"Modern audiences relate to Hedda in a way that 1890 playgoers did not because she is a character both of her

time and shockingly ahead of it. Susan Faludi, 2001\ In Hedda Gabler, there is no character of importance pitted against Hedda as an effective counterpoise. Tesman the dull pedant, Lvborg, the debased Dionysus figure, and Brack, the suave diplomat all bring to light some aspect of Hedda that aids in her eventual self-destruction. The two minor women in the play act as correctives to Hedda's unappealing selfish personality. The whole play pivots upon Hedda and every speech in the play is directed towards the main purpose, the revelation of Hedda's character. As the center of the play is not a problem but a personality there is less emphasis on the story and its links of cause and effect. The play develops in an episodic manner. 7. THE PRODUCTION - GENRE (REALISM, DRAMATIC IRONY) AND STYLE (REALISTIC) REALISM Realism was a modernist movement, initiated by Emile Zola with his novel, Therese Raquin. The aim of the realists was to reproduce events in the style of an historical/scientific document. The realists were influenced by scientific scholarship at the time e.g. Darwin. Shakespeare sets the scene for Naturalism in Hamlet when he tells the First Player, Suit the action to the word, the word to the action, with this special observance, that you oerstep not the modesty of nature. For anything so oerdone is from the purpose of playing, whose end both at the first, and now, was and is, to hold as twere the mirror up to nature; to show virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure. (Act III, scene ii Lines 16-25) There are nonetheless many features of realism evident in Hedda Gabler: Careful attention to detail in motivation of characters, costuming, setting and dialogue Individual and complex characterisations Exploration of rivalries between characters producing complications within the action Performance in period realism even using as part of the stage design an enclosed stove instead of open fire, a labelled book for Lovborgs treatise and authentic duelling pistols.

With Hedda there is deep poetry, deep down. But her surroundings frighten her. Consider it, the scandal of ridicule. Ibsen most of Ibsens contemporary writers

argued that suicide was principally a male affair and a male act. It was not until the writings of Horsley, a prison chaplain, became widespread in the 1890s that the true picture emerged. He argued suicide was predominantly a female crime This is because women chose less violent means of intervention (Durkheim), preferring drowning and poison to guns. Women shooting themselves was rare. Hedda Gabler caused ructions and a strong reaction when it was premiered in 1890. It used fractured sentences, like the language of everyday people, the people in the audience. It appeared 11 years after A Dolls House. This clipped, simultaneous use of dialogue is deliberate to modernize the impact of the text, providing a freshness and a presence. The text uses missed phrases and sentences, lost words and sentences which provides unending intrigue. The play is like a real series of interchanges, with changes in mood states. For instance, Hedda is mischievous and wicked, dark and sombre. Yet the play is genuinely funny at times too. Its about a family! There are so many meanings, shadow meanings, metameanings and spareness in the text Hedda is a warriors daughter and is good at war games, with no sense of consequences. The design is based around a glass enclosure and a fireplace. It represents the duality of heavy and light, (black curtains and tall windows)