Four Great Plays of Henrik Ibsen by Henrick Ibsen

Author:Henrick Ibsen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon # Schuster

HEDDA GABLER

CHARACTERS

GEORGE TESMAN

HEDDA TESMAN, his wife

MISS JULIANA TESMAN, his aunt

MRS. ELVSTED

JUDGE BRACK

EILERT LÖVBORG

BERTA, servant at the Tesmans’

The scene of the action is TESMAN’S villa, in the west end of Christiania. 1

ACT ONE

A spacious, handsome, and tastefully furnished drawing room, decorated in dark colors. In the back, a wide doorway with curtains drawn back, leading into a smaller room decorated in the same style as the drawing room. In the right-hand wall of the front room, a folding door leading out to the hall. In the opposite wall, on the left, a glass door, also with curtains drawn back. Through the panes can be seen part of a verandah outside, and trees covered with autumn foliage. An oval table, with a cover on it, and surrounded by chairs, stands well forward. In front, by the wall on the right, a wide stove of dark porcelain, a high-backed armchair, a cushioned footrest, and two footstools. A settee, with a small round table in front of it, fills the upper right-hand corner. In front, on the left, a little way from the wall, a sofa. Further back than the glass door, a piano. On either side of the doorway at the back a whatnot with terra-cotta and majolica ornaments.— Against the back wall of the inner room a sofa, with a table, and one or two chairs. Over the sofa hangs the portrait of a handsome elderly man in a General’s uniform. Over the table a hanging lamp, with an opal glass shade.—A number of bouquets are arranged about the drawing room, in vases and glasses. Others lie upon the tables. The floors in both rooms are covered with thick carpets.—Morning light. The sun shines in through the glass door.

MISS JULIANA TESMAN, with her bonnet on and carrying a parasol, comes in from the hall, followed by BERTA, who carries a bouquet wrapped in paper, MISS TESMAN is a comely and pleasant-looking lady of about sixty-five. She is nicely but simply dressed in a gray walking costume. BERTA is a middle-aged woman of plain and rather countrified appearance.

MISS TESMAN (stops close to the door, listens, and says softly): Upon my word, I don’t believe they are stirring yet!

BERTA (also softly): I told you so, Miss. Remember how late the steamboat got in last night. And then, when they got home!—good Lord, what a lot the young mistress had to unpack before she could get to bed.

MISS TESMAN : Well, well—let them have their sleep out. But let us see that they get a good breath of the fresh morning air when they do appear. (She goes to the glass door and throws it open.)

BERTA (beside the table, at a loss what to do with the bouquet in her hand): I declare there isn’t a bit of room left. I think I’ll put it down here, Miss. (She places it on the piano.)

MISS TESMAN : So you’ve got a new mistress now, my dear Berta. Heaven knows it was a wrench to me to part with you.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.