|
This student production of Hedda Gabler, one of Ibsen's
most well-known plays, has left me feeling somewhat confused. The principal
focus of the play, Hedda is a woman stuck in a loveless marriage with
little to fill her time apart from scheming and cruelty. What I'm confused
about is who Hedda really is, and why she does the things she does.
When the play was first performed, some critics considered it "a
horrible play", and thought Hedda a "monster created by the
author in the form of a woman who has no counterpart in the real world".
I disagree on both of these, but without understanding Hedda's motivation
for her selfish and sometimes cruel actions, it is difficult to make sense
of a play which revolves around her. Such destructiveness is understandable
from a person who cares little for herself or her own life. She feels
that she can neither produce nor give anything of value to the world,
and so jealousy turns her to destroying the things that others create
or inspire. But Ibsen does not give us any answers as to how she came
to be in this position in the first place. Was her behaviour a reaction
to the oppressive restrictions placed on women by society at the time?
This possibility is certainly difficult to entertain when watching a modern
production of the play. In the programme we are told that the play asks
us what we mean by courage. Is Hedda Gabler's final action a sign of her
great strength, or an indication of her weakness? I will leave you to
decide.
The acting in the play was generally very good, with convincing performances
by Marie-Louise Crawley and Benjamin Jewell. It was certainly a very entertaining
production, and one to be recommended.
Ann Hallam, 05.02.03
|
