Ibsen once said, "Find out who you are and become that person," because, "To realize yourself is the highest goal a person can attain." Self realization was Ibsen's super-objective. To find self-realization was the main theme of his play Hedda Gabler. Hedda, Tesman, and Thea, all live their lives through others, therefore never reaching self-realization. Their deficiencies entail cowardice, lack of imagination and validation. They make up for it by manipulating, borrowing and depending on others, as well as searching for themselves in each other. Hedda lives through others by manipulation. Hedda is a coward, and is afraid of taking charge of her life and making something of herself. Since she feels a lack of control over her life, she controls others. She is unhappy because she has no control, so tries to make everyone else unhappy. In the opening scene, Aunt Julie comes over and places her hat in the living room. Hedda then purposefully remarks on how rude it was for the maid to leave her hat around the house. Aunt Julie's feelings are hurt deeply, since she recently bought the new hat. Hedda is also very condescending and sarcastic towards Tesman, although he is completely unaware of it. She plays him like a deck of cards. When he asks her why she burned Lovborg's manuscript; she says she did it for you dear, since you envied it. Not seeing her real motives, he believes her. Later he exclaims, "Oh, I'm beginning to understand you, Hedda!" Hedda's feeling of being out of control also effects how she interacts with the other characters. This is why she is manipulative. She manipulates the people around her to do things that they normally wouldn't do. When Lovborg and Thea are with her, she offers Lovborg a drink, but he refuses because he quit drinking. Then she spills a bit of information about Lovborg that Thea had told her and Lovborg is outraged. In his anger, he accepts the drink. She makes both Thea and Lovborg angry but she re...
