Hedda Gabler
| Hedda Gabler | |
|---|---|
Poster of Alla Nazimova as Hedda Gabler (Sigismund Ivanowski, 1907) | |
| Written by | Henrik Ibsen |
| Date premiered | 1891 |
| Place premiered | Königliches Residenz-Theater Munich, Germany |
| Original language | Danish |
| Subject | A newlywed struggles with an existence she finds devoid of excitement and enchantment |
| Genre | Tragedy |
| Setting | Jørgen Tesman's villa, Kristiania, Norway; 1890s |
Hedda Gabler (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈhɛ̂dːɑ ˈɡɑ̀ːblər]) is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage. Though initial reviews were negative, it has since been canonized as a masterpiece of literary realism, 19th-century theatre, and world drama in general.
Hedda Gabler dramatizes the experiences of the title character, Hedda, the daughter of a general, who is trapped in a marriage and a house that she does not want. Hedda is considered one of the great dramatic roles in theater, and has been described as a female variation of Hamlet.
Hedda's married name is Hedda Tesman; Gabler is her maiden name. On the subject of the title, Ibsen wrote: "My intention in giving it this name was to indicate that Hedda as a personality is to be regarded rather as her father's daughter than her husband's wife."