A Tale of Two Heddas: The contemporary face of Hedda Gabler in two modern adaptations

Abstract

Hedda Gabler is a very ambivalent play. There are many different understandings of her personality. The two contemporary performances on which the research is based are so significantly different that they uncovered new perspectives about the character of Hedda, as well as about her relationship with her husband Jørgen. Based on this performance analysis, there are two different Hedda Gablers who are living in a modern society decades away from the patriarchal social system of Ibsen’s time. Even so, neither of them can fulfil their desires to live the life they want. Despite the differences between these Hedda characters, they are both victimized by their own inner nature.