Vocabulary in Hedda Gabler

A deep, heavy feeling of fear or anxiety about something that is coming, stronger than ordinary worry and hard to shake off.

To shape or influence someone's life, character, or fate according to your own will, as a sculptor shapes clay.

The course of a person's life, especially when seen as something that can be directed or controlled by another's power.

Leaves of the grapevine, here used as a symbol of wild, Dionysian freedom and poetic glory, worn in the hair like a classical wreath.

Having a red, heated face from excitement, drink, or strong emotion; glowing with passionate energy.

Completely without fear; bold and reckless in a way Hedda finds thrilling and romantic rather than merely brave.

Here, the inner strength to face a hard or painful life without flinching, used ironically to contrast with Hedda's desire for a dramatic exit.

Destroying by fire; used here both literally, as Hedda sets the manuscript alight, and as a charged, almost ritual act of destruction.

A handwritten or typed document that has not yet been published; here, Lövborg's groundbreaking new book, which exists as a unique, irreplaceable copy.

A person completely under another's control, with no freedom to act or refuse; used here to describe Hedda's helpless submission to Brack's blackmail.

Completely under the authority or control of someone else, with no power to resist their wishes or demands.

The act of threatening to reveal damaging information about someone unless they do what you want; here, Brack's weapon over Hedda.

Small handguns, here a pair inherited from Hedda's father the General, which she uses for target practice and ultimately as instruments of death.

A large, fashionable detached house; here, the expensive residence the Tesmans have rented, which strains their budget and signals social ambition.

A permanent academic position at a university, carrying salary, status, and security; the post George Tesman is anxiously waiting to be awarded.

Belonging to or characteristic of the highest social class, born into privilege and accustomed to a life of elegance and command.

A man who courts or pursues a woman romantically with the intention of winning her affection or hand in marriage.

Suppressed or suffocated; feeling trapped and unable to breathe freely, whether from boredom, social constraint, or a lack of personal freedom.

The state of being ordinary, dull, and second-rate; the dreary, unremarkable life that Hedda finds unbearable and desperately wants to escape.

A thin, dull black fabric traditionally hung in a house as a sign of mourning after a death in the family.

Formal expressions of sympathy offered to someone who has suffered a bereavement or loss, typically at a death.

Gives in to a temptation or weakness after struggling to resist it; here, Lövborg falls back into drinking despite his efforts to stay sober.

Completely new and original in a way that changes how people think; used to describe Lövborg's manuscript as a work that could outshine all rivals.

Playful, suggestive behaviour that hints at romantic or sexual interest without making a direct declaration; here, the charged game Hedda and Brack play.

Deeply upset and agitated, almost out of one's mind with distress or grief; here describing Lövborg after he has lost the manuscript.