History Theatre / HeddaGabler

* {{Foil}}: Løvborg is Tesman`s Foil - and Thea is Hedda´s. While Tesman writes obsessively on the past, Løvborg is set on the future of humankind. Thea is a kind and well-meaning woman while Hedda is manipulative and callous.

* OldFlame: Hedda discovers her husband's ex-girlfriend, Mrs. Elvsted, is visiting later in the day and directly accuses her of being an old flame for the Mister, which he laughs at. Later, Hedda's fears that Elvsted will take her husband are reignited when the two of them agree to spend years and years and years working to complete Lovborg's life work, the same work which brought Elvsted and Lovborg together!

* BearerOfBadNews: Brack in the first act.

* BiTheWay: Hedda vs. Thea.

* LifesWorkRuined: [[spoiler: The loss of the manuscript for Ejlert and Thea. Subverted when it turns out Thea and Tesman together might be able to reconstruct it.]]

* GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex: Subverted once again. Hedda might be pregnant, but she and Judge Brack both insinuate that she's not very satisfied.

[[caption-width-right:330: the original cover of the 1890 version]]

!! This play contains examples of:
* AbsentMindedProfessor: Tesman. He's said to be very bright in his field,

* BelligerentSexualTension: for Hedda and Brack; there is ''tons''.
* BetaCouple: Subverted with Ejlert and Thea; they have feelings for each other, but Eljert was, and is, madly in love with Hedda, or at least [[LovingAShadow his idea of Hedda]].
* BiTheWay: Hedda vs Thea.
* BrutalHonesty: Hedda does not care if she insults people around her, when she utters her feelings and opinions.

* CompletelyMissingThePoint: Tesman. He's not stupid exactly, just sweet, naive and innocent to the point of being really, really silly; Aunt Julle points out that Hedda has 'filled out' a lot, and tells him she's expecting a special surprise, but he still doesn't realise what she's getting at. He also misinterprets pretty much all of what Hedda says; he isn't aware of Hedda's distaste for him and thinks he's happily married, and is utterly shocked at the end when she [[spoiler:commits suicide by shooting herself in the head.]]

* DownerEnding: For Hedda. [[spoiler:After she encourages Ejlert to commit suicide, telling him to 'do it beautifully,' Ejlert goes to a brothel and is accidentally killed by a shot to the stomach ("Lower", according to Brack). She is unaware of this until Judge Brack informs her that he knows she caused his suicide, and furthermore, he also knows she burnt the manuscript. He implies he'll force her into a sexual affair, and she, who cannot stand the thought of anyone controlling her, shoots herself in the head.]]

* FirstGirlWins: Sort of. Hedda had some kind of a relationship with Ejlert first, and isn't bothered by his relationship with Thea Elvsted because she thinks she can manipulate him into doing whatever she wants. [[spoiler:She's kind of right: Ejlert ''tries'' to do whatever Hedda wants him to, but he usually fails.]]

* {{Foreshadowing}}: At the end of the first act, Hedda claims that she at least has her father`s pistols to keep her occupied. And we already know where this is leading.

* GiveGeeksAChance: One of the reasons that Hedda married Tesman was because she felt sorry for him; the irony of course is that one of her few kind acts leads to her boredom, misery and [[spoiler:eventual suicide.]]

%%* GreyAndGreyMorality: and ''How''.

* KickTheDog: Hedda does this all the time, most often to Thea Elvsted and Tesman. When Tesman is kicked, it's a sad moment, but when Thea is kicked, it's truly ''cringeworthy''.
* LifesWorkRuined: [[spoiler: the loss of the manuscript for Ejlert and Thea. Subverted when it turns out Thea and Tesman together might be able to reconstruct it.]]

* LoveMakesYouEvil: Or rather, in Brack's case, lust makes you morally questionable. When Tesman finds out Hedda has burned the manuscript, she claims it was out of love. [[BlatantLies Snort]].
* LoveTriangle: Sort of, with Hedda, who feels a vague affection towards Ejlert, the best she can do; Thea who both loves and hero worships Ejlert, and Ejlert, who loves Thea but is obsessed with Hedda. Considering the {{Les Yay}} implications on Hedda and Thea, the confusion is complete.
* MaidenAunt: Aunt Julia and Aunt Rina.

* DownerEnding: For Hedda. [[spoiler:After she encourages Ejlert to commit suicide, telling him to 'do it beautifully,' Ejlert goes to a brothel and is accidentally killed by a shot to the stomach. She is unaware of this until Judge Brack informs her that he knows she caused his suicide, and furthermore, he also knows she burnt the manuscript. He implies he'll force her into a sexual affair, and she, who cannot stand the thought of anyone controlling her, shoots herself in the head.]]

* TyingUpRomanticLooseEnds: It's implied that Tesman and Thea will get together as they piece back Lovborg's manuscript because of how similar they are in personality.

[[quote:right:330:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Hedda_10.jpg]]

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Hedda_10.jpg
[[caption-width:330: the original cover of the 1890 version]]

* GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex: Subverted once again. Hedda might be pregnant, but she and Judge Brack both insinuate that she's not very satisfied.
* GreyAndGreyMorality: and ''How''.

* BearerOfBadNews: Brack in the first act.
* BiTheWay: Hedda vs Thea.

* DaddysGirl: Hedda was very close to her father. In fact, the play is called "Hedda Gabler" because it's more about Hedda as her father's daughter than as the wife of her husband.

* RichBoredom: Hedda plays this very straight. She sets up people for the fun of it because she is bored out of her scull.

* AlphaBitch: Hedda was one at school, and she used to pick on Thea because of her hair. Another pattern to find.

* Foreshadowing: At the end of the first act, Hedda claims that she at least has her father`s pistols to keep her occupied. And we already know where this is leading.

* FishOutOfWater: Hedda. It has been commented that she is a daughter of a General, and raised in a society that no longer exists. The play is written after the rise of parliamentarism in Norway, and the old ruling class (where officers were a prominent part) had lost much of their influence to the new democratic standards. No wonder Hedda feels powerless.

* TheDiseaseThatShallNotBeNamed: Hedda is pregnant.

* LoveTriangle: Sort of, with Hedda, who feels a vague affection towards Ejlert, the best she can do; Thea who both loves and hero worships Ejlert, and Ejlert, who loves Thea but is obsessed with Hedda.

* HairOfGold: Well, hair of White Blonde, for Thea.

Hedda Gabler is an 1890 play by HenrikIbsen. Full of hidden meaning, double entendres, hints, and angst, it is often considered Ibsen's finest work. Critics hated it when it first appeared saying that the character of Hedda Gabler was immoral, and even suggesting that such a woman could not ''exist'' in real life. The play challenged the Victorian view of women as frail, feminine and obedient.

!! This play contains Examples of: