Hedda Gabler: Theme and motif
12 lenses on theme and motif 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: J1 J2 J3 J4 J5 J6 J7 J8 J9 J10 J11 J12
J1. Where is the theme first stated, and by whom? AI
The theme of power and control is first stated in Act 2 when Hedda declares her desire to mould human destiny. The question of whether one can control others' fates drives the entire play.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 2
I want for once in my life to have power to mould a human destiny. (Ch 2, para 1005)
J2. The theme question, and how each subplot answers it. AI
Lovborg's subplot asks if redemption is possible; he fails. Tesman's subplot asks if ambition can survive; it does, through Thea's help. Brack's subplot asks if power through blackmail endures; it does until Hedda escapes through death.
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)
J3. Motif tracker: recurring images by chapter. Both
Pistols and power, Vine-leaves in hair, Manuscripts and creation. See the full lens on the book page.
J4. Symbols, and how their meaning shifts. AI
Vine-leaves in hair symbolise beauty and romantic death in Acts 2 and 3, but become ironic in Act 4 when Lovborg dies sordidly in a brothel. Pistols shift from symbols of power to instruments of escape. The manuscript represents creation, then destruction, then fragile reconstruction.
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)
Now I am burning your child, Thea!--Burning it, curly-locks! (Ch 3, para 678)
J5. Theme words and their frequency over the book. Count
Theme words and how often they come in each tenth of the book.
| Word | Total | By tenth |
|---|---|---|
| power | 9 | 0 0 0 6 0 0 1 0 2 0 |
| death | 8 | 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 5 0 |
| control | 6 | 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 3 0 |
| beauty | 5 | 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 |
| scandal | 4 | 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 |
| destiny | 2 | 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 |
| manipulation | 0 | 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| submission | 0 | 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| escape | 0 | 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| boredom | 0 | 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
J6. The moral argument: who stands for which side? AI
Hedda stands for control and domination; she is morally compromised by her manipulations. Brack stands for blackmail and exploitation. Tesman and Thea stand for modest hope and reconstruction. Lovborg represents the cost of Hedda's ambitions.
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)
J7. The title: its meaning and echoes in the text. Both
How often the key words of the title appear in the text.
| Word | Times |
|---|---|
| Hedda | 808 |
| Gabler | 11 |
The title names the lead character and her married name, emphasising her identity as General Gabler's daughter even after marriage. Hedda Gabler suggests a woman defined by her past and her father's legacy, unable to escape it.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1
General Gabler's daughter! Think of the sort of life she was accustomed to in her father's time. (Ch 1, para 29)
J8. Epigraphs, allusions and borrowed texts. Both
No well known books or writers are named outright. (rough estimate from word lists)
The vine-leaves motif alludes to classical Greek imagery of Dionysian beauty and revelry. No epigraphs or borrowed texts frame the play. The allusion is embedded in dialogue rather than announced.
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)
J9. Opening image against final image. AI
Opening image: a spacious, tastefully furnished drawing room, symbol of Hedda's new married life and confinement. Final image: Hedda shoots herself as Tesman and Thea begin reconstructing the manuscript. Beauty and control give way to death and modest hope.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 1, Scene 4
At last a deed worth doing! (Ch 4, para 316)
Shot herself! Shot herself in the temple! Fancy that! (Ch 4, para 615)
J10. Pairs and contrasts, such as light and dark. Both
Counts of each side of the main contrasts.
| Pair | First word | Second word |
|---|---|---|
| beautiful / sordid | 3 | 0 |
| power / powerlessness | 8 | 0 |
| control / submission | 5 | 0 |
| life / death | 28 | 8 |
Light and dark are not heavily contrasted. Autumn decay mirrors psychological decline. Beauty versus sordid reality is the key contrast: Hedda's romantic vision of vine-leaves and beautiful death clashes with Lovborg's undignified death in a brothel.
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)
Eilert Lovborg was found shot in--in Mademoiselle Diana's boudoir. (Ch 4, para 433)
J11. Core values at stake: life, love, justice, truth. AI
Life and death are at stake: Hedda chooses death over submission. Love is questioned: Hedda's marriage is loveless, Lovborg's love for Thea is destroyed, Brack's desire for Hedda is possessive. Justice is absent; Brack escapes unpunished.
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)
J12. What the book leaves open on purpose. AI
The play leaves open whether Hedda's suicide is an act of freedom or final defeat. Whether Tesman and Thea's manuscript work will succeed is uncertain. Whether Brack will face consequences for his blackmail is unresolved.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 4
At last a deed worth doing! (Ch 4, para 316)
Shot herself! Shot herself in the temple! Fancy that! (Ch 4, para 615)
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