Rebellious Maidens Essay Example For Students

Rebellious Maidens Essay In Hedda Gabler, Hedda commits rebellious acts of her own that shock both the viewer and society at the time. Hedda is fond of guns and uses them often. Like her guns, Heddas acts are unacceptable. (raises the pistol and aims) And now, Judge, Im going to shoot you! (she fires) (Hedda Gabler, 249). Hedda plays with her guns as Judge Brack enters the household through the garden. Dissimilar from other women, instead of welcoming the guests with some tea and a hug, Hedda shoots her gun at her guest. In addition, womens bodies were viewed as pure in Victorian society; women were expected to only sleep with their husbands. Judge Brack, a friend of the family, suggests to Hedda a love triangle or an affair. At first, Hedda refuses because an affair seems risky, but later on Brack convinces her and she agrees to the triangle. Frankly-I prefer the lady. But the man, too, of course, in his place. That kind of lets say, triangular arrangement you cant imagine how satisfying it can be all around (Hedda Gabler, 252). By setting up an affair with Brack, Hedda disregards societys expectations. The small hint of doubt that Hedda had is due to the fact that she is much too afraid of scandal (Hedda Gabler, 256). Though she is afraid of scandals, she still takes her chance and does what she wants, but it ultimately destroys her. Hedda burns the manuscript belonging to Mrs. Elvsted and Heddas past lover and the academic rival of Heddas husband, Lovborg. This is a dreadful act for the manuscript is not Heddas and that it is a masterful piece of work by Lovborg. (throwing some of the sheets into the fire and whispering to herself). Now Im burning your child, Thea! (Throwing another sheaf in the stove. ) Your child and Eilert Lovborgs. (Throwing in the rest. ) Now Im burning Im burning the child (Hedda Gabler, 288). The child refers to in the text is Mrs. Elvsted and Lovborgs manuscript for the reason that the manuscript is a piece of work created by them both with love and effort. Hedda burns the manuscript for the reason that she is jealous. She hates the fact that Lovborg and Mrs. Elvsted are in love, something that she does not have, so by destroying their child, Hedda is ruining their relationship. Different from other women of her time, Heddas power comes from plotting and executing evil deeds. She doesnt care for her household, and goes further to damage the households of other families. In a shocking move, Hedda encourages Lovborg to commit suicide by handing him one of her guns. You should have used it then, says Lovborg. Hedda responds, Here! Use it now(Hedda Gabler, 288). This is a rebellious act for a lady in the nineteenth century as she encourages death and suicide. After Lovborgs death, Judge Brack goes to see Hedda. As a twist to the play, Brack has power over Hedda for he threatened her to reveal the truth about her gun being in Lovborgs dead hands. Unexpectedly, just when the reader thought that the climax of the play is over, Hedda shockingly shoots herself with her other gun to avoid scandals. Shot herself! Shot herself in the temple! Can you imagine! But good God! People dont do such things! (Hedda Gabler, 304) Hedda shooting herself is an act of going against authority because she wishes not to be controlled by Brack. In addition, by taking her life, not only did she kill herself but she possible could have killed her unborn child, for there is ambiguity of her pregnancy. Conventionally, women were expected to take care of their children, but Hedda kills hers. It is illegal and not accepted by society to kill yourself and to kill another life, as Hedda executes both crimes. One of Heddas two guns is given to Lovborg to kill himself and for the guns to be a pair; it is as though the other gun must also be used to take away a life. .u9e8f32d2e696f239cce9dd800b1fede2 , .u9e8f32d2e696f239cce9dd800b1fede2 .postImageUrl , .u9e8f32d2e696f239cce9dd800b1fede2 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u9e8f32d2e696f239cce9dd800b1fede2 , .u9e8f32d2e696f239cce9dd800b1fede2:hover , .u9e8f32d2e696f239cce9dd800b1fede2:visited , .u9e8f32d2e696f239cce9dd800b1fede2:active { border:0!important; } .u9e8f32d2e696f239cce9dd800b1fede2 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u9e8f32d2e696f239cce9dd800b1fede2 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u9e8f32d2e696f239cce9dd800b1fede2:active , .u9e8f32d2e696f239cce9dd800b1fede2:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u9e8f32d2e696f239cce9dd800b1fede2 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u9e8f32d2e696f239cce9dd800b1fede2 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u9e8f32d2e696f239cce9dd800b1fede2 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u9e8f32d2e696f239cce9dd800b1fede2 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u9e8f32d2e696f239cce9dd800b1fede2:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u9e8f32d2e696f239cce9dd800b1fede2 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u9e8f32d2e696f239cce9dd800b1fede2 .u9e8f32d2e696f239cce9dd800b1fede2-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u9e8f32d2e696f239cce9dd800b1fede2:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: 'To Kill a Mockingbird' By Harper Lee EssayAll her acts are considered rebellious to the reader and to society because her actions are not accepted and agreed upon. As a conclusion, Hedda and Antigone are rebellious maidens in their own sense. Each female is viewed as a rebel considering what is accepted by not only society but also the viewer and the law at the time. Bibliography Sophocles. The Theban Plays, Antigone, Penguin Group, 1947. Ibsen, Henrik. Four Major Plays, Hedda Gabler, Signet Classics, 1965, Chicago. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Women_in_the_Victorian_Era 1 wikipedia. org.