Revisiting 'Hedda Gabler': A reflection of modern female discontent

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Revisiting 'Hedda Gabler': A reflection of modern female discontent

Published: 21 May. 2025, 00:05 Updated: 21 May. 2025, 14:15

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Kim Myung-hwa

The author is a playwright and director.

Two high-profile productions of "Hedda Gabler" are currently captivating Korea’s theater scene. The National Theater Company of Korea and the LG Arts Center are both staging Henrik Ibsen’s late-period play, offering audiences a rare chance to compare two interpretations of the same text. While such simultaneous productions may put pressure on directors and actors, theatergoers benefit from the artistic contrasts, deepening their understanding of the play’s theatrical possibilities.

Ibsen, a pioneer of modern drama, is well known for his complex female protagonists who resist the societal norms of their time. Characters like Nora from "A Doll’s House," who abandons her domestic life to seek independence, and Mrs. Alving from "Ghosts," who suffers under the weight of patriarchal expectations, are familiar to even casual audiences.

A scene from the National Theater Company of Korea’s production of "Hedda Gabler". [NATIONAL THEATER COMPANY OF KOREA]

"Hedda Gabler," however, remains one of Ibsen’s most enigmatic figures. Written in 1890, the play continues to challenge both audiences and performers more than a century later. Hedda is beautiful, destructive, and fundamentally dissatisfied with the world around her. She is both brutally honest and deeply arrogant, causing harm to others and ultimately to herself without remorse. Critics have long described her as a Thanatos-driven character, dominated by a death instinct rather than life-affirming desires.

In earlier decades, when interpretations of female characters often revolved around their roles as victims or moral symbols, Hedda’s contradictions were difficult to grasp. It is only in the last 10 years or so that Korean productions have begun to fully engage with the character’s depth and complexity.

This shift may reflect broader changes in Korean society. Today’s women are more assertive in claiming their rights and desires. Yet, many remain disillusioned with a world that continues to deny them full autonomy. Hedda’s destructive energy resonates with this paradox. Some women feel caught between empowerment and alienation, occasionally overwhelmed by the pressure to conform or the guilt of defiance. The emotional volatility in "Hedda Gabler" mirrors these lived tensions.

The heightened public interest in the play suggests that audiences are no longer content with simplistic portrayals of women as either victims or saints. Instead, they are drawn to characters who embody inner conflict, dissatisfaction and raw emotional force.

Still, political leadership appears slow to recognize this shift. No presidential candidate has yet made gender policy a central theme. As the world seeks new forms of leadership, how long must we wait for a figure who can transform Hedda’s destructive force into a more generative, empathetic vision?

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.