Hedda Freeman: Guinevere Lives!
Audiences unfamiliar with the classical origins of Hedda Gabler/Tesman/Freeman/Thompson may wonder why (especially in the case of the ironically named Hedda Freeman) Hedda is pushed over the brink to suicide by Elliot’s apparent bad aim when shooting himself. While self-inflicted gunshot wounds produce gory results regardless of where the bullet enters the body, Hedda seems to be most affected—and most unhappily--by the fact that Elliot shot himself in the stomach. It’s not about guts, but it is about glory.
Before we go any further, this lil’ somethin’ is not attempting to divert causality away from the very real, very contemporary and complex motivations toward suicide; see the information on suicidal action and ideation for specific details. Rather, we are looking here at the literary and philosophical origins of Hedda’s final act.
Ibsen’s Hedda—for that matter, I’ll also implicate Cowan and Bush’s Hedda--is one in a long line of literary characters who are engaged with the dialectic articulated by Friedrich Nietzsche in his 1872 (notice the publication date) book, The Birth of Tragedy. Given its publication date and location (Germany), there is consensus that Ibsen would have been familiar with Nietzsche, whose work was radicalizing the intellectual world. The book itself was informed by Plato’s concept of the ideal, originating in the 4th Century B.C.E. Other than the fact that Plato was saying that the physical world is not the real world—don’t worry about that part for now—what he was getting at is that there is an ideal, a human conception that moves the spirit to seek the absolute—in truth, in perfection, in whatever it is that drives a person’s search for meaning in an otherwise seemingly meaningless universe.
Okay, don’t give up now—especially since this takes us, very soon, into Hedda Freeman’s living room in Foggy Bottom.
For Plato, the ideal, as manifested in human beings, is articulated in the person who is an inspiration for the seeker to move forward in the search for the ideal, which is then made real in the intellectual or spiritual realm, more so than the physical one. See? The real is not part of the physical world. Easy, right?
Nietzsche picks up from there but recasts the concept in a dialectic between the Dionysian and the Apollonian. If you are a theatre major, you better know about Dionysius, the Greek god of party-the-fuck-DOWN. Anyway, the Dionysian is the seeker of the ideal, driven by restlessness to discover it, often by excess in the attempt, generally independent, usually undisciplined and unruly, and always impassioned. The Apollonian is the inspiration for the Dionysian, providing a spirit of reason, culture, harmony, beauty, and restraint to counter the excesses of the Dionysian.
Are you starting to smell Hedda and Elliot in this bubbling cauldron?
When the Dionysian Hedda sees her Apollonian inspiration Elliot succumb to forces and results less than ideal—in fact, just downright ugly and messy—her reason for moving forward is also destroyed. When Apollo, the beautiful one, destroys himself not by symbolically acknowledging the life-giving power of his intellect or spirit—his mind or his heart—but in the shit-and-spit of his stomach, Hedda’s ideal is destroyed also. There is nothing left to remove her from her state of earthly dissatisfaction. After all, the ideal doesn’t come around every day.
Hedda knows that. George cannot inspire her. She is trapped by Jack. There’s only one exit, and it’s connected to a trigger. Here, then, are some Dionysian/ Apollonian teams who are part of a very long history of literary attempts to secure the Platonic ideal. Here are a few you might recognize—and one you should seek:
Queen Guinevere and King Arthur
Dumbledore and Harry Potter
Obi Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker
Beatrice and Danté
Miss Jean Brodie and Teddy Lloyd (Seriously, actors—watch Maggie Smith go full-blaze in the movie version of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie—one of the greatest of Oscar-winning performances)
It is a long and grand and notable literary tradition, and Hedda Freeman stands tall at the end of the line of her predecessors, elevating her story to the same lofty heights that these other myths inhabit.
We are playing with fire in this play--just as Hedda would have wanted it.
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Suicidal Ideation and Action: or, Whence Hedda?
Official statistics and research studies have found that there are a number of gender differences in suicide. These differences are known as the gender paradox of suicide. While women are more likely to experience suicidal thoughts, for example, men are much more likely to take their own lives. Complicating the issue is the fact that much of the research on this topic doesn't include nonbinary people. Issues of race and ethnicity also complicate the dynamic.
Suicide statistics reveal that women are roughly three times more likely to attempt suicide, though men are two to four times more likely to die by suicide. Compared to men, women show higher rates of suicidal thinking, non-fatal suicidal behavior, and suicide attempts.
One of the most important reasons for the difference between suicide attempts and completed suicides between men and women is the method of suicide used. Men tend to choose violent (more lethal) suicide methods:
Suicide Methods in Men
• Firearms (Elliott)
• Hanging
• Asphyxiation or suffocation
• Jumping
• Moving objects
• Sharp objects
• Vehicle exhaust gas
Suicide Methods in Women
• Self-poisoning
• Exsanguination (bleeding out from a cut such as a "slit" wrist)
• Drowning
• Hanging
• Firearms (Hedda)
Firearms appear to be more common when people are reacting to acute situations. With regard to suicide by firearms, research has found that men are more likely to shoot themselves in the head (which is more likely to be fatal) than women. The reason for this has been debated but could be related to less intent to die in women. Some have suggested that this could be, however, that cosmetic fears in women, should the attempt fail, play a role in the location of a gunshot.
Experts suggest that gender might also influence what methods a person is familiar with or has ready access to use. For example, men are generally more likely than women to be familiar with firearms and use them in their daily lives, and thus they might choose this method more often.
Why is this important?
Hedda’s story both reflects and contradicts some common phenomena associated with suicidal ideation or action. For example, Hedda’s familiarity with firearms indicates that she is far more familiar or comfortable with firearms than most women and therefore she selected a suicidal action that is more commonly perpetrated by men. Her choice may also suggest that Hedda relies upon a non-heteronormative epistemology.
Firearms were the predominant method of suicide among African Americans regardless of sex or age, accounting for 50.0% of all suicides. Suffocation was the second most prevalent method (27.2%).
--University of Michigan/uofmhealth.org
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Suicidal Action: Age also plays a factor among a combined demographic of women:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. (2020). Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [online]. -- - www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars
Why is this important?
Hedda’s age becomes a significant factor in her choice of suicidal action
----all graph statistics derived by U.S. Centers for Disease Control/www.sprc.org
In 2013 to 2017, drug poisoning death rates were highest among American Indian and Alaska Native individuals (36.9 deaths per 100,000) and White individuals (32.6 deaths per 100,000), followed by Black individuals (21.1 deaths per 100,000). Drug poisoning death rates increased in each racial/ethnic group during 2000 to 2017, except for Black individuals, among whom rates declined during 2006 to 2010, and then increased. (AMA Network Open. 2020;3(9):e2016217. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.16217)
Black-identified (per 100,000) deaths by cause, 2000-2017: Drug poisoning 6.6 (3.8 to 9.5) 2000-2006 6.3 (2.9 to 9.7) 2006-2010 −7.1 (−14.8 to 1.3) 2010-2014 7.2 (−1.4 to 16.6) 2014-2017 27.9 (20.2 to 36.2) Suicide 1.3 (0.7 to 1.9) 2000-2008 −0.6 (−1.0 to −0.3) 2008-2012 2.4 (0.8 to 4.0) 2012-2015 −0.2 (−3.2 to 2.8) 2015-2017 9.6 (6.6 to 12.6)
Why is this important?
While the percentage of Black-identified people committing suicide is smaller than that for White-identified (non-Hispanic), the growth over the past ten years or so has been parallel, suggesting that race-related issues are not a significant factor in the rise of suicide among both populations.
However, drug-related suicides among Black-identified people (men and women) is far lower than in White-, Indigenous-, or Alaskan native-identified people. From 2000-2010, deaths by suicide among Black-identified men and women decreased, before increasing until 2017, still to the lowest rate among White-, Indigenous- and Alaskan Native-identified populations, at a rate of 12.6 per 100,000.
--all graph statistics derived by U.S. Centers for Disease Control/www.sprc.org
Why is this important?
While the rate (age-adjusted, per the above graph) indicates that Black-identified men and women commit suicide at about half the rate of White-identified men and women, Black women commit suicide at about a quarter of the rate of Black-identified men. Therefore, Hedda’s suicide is relatively anomalous.
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Suicidal Ideation:
Most people who seriously consider suicide do not want to die. Rather, they see suicide as a solution to a problem and a way to end their pain. People who seriously consider suicide feel hopeless, helpless, and worthless. A person who feels hopeless believes that no one can help with a particular event or problem. A person who feels helpless is immobilized and unable to take steps to solve problems. A person who feels worthless is overwhelmed with a sense of personal failure.
Most people who seriously consider or attempt suicide have one or more of the following risks:
A personal or family history of suicide attempts
A family history of suicide attempts or completed suicide
A personal or family history of severe anxiety, depression, or other mental health problems, such as bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness) or schizophrenia
Substance use disorder, such as alcohol use disorder
The warning signs of suicide change with age.
Warning signs of suicide in adults may include recent job loss or divorce.
People who have suicidal thoughts may not seek help because they feel they cannot be helped. This usually is not the case. Many people with suicidal thoughts have medical conditions that can be successfully treated. People who have suicidal thoughts often have depression or substance use disorder, and both of these conditions can be treated. It is important to seek help when suicidal thoughts occur because medical treatment usually is successful in diminishing these thoughts.
The possibility of suicide is most serious when a person has a plan for suicide that includes:
Having the means, such as weapons or medicines, available to try suicide or do harm to another person.
Having set a time and place to try suicide.
Thinking there is no other way to solve the problem or end the pain.
People who are considering suicide often are undecided about choosing life or death
---University of Michigan/www.uofmhealth.org
Why is this important?
Hedda is very much her father’s daughter, as indicated by the looming presence of General Freeman visually throughout the play, including the presence of his guns. In this case, it is important to acknowledge that family history may likely inform Hedda’s ideation. In addition, her easy access to the means of suicide provides the means to realize her ideation. Also, phenomena such as recent job loss or divorce are traumatic events that require major paradigmatic shifts in quotidian existence. Hedda’s loss of Elliott, the target upon whom she set her sights long ago, as well as the realization of the loss of her autonomy at Jack’s hands, would likely be traumatic events of magnitude equal to divorce or loss of job.
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