d Ibsen’s play is rich in sporadic glimpses into Hedda’s past. Hedda is the product of aristocratic birth. She is, as I mentioned earlier, the daughter of General Gabler, whose portrait hangs over this play not unlike the portrait of the absent father in Williams’ The Glass Menagerie. And in case we have missed the significance of the portrait in the stage directions or have overlooked it as an audience member, Miss Tesman rivets our attention to it and the reality of Hedda’s aristocratic life: “Well, you cant’s wonder at that--General Gabler’s daughter! Th
...