Customer Reviews

Hedda Gabler

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

From the view of a Theater major, this translation and adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's 'Hedda Gabler' allows an audience (and a reader, for that matter) to follow all the intricate little jokes and personality quirks. Unlike other translations, the way each character speaks is distinct from all the others. The words aren't the only thing translated from the Norwegian; the nuances and attitudes are as well. George Tesman is amusingly obtuse, and his Auntie Julia isn't simply the sweet old lady she appears to be. Judge Brack and Hedda can share some wonderful inside jokes without the rest of the characters noticing. Eilert Lovborg isn't just bipolar in his actions but also in his words. And unlike many other translations, it is actually possible to be sympathetic to Hedda's situation and not simply loath her for her attitude. One of Ibsen's greatest talents is his way with words: the characters are forever saying one thing and meaning something entirely different. As 'Hedda Gabler' is a play, it is not meant to be simply read; it is meant to be seen, and Jon Robin Baitz certainly makes it easier for the actors to get across the message Ibsen was trying to send. And studying the play intensively during rehearsals and production of 'Hedda Gabler' really make it easier to appreciate exactly how much is going on. It takes much more than just a reading to understand 'Hedda': at its finest, it takes a really stellar cast, especially in the title role, to pull it off.

A great audio play which pulls the listener in and never lets go. As the story progresses the tension mounts and mounts until you can't take the suspense no longer. Juliet Stevenson does a superb job in portraying the manipulative but reckless Hedda and the rest of the cast are top notch. This is a brilliant presentation of ibsen's play showing the foibles of life and the dangers of desire. A wonderful audio experience to be listened to over and over again. Highly recommended. This audio book contains two CDs and is a full cast presentation of Ibsen's play Hedda Gabler.

The gentleman's assessment below is KIND, if anything. This translation isn't even fit to recycle.

An insult to the great play. Please, please, go with the McFarlane translation on Oxford, at LEAST!

hedda is a highly electrifying woman stuck in a loveless alliance with a bumbling fool. this steely woman lives by her poetic fantasies-- 'beauty, courage n freedom' thru lovborg (a brill man). lovborg is the ex-lover on which she lives vicariously as they share a 'bond of our common hunger for life'. hedda is driven to desperation by the masculine society she is born into. she was brought up by a militant father.. hence her fascination with pistols n things political n rejection of pregnancy. being the aristocrat she is, hedda loathes the bourgeoise n want for money.

this unwoman woman is a monster living in 'fear of scandal'. part of her time is engaged in power plays with 'fair' thea n brack, the connoisseur of life. it is amazing to see hedda switch mode frm 'clenched fists' 2 being 'calm n controlled'. as the play progresses, her aim of creating a dionsysian being in lovborg ceases dramatically. it affects her so profoundly she finds no meaning in life. her 'pretty illusion' of seeing lovborg with 'vineleaves in his hair' is dead. similarly, lesser beings were invading her pte sanctuary she holds so sacred ('inner rm').. n tt leads to her timely yet shocking death.

who is the tragic hero of the play? hedda or lovborg? hedda is not as strong n dynamic as we liken her to be. she ends in a brittle yet poignant note. what is so striking is the simplicity in which ibsen used to portray his ideas. the audience is often left dumb-founded by the disturbing n perverse themes-- death n vicarious living. also, his use of greek mythology (apollo, dionysus, diana) is very interesting as it delves deeper into the chac.

Hedda Gabler lives in an absolute prison. Her idylic residence is a prison, her marriage to a hopeful "ilustrious intellectual" is a prison, but above all, she lives imprisoned by herself, trapped by the social parameters that demand her to live the way she does. Hedda just can't figure out how to get out of that tedious state. She's intelligent, cold, severe; Gabler has an almost prodigious capacity to obtain all the information she inquires about the people around her; she manipulates them, she seems to get involved, but she simply tries to take advantage of the situation. Apparently, she doesn't feel much, but in reality, Hedda is in constant turmoil - her involvement has to do, almost exclusively, with what she just cannot allow herself to do.

For this woman, being able to have some sort of "power" over someone becomes the most exciting of all experiences, however - there's a point when she no longer will be able to manipulate the situation on her favor, she will realize how many forces have power over her; therefore, she will simply do the most congruent and coherent of things, as unexpected and shocking as the outcome of this play could possibly be.

A well written play which gives you a sense how how woman felt during the times of patriarchy. Hedda is an extrodinary character who is very complex but at the same time she is fairly simple to understand. Her evil doings are somewhat erased from our minds as we justify them, we feel pity towards Hedda because of the pityful life she is trapped in, the distorted views on life that Hedda poseses come to a climax toward the end and we understand a bit more about her character, however,just as we begin to understand her actions and feel pity towards her instead of hate we sadly discover her death at the end. A thoroughly interesting yet somewhat confusing? play!

Hedda Gabler is a wonderful story of a woman desperately trying to have control over her life. Married to a husband she doesn't love and pregnant with a child she doesn't want, Hedda seeks comfort in an old friend. There are enough surprizes in this play to keep it interesting throughout. Ibsen uses his brilliant writing style to capture the very essence of Hedda. I highly recommend Hedda Gabler as well as other works by Henrik Ibsen.

Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen is a classic. It describes the time that this book was written. Ibsen is a master at telling the story and it is truly a great book. I believe that Ibsen was one of the greatest authors at the time!