Hedda Gabler: Prose style
17 lenses on prose style for Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 H7 H8 H9 H10 H11 H12 H13 H14 H15 H16 H17
H1. Readability score per chapter. Count
Flesch reading ease for the whole book is about 88 (higher is easier; 60 to 70 is plain English).
Reading ease per chapter, chapter by chapter
H2. Vocabulary range. Count
2,566 different words. On average 45 in every 100 words are new within a 500 word stretch. 1,224 words appear only once.
H3. Signature words: what this author uses far more than others. Count
judge, goes, julia, looks, aunt. See the full lens on the book page.
H4. Adverb and adjective rates. Count
About 15.4 words ending in 'ly' and 5.95 likely adjectives per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
'ly' words per 1,000, chapter by chapter
H5. Share of weak verbs such as "was" and "had". Count
'Was', 'were', 'had', 'is' and 'are' make up 2.5% of all words.
H6. Passive voice rate. Count
About 1.0% of sentences use a passive form such as 'was taken'. (rough estimate from word lists)
H7. Variety of sentence openings. Count
The five most common first words start 37% of sentences: hedda, tesman, brack, elvsted, mrs.
| First word | Sentences |
|---|---|
| hedda | 649 |
| tesman | 376 |
| brack | 258 |
| elvsted | 255 |
| mrs | 214 |
| i | 186 |
| yes | 171 |
| lovborg | 169 |
| and | 128 |
| oh | 127 |
H8. Rhythm: how much sentence length varies. Count
Sentence length varies by 1.08 of its mean on average (higher means a more varied rhythm).
Variation per chapter, chapter by chapter
H9. Similes and metaphors: how many, and of what kind. Both
16 likely similes ('like a', 'as ... as'): 0.59 per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
Ch 1, para 102: [Takes both his hands and looks at him.] What a delight it is to have you again, as large as life, before my very eyes, George! My George--my …
Ch 1, para 247: [Laughing.] Passably! Come, that's good, Hedda! You were sleeping like a stone when I got up.
Ch 1, para 715: So I put together some of my things--what I needed most--as quietly as possible. And then I left the house.
Ch 1, para 971: Well but, Judge Brack--it would show the most incredible lack of consideration for me. [Gesticulates with his arms.] For--just think--I'm a married man! We have married on the …
Ch 1, para 1019: Good heavens, no!--that's as clear as daylight!
Ch 2, para 66: [Leaning further back in the sofa.] Does it not seem like a whole eternity since our last talk? Of course I don't count those few words yesterday evening …
Few explicit similes or metaphors. The play relies on symbolic objects (pistols, manuscripts, vine-leaves) rather than figurative language. Metaphors are embedded in dialogue about power and control.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4
I want for once in my life to have power to mould a human destiny. (Ch 2, para 1005)
At ten o'clock--he will be here. I can see him already--with vine-leaves in his hair--flushed and fearless-- (Ch 2, para 993)
H10. Senses used: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste. Both
Share of sense words. sight 69%, sound 22%, touch 7%, taste 1%, smell 1%. (rough estimate from word lists)
| Sense | Words |
|---|---|
| sight | 198 |
| sound | 63 |
| touch | 21 |
| taste | 4 |
| smell | 3 |
Sight dominates: characters observe each other's appearance and behaviour. Sound through dialogue. Touch minimal. Smell, taste absent. The visual spectacle of Hedda's pistols and Lovborg's imagined appearance matter most.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4
At ten o'clock--he will be here. I can see him already--with vine-leaves in his hair--flushed and fearless-- (Ch 2, para 993)
And as for Eilert Lovborg--he is sitting, with vine-leaves in his hair, reading his manuscript. (Ch 3, para 87)
H11. Repetition, lists of three and other patterns. Both
17 lists of three in the pattern 'a, b and c': 0.63 per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
Repetition of key phrases: vine-leaves in hair (Acts 2, 3, 4), the manuscript, pistols, power. Lists of three are sparse. Patterns emerge through repeated motifs rather than syntactic structures.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4
At ten o'clock--he will be here. I can see him already--with vine-leaves in his hair--flushed and fearless-- (Ch 2, para 993)
And as for Eilert Lovborg--he is sitting, with vine-leaves in his hair, reading his manuscript. (Ch 3, para 87)
H12. Old words that may trip modern readers. Count
Old forms that may trip a modern reader: whilst, thou.
| Word | Times |
|---|---|
| whilst | 1 |
| thou | 1 |
H13. Showing against telling, with examples. AI
The play shows rather than tells through action and dialogue. Hedda's discontent emerges through her behaviour with Lovborg and Brack, not exposition. Her final act speaks louder than any statement of her despair.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4
I want for once in my life to have power to mould a human destiny. (Ch 2, para 1005)
Eilert Lovborg--listen to me.--Will you not try to--to do it beautifully? (Ch 3, para 651)
H14. How much description comes before action. Both
The opening provides substantial stage description of the drawing room before action begins. Thereafter, description is minimal and woven into dialogue and movement. Setting is established upfront, not gradually revealed.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1
H15. Filter words such as "saw", "felt", "heard". Count
Filter words ('saw', 'felt', 'heard' and so on): 2.59 per 1,000 words.
| Word | Times |
|---|---|
| heard | 20 |
| thought | 19 |
| knew | 15 |
| saw | 9 |
| felt | 3 |
| seemed | 2 |
| noticed | 1 |
| watched | 1 |
H16. Shifts in tone. AI
Tone shifts from social comedy in Act 1 to psychological tension in Acts 2 and 3, then to tragedy in Act 4. Hedda's voice grows darker as her control slips. The final act is relentlessly grim.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4
I want for once in my life to have power to mould a human destiny. (Ch 2, para 1005)
At last a deed worth doing! (Ch 4, para 316)
H17. How the comedy works. AI
Comedy is sparse and bitter. Tesman's obliviousness provides light moments early on. Humour fades as manipulation and blackmail intensify. The play is fundamentally tragic, not comic.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 2
Ask Hedda Gabler a question about its craft (free beta)
Answers cite chapter and paragraph, and every quote is checked against the text. (3 free questions a day).
Weekly email: coming soon
One short email a week on new AI tools for authors. Sign up opens soon.