Final Thoughts on Hedda Gabler

This play was ok..... it had its ups and its downs. I wished it could have been less dense so that the reading would be easier, but it didnt kill me. A couple more motifs could have been added to the play, i know it was not the author's purpose to write a play with motifs to satisfy other people, but i could have enhanced it a little in my opinion. One thing i did like about Hedda Gabler was how Ibsen had most of his characters connected to each other. Each character had and their relationship with the others was essential to understanding the book. Out of ten, Hedda Gabler would get a 6.5 from me. Well, its time to move on to the next play, Lysistrata (hope thats how you spell it). From the work we did so far, seems like it is going to top Hedda Gabler and The House of Bernarda Alba thanks to the use of puns.

Final Thoughts on the House of Bernarda Alba

I am actually kinda glad i read this play. So far, the House of Bernarda Alba is my favorite play this year. It was very interesting from beginning to end and i enjoyed reading every page. Reading it was also pretty easy. The play was not dense or boring at all. I was always interested in finding out the plot and what was going to happen next. I laughed a couple times when I read some of Maria Josefa's and Bernarda's actions. Most of the time it was because it was funny, others because i really couldn't believe that they did that. Like when Bernarda didn't want her mother going to the well not because she could fall in it, but the idea that the neighbors could see her from their windows. One thing i really appreciated about the play was all the symbols and motifs it had. It was fun discovering what each one meant, how it contributed to the play, and what themes could possibly derive from it. On a scale of one to ten, the House of Bernarda Alba would receive a 8 or 8.5.

Aunt Julie VS. Poncia

As I look back on the two plays, I was able to see a lot of similarities and differences between tons of characters. One of the most interesting in my opinion was comparing and contrasting Poncia and Aunt Julie. These two women for me seem to have guardian angel type qualities. Poncia was the person who tried to keep the pace most of the time despite her views of her employer and her family. Aunt Julie especially had these guardian characteristics. She sacrificed all she had so that others would benefit. She took in Tesman and cared for him while looking after her sister. She continued to watch over George after he was a grown man and got married. Julie put forth her time, effort, money, and dignity to try to keep George and Hedda happy. On the other hand, these two characters are different. Poncia has more self-confidence, courage, bravery, or to a certain extent, she is more masculine. She was not afraid to speak her mind to anyone in the house, not even with Bernarda. This was kinda amazing seeing a maid stand up to her boss knowing that she could be fired at any moment. Julie doesnt have those qualities. She lests people take advantage of her too often. Julie tries so hard to get Hedda to accept her. She buys things in an attempt to make Hedda feel less embrassed to be around her. If that was me, i would not have tolerated the amout of disrespect Hedda dished out, nor would Poncia.

Sisterhood: Does It Exist In The House of Bernarda??

I know this is just a play and all but, is there any examples that show the daughters of Bernarda bonding and sticking together??? What happened to the phrase, "Blood is thicker than water"?? I know that no relationship of any kind is perfect and there will be conflicts. That is inevitable (footnote today's TOK discussion..... YEA MR. GATEWOOD!!!) I know this for a fact because it happens in my family often. My siblings and myself have our differencences and various opinions. Sometimes our..... idk how to say it........ sibling rivalry (if that sounds right) takes the best of us and causes us to argue and fight. Few times we even held long grudges against each other. However, at the end of the day, we love and care for one another and i dont believe that we would tear each other apart like the daughters of Bernarda did. Through out the entire book we have observed countless acts of betrayal, deception, selfishness, jealousy, ect. I believe there were only a couple times where the sisters appeared as if they cared for one another. The only clear example i have is when Ameila tried to get Adela to stop having a secret relationship with Pepe el Romano.

Some Pics Of Characters from Hedda Gabler

I almost thought of these pics I found when I was doing the criticism of Hedda Gabler. These are sketches of each character and the act that it corresponds too. There are other sketches of each character (except Berta and Lovborg.) They are all from a production of Hedda Gabler. All of the info is listed on the website and it also has photos from when they actually did the play. Im wondering if they look like what you imagined?? Some of them do but others are questionable.

Here is the website for those who want to see the rest of the photos. www.aprilsoroko.com/portfolio/40/
Click on the pictures to see a larger version.

More Alike Than I Thought!!

Our group had a very original and unique creative response to Hedda Gabler. We imitated the Jerry Springer show and made it the Jerron Montgomery show. The character i was assigned to play was George Tesman. When our roles were first assigned, I did not want to be Tesman because I believed I was nothing like him. He is child like, ignorant, and naive. George at first glance was the reciprocal of myself. When it came time to present, I had enough practice and felt comfortable with my lines, some of them I even adlibed. However, I still did not agree with my classmates who compared me to Tesman...... That is until this past weekend and today. I am more like him than I could have ever anticipated. I have a very child like, scarcastic, and (when im playing around) dumb-founded personality. I make some of the simplist remarks appear like they could change the world. Despite our unusual behavior, both of us are very intelligent (well in my opinion i think we are). Even though we are similar, there are qualities that seperate Tesman and myself. Tesman's naive nature is not a mistake, he acts like that on purpose. I am like this only when I am playing with other people. For the most part, I know when and when not to act this way, when to be serious.

Quotes From Songs That Relate To the Plays

I love music and i believe it can relate to any and everything. So i decided to make a small list of quotes from songs that relate to the plays.

-You always on top, tonight im on the bottom, cause we, Trading Places (Usher) Talkin about how George and Hedda switched gender roles

-Im the biggest boss that ya seen thus far (Rick Ross) Referring to Bernarda ruling over everyone in her house hold

-We broke broke broke phi broke, we aint got it (Kanye West) George's inability to buy all the things Hedda wants

-You've been hit by.. a smooth criminal (Michael Jackson) Adela sleeping with her sister's fiance

-So you got so many diamonds, you wear all the finest clothes, and your grill is shining, as you're driving down the streets of gold, BUT YOU CANT BLAME ME IF I SET THIS STAGE ON FIRE (Lil Wayne) Judge Brack exposing Hedda and her secrets

-There's a piece of me who leaves when you because you're sent from..... sent from heaven (Keyshia Cole) Adela and her obsession for Pepe el Romano

The Power of a Backward Shot

Guns, one of mans most deadly inventions available to almost anyone. In the hands of a person, it is able to take someone else's life.

Hedda Gabler/Tesman craved for power and the ability to control others. Her pistols are often described as a symbol of power. Shes uses them to exert her will and was able to kill anyone of the men she pointed them at. She was able to manipulate anyone into doing what she wanted. Hedda preyed on people such as George and Lovborg. However, she was unable to control this power and Judge Brack was able to easily take the pistol away from her when it was pointed at him. Ironically, she was unable to control people but not the tool that she used to do this task. Sadly, the tools of her trade in my opinion out grew her. The power she wanted was too much for her to handle and back fired on herself........... literally.

Bernarda & Hedda; More Alike or Different?

As i read Hedda Gabler, i began to see more and more similar qualities between Bernarda and Hedda. Both of these women are controlling, mean, and demanding. Each one of them has their tool that represents their power; Bernarda and her cane, Hedda and her pistols. Hedda and Bernarda go against the stereotypes and are viewed as very masculine characters. Both can be considered the head of their respective households. However, there are characteristcs that set them apart. Hedda in my opinion is weaker than Bernarda. Hedda "punks" out and commits suicide because she does not want to be exposed. Bernarda on the other hand finds ways to keep her secrets down. After Adela kills herself, Bernarda does not commit suicide in fear of her daughters death getting out. So my question is are these two characters more alike or different??

Power Rangers and Bernarda Alba

This was the most random dream i ever had. This weekend i dreamed of the original Might Morphing Power Rangers. The twist was that the characters from The House of Bernarda Alba were the actors in the TV show. The daughters were the power rangers, Bernarda was Zordon, and Poncia was Alpha. So everything was cool in the beginning, Zordon/Bernarda would set the rules and the rangers would follow them and do the missions while Alpha/Ponica assisted. One day Zordon was like, "Rangers you have to stay here because the outside world had become too dangerous for you..." Everyone was mad but they followed what he said except for the Green Ranger/Adela. She would not listen and just started fighting back. Alpha was doing what Zordon said but was thinking to herself, "I knew this would happen. Only if she had listen, we could have avoided this." Then thats when i woke up. LOL it was kinda weird but cool at the same time. Maybe ill get a chance to see the end tonight!!!!