript is very precious to Lovborg, yet she still burns it. This
condition contributes to a tragedy in Lovborg’s life, which is his desperation in his
career. In the theory on stress and locus of control given by Barbara H. Lemme,
she states that stress can occur when somebody faces something which is
considered as a threat and it can make him or her helpless (1995: 400). In this
case, Hedda burns Lovborg’s manuscript due to her stress. Hedda considers
Lovborg’s script as a threat for her husband’s career and she cannot stand with
HEDDA. You admitted then that you envied him his work.
TESMAN. Good heavens, I didn’t mean it literally!
HEDDA. All the same, I couldn’t bear the thought of someone else throwing you into the shade.
(p. 350)
From the situation above, it can be seen that Tesman envies Lovborg’s work with
the manuscript although Tesman does not really mean it literally. However,
Hedda sees him as someone who really envies someone’s work, and his envy to
Lovborg makes her stressed since she cannot bear Tesman’s envy that may cause
Tesman sad. According to the theory, stress can trigger some emotional responses,
such as anger, annoyance, or grief. When the stress is increasing, the anger,
annoyance, or grief are increasing as well. Stress can also make someone insecure
and irritable (Lemme, 1995: 400-401). In this case, Hedda feels stressed due to
Tesman’s envy, and as the stress appears, the annoyance and anger also appear in
her. As a result of her annoyance, she is being heartless. She manifests her
annoyance by burning Lovborg’s script so that the threat vanishes and she will not
hear Tesman’s envy anymore in the future. Due to her action, Lovborg’s career is
destroyed and he feels extremely desperate. His desperation can be seen when he
says to Hedda that, “And so you understand also that there is no future before us,
her and me.” (p. 344).
The discussion on Lovborg’s desperation above leads to the next tragedy
in his life, which is his death. His death is also caused by Hedda’s heartlessness.
Through the previous discussion, it can be observed that Lovborg is in desperation
due to the lost of his manuscript. At the same time, the lost of the manuscript
and unable to overcome it. He feels as if there was no future for himself. While he
is in stress, Hedda shows her heartlessness again by indirectly provoking him to
commit suicide. Her heartlessness can be seen through the excerpt when Hedda
gives a gun to Lovborg in the following.
LOVBORG[looking at her]. Is that the souvenir?
HEDDA[nodding slowly]. Do you recognise it? It was aimed at you once.
LOVBORG. You should have used it then.
HEDDA. There it is. Use it yourself now.
LOVBORG[putting the pistol in his breast pocket]. Thanks.
HEDDA. And beautifully, Ejlert Lovborg. Promise me that. (p. 344)
In the theory on stress and locus of control, it is already discussed that stress can
impair cognitive ability and task performance. This means when in stress, a
person’s thought and action will be disrupted (Lemme, 1995: 400). Hedda is
provoking Lovborg to commit suicide beautifully by giving him a gun and ask
him to use it himself. In this case, the stress that he experiences disrupts his action
so that he does something that can be dangerous which is accepting the gun. It is
dangerous because Lovborg might have two motives by accepting the gun. The
first motive he accepts the gun is because he is provoked to commit suicide, since
it is also explained that when somebody is stressed, there are symptomps that can
appear, such as feeling of hopelessness, pessimism, and thoughts of suicide or
death (Lemme, 1995: 416). In this case, the thought of suicide might appear in
Lovborg’s mind while he is in a stressed state. The second motive is that he will
use the gun for another reason, since it is stated in the story that his death is not
caused by a suicide. His death happens when he comes to Mademoiselle Diana’s
manuscript. He is also assumpted by Brack that he might use the gun to threaten
Diana. His acts of accusing Diana and even threatening her by pointing a gun are
trigerred by his stress. The stress disrupts his mind and action, so that he does
something that can endanger someone’s life, in this case, Mademoiselle Diana’s.
His assumption on Lovborg’s act is shown through the following excerpt while he
is investigating the death of Lovborg.
BRACK. ...Did he try to pull the pistol out of his pocket to threaten her? And is that how it went off? Or did she snatch the pistol out of his hand, shoot him and put it back in his pocket again?...
(p. 361)
Through the excerpt, it can be inferred that the cause of Lovborg’s death remains
unknown whether it is an accident or a homicide, and his death becomes a part of
41
CHAPTER V CONCLUSION
This chapter gives brief explanation on what has been analyzed in this
study. The play Hedda Gabler tells about a main character, Hedda Gabler, who
has several characterstics; she is rude, ignorant, selfish, heartless, and ungrateful.
These five characteristics have brought some tragedies in her own life and other’s
life, in this case, Ejlert Lovborg. In Hedda’s life, there are two tragedies that
happen in her life, which are her unhappy marriage and her death. Her unhappy
marriage is contributed by her ignorance and rudeness to Miss Tesman. As a wife,
she does not own the elements needed to build a happy marriage, such as warmth,
caring, acceptance, integrity, and sensitivity. Instead, she keeps being ignorant
and rude to the people in the family that results an unhappy marriage for her. The
next is her death which is contributed by her selfishness. Due to her selfishness,
she commits suicide in order to release herself from the accusation and Judge
Brack’s power. Her act to commit suicide results to her death.
The tragedies also happen in Lovborg’s life. The first is his desperation in
his career that is contributed by Hedda’s heartlessness. Because Hedda considers
Lovborg’s script as a threat for her husband and she cannot stand hearing his envy
to Lovborg, she becomes stressed, gets annoyed and angry. Her stress eventually
makes her burn Lovborg’s script, and that results Lovborg’s downfall in his
career. The next tragedy in Lovborg’s life is his death that is also contributed by
