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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Mrs Elvsted ask of Tesman in Act 1 of Hedda Gabler?

2. Which of the following best compares the nature of Tesman's book to the nature of Lovborg's book?

3. Which of the following best characterizes Hedda's view of her marriage at the end of Act 1?

4. Which are the most appropriate words to describe Hedda in the first act?

5. Which of the following best describes Mrs Elvsted's marriage?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Hedda enjoy her honeymoon with Tesman?

2. What does Hedda mean at the end of Act 2 when she tells Mrs. Elvsted that at ten o'clock Lovborg will return "with vine leaves in his hair"?

3. Who was Hedda Gabler before she married Tesman? What was her life like?

4. Other than her dialogue, what are Hedda's two final actions in the play HEDDA GABLER?

5. What does Tesman ask of Hedda shortly after Julle leaves in Act 1? What does Hedda reply?

6. What is Mrs. Elvsted's state of mind when she first enters the Tesman household? Why?

7. At the end of Act 3, what does Hedda say to Lovborg about vine leaves? Why?

8. In Act 2 of HEDDA GABLER, Hedda tells Lovborg that her not daring to shoot him when their previous friendship ended was an act of cowardice, for fear of a scandal, but that it was not her greatest act of cowardice that evening. What do you think she is alluding to as her greatest act of cowardice?

9. What does Tesman say about the unpublished manuscript that Lovborg read to him at Brack's party?

10. Where did Tesman find Lovborg's manuscript and why didn't he return it at once?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the play HEDDA GABLER, Hedda is distraught about the loss of power she has over her own life. She confesses to marrying because Tesman could take care of her and wasn't ridiculous. The society she lives in gives her few choices about her life, and the only option she has is to marry despite the fact that she quite clearly does not want a family. Write an essay about the roles and responsibilities of society and the individual.

Part 1: Hedda ends up by destroying both a brilliant man and herself. Was she a pawn to an unjust society or careless and self centered?

Part 2: Given the society that Hedda lived in, and her fear of scandal, what options did she have to avoid the loveless marriage she found herself in? What opportunities might there have been for a lady of wealth and intelligence to maintain a semblance of her lifestyle if she chose not to marry?

Part 3: Does this understanding make her character more understandable and tragic? Is Hedda's behavior at all justified by the times and society that she lived in? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about Henrik Ibsen.

Part 1: Write a brief biography of Henrik Ibsen. When and where did he live? What was his life like?

Part 2: What was the society that Ibsen lived in like? What parts of it influenced his writing? Did he have any message about societal norms that he tried to express in his plays?

Part 3: Discuss Henrik Ibsen's works. Was his work well received? What reaction did the society of his time have to his works? Was his work influential in theater as we know it? How?

Essay Topic 3

In the play HEDDA GABLER there are two sets of characters that contrast each other. We see Hedda contrasted to Mrs. Elvsted and Tesman to Lovborg. In each case the outside character embodies something that our main character is jealous of.

Part 1: Hedda longs for influence over Lovborg and is intensely jealous of Mrs. Elvsted's success in reforming him. In what very crucial ways is Hedda unlike Mrs Elvsted, and how does this limit her?

Why does Hedda long for influence over Lovborg but not over Tesman? Is Hedda more akin to Tesman or to Lovborg? Do you think Mrs. Elvsted will feel the same way?

Part 2: Tesman is jealous of Lovborg's intellect and ability to write. How are Tesman's and Lovborg's academic works different? Are Tesman and Lovborg competing for the same things with their books, or do they value different consequences of their work?

Part 3: Do Tesman and Hedda handle their jealousy differently? How? What affect does their jealousy have on those around them?

(see the answer keys)

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