Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen. Short summary

5 seconds

Formerly spoiled by male attention, the beautiful Gedda Gabler is bored with her marriage. A meeting with a longtime admirer shatters the boring routine, but ends in tragedy.

1 minute

The general’s daughter, the willful Gedda Gabler, is married to an unassuming graduate student, Jorgen Thesman. Her husband tries not to deny the adored Gedda anything. He writes a scientific paper in the hope of receiving a professorship and a salary.

Eilert Löwborg is a longtime admirer of Gedda and Jørgen’s current academic rival. Levborg tries to talk to Gedda about his former feelings, but is not reciprocated.

The annoyed suitor gets drunk and loses the manuscript. Jørgen finds the papers and intends to return them to their owner. Gedda secretly burns Levborg’s work, and when she meets him she gives him one of her pistols. She expects the suitor to do something strong.

Lefborg dies, but it was not the spectacular suicide Gedda had expected. She is disappointed and fears a possible legal investigation. Gedda has another gun and uses it to kill herself.