Performed for the first time in 1891, “Hedda Gabler” is one of Henrik Ibsen’s greatest dramas. It is the story of its title character, Hedda, a self-centered and manipulative woman who has grown bored of her new marriage to the kind and reliable George. Hedda was born to a life of luxury and privilege and marries a man she does not love to avoid becoming a spinster. After returning from her honeymoon, Hedda discovers that her marriage will not be the life of wealth and excitement she was accustomed to and that George will never be the ambitious and successful man she wishes him to be. To escape her boredom, she begins to meddle in the lives of George’s academic rival, Eilert, who is Hedda’s former paramour, and Eilert’s unsuspecting wife, Thea. Hedda fears that Eilert and his professional success may stand in the way of George’s future in academia and Hedda takes it upon herself to sabotage her husband’s rival, leading to truly tragic consequences for everyone involved. Marked by one of the most dramatic female roles in all of theater, “Hedda Gabler” stands as an enduring masterpiece by Norway’s most famous playwright, Henrik Ibsen. This edition includes a biographical afterword, follows the translation of Edmund Gosse and William Archer, with an introduction by William Archer.
