Hedda And Mrs. Elvsted Character Analysis

HEDDA. Exactly the girl with the irritating hair that she was always showing off. An old flame of yours I’ve been told. (Act-I, 24) Hedda sees Mrs. Elvsted’s hair as foolish and threatening because it represents both her femininity and her power over Lovborg, the only man that Hedda may have had feelings for. When Hedda finally enters the play, her lack of femininity is emphasized: her eyes which looks like steel-grey; cold, clear and calm are the antithesis of a feminine or womanly woman, such as Mrs. Elvsted’s for instance, whose eyes are "light blue, large, round and slightly prominent, with a startled, questioning expression" and hair is "remarkably fair, almost silver-gilt, and exceptionally thick and wavy" (Act-I, 10). Ibsen uses hair to symbolize both Hedda’s and Mrs. Elvsted’s natures. Hedda 's hair is attractive but not particularly abundant. In contrast, Mrs. Elvsted’s is unusually abundant. Hair is often associated with creativity or fertility

Towards the end, as the illusion of her power over another is shattered, shown by her disgust in response to Lovborg’s accidental death, she reaches out to the final illusion wherein she commits an act, which she deems courageous. In her distorted ideals, shooting herself inside the temple with the pistol was necessary for her to gain freedom but the action in itself is also an act derived from her past. Committing suicide by shooting oneself inside the temple is glorified and deemed the highest form of honour in the military code when all is lost. Hedda has finally retreated deep into her inner sanctum, where, in the presence of the General, allowed the past to ultimately reclaim her life.

Objects in the room presents a host of repeated symbols, most important of which are the easy chair and the stove. The easy chair connotes a throne, that is, the seat of power. The power play in the interactions of the characters is conveyed through possession of this seat. Originally, Hedda