unfulfilling, loveless marriage. Although society might criticize her for abandoning her duties, Ibsen clearly suggests that society is mistaken. Thea had been taken advantage of, reduced to a mere servant in her marriage to the Sheriff. By following Lovborg to Christiania, Thea ignores the threat of scandal, displaying the moral courage that Hedda lacks. Thea is led by love, an emotion Hedda suppresses, allowing her fears to take control.

The term "evil" is too harsh to apply to Hedda in an absolute manner. Although she exhibits self-centered traits typical of dramatic villains, these are tempered by the playwright's dedication to realism. While Hedda's reprehensible actions cannot be justified, they can be somewhat comprehended. Her conduct does not arise from a corrupt nature but rather from emotional needs twisted by her environment—shaped by her military father and a morally rigid social setting.

Nonetheless, Hedda is both proud and recklessly cruel, indifferent to the harm she inflicts on others. She destroys Lovborg's manuscript not out of any affection for her husband, as she misleads George to think, but purely out of spite and jealousy. She perceives the manuscript as a symbolic child of Eilert and Thea, something to be annihilated because it was conceived from a love she deeply resents and cannot comprehend. Equally malicious is her attempt to orchestrate Eilert's fate, imagining a "beautiful" and "triumphant" end for him. Her misguided passion only results in ruin, as there is no beauty in Eilert's demise, just a tragic squandering of talent.

The unfortunate reality is that, in Hedda's view, being "good" means enduring endless monotony while married to a "proper" yet uninspiring, methodical, and predictable scholar. His only redeeming trait is his "correctness" in all aspects. Lacking genuine love or affection, her responsibilities become major sources of irritation. She reacts with impulsive and thoughtless actions, ranging from the insignificant to the catastrophic.

A major source of conflict in Hedda Gabler arises from Hedda's resistance to the traditional roles of wife and mother, as dictated by the strict, paternalistic society of her era. Women were expected to adhere to conventional values, which placed them in submissive and dependent roles relative to men. They were largely barred from participating in men's work and leisure activities, both by custom and law. One potential avenue for women to exert influence was by positively impacting men, as Thea Elvsted does with Eilert Lovborg. Hedda even dreams of having a similar effect on George, imagining she could persuade him to enter politics, where her ability to manipulate him might allow her to exert some hidden but significant influence. However, when she confides her ambitions to Judge Brack, he quickly quashes her enthusiasm by highlighting George's unsuitability and lack of interest in politics.

Hedda clearly feels both trapped and bored by her assigned role. Her unwanted pregnancy only underscores how much more restrictive her life is likely to become. Immobilized by her profound fear of scandal, she is unwilling to sacrifice her respectability to embrace her true self. This internal conflict between her desires and fears ultimately warps her character, driving her toward increased desperation and destructiveness. Her only solace lies in clinging to her father's pistols, which symbolize the male freedom she lost as an adult and can never regain.

In contrast, Juliana Tesman and Thea Elvsted are comfortable and content within their roles. Juliana, who serves as a nurse and caregiver for her sister, is selfless and finds personal fulfillment in her respectable duties. Thea, who has sacrificed her reputation by leaving her husband, remains unbothered by societal judgment. She acknowledges that her path lies outside of conventional respectability and pursues it without fear. Hedda looks down on both women, hiding her jealousy with disdain. It enrages her that they are at peace with themselves, something she can never achieve.

Ironically, Hedda embodies both the roles of victim and victimizer. Her overwhelming boredom drives her to manipulate others, even for trivial entertainment. She confesses to Judge Brack that she was aware the bonnet she criticized in Act I wasn't old and didn't belong to Berta, yet she couldn't resist indulging her cruel impulse. Initially, her actions cause minimal harm. Furthermore, Hedda's dissatisfaction garners some sympathy, as her husband, despite his attentive nature, is largely unaware of her needs.

Nevertheless, Hedda must take responsibility for her marriage. She acknowledges that she orchestrated it, not out of love, but from a desire for comfort and social status. Her inability to endure her husband or the marriage is a predicament of her own making, making her a victim of herself. She reacts with anger and bitterness, directing her frustration toward others, especially those she envies for achieving the happiness that eludes her.

At the same time, Hedda is quite vulnerable. The fears that led her to reject Eilert Lovborg and enter a loveless marriage with George Tesman eventually place her under Brack's control, which she finds unbearable. Confronted with the possibility of scandal, Hedda opts to escape it through suicide, her final act of destruction.