In Act One of Hedda Gabler, Tesman’s entrance, I would open my eyes wider and raise my eyebrows whilst I say, “Aunt Julle!” in an astonished manner and run towards Aunt Julle with my arms extended anticipating to hug her, like a little boy who has returned from boarding school to see his mother.
I would then hug her, closing my eyes as I do so and say “Dear Aunt Julle”, in a relieved way, ending my line with a warm smile.
I would then unlock my eyes and draw my head back away from her shoulder, sliding my arms from her back onto her shoulders, relaxing my grasp but not releasing it.
Stare at her eyes smiling and say, “ come all this way…”, then let my smile fade, crossing my eyebrows and squinting my eyes slightly, looking concerned, but then move my eyes to another direction of the room as if something has caught my eye which I deem to be more important and say, “So early in the morning! Eh?” distractedly.
Before I deliver my next line I would release my hands from her shoulders and walk towards another direction of the room delivering my line in the same half hearted way as the last, not even facing her as I do so.
I would start to fumble some papers as she says her next line, and carry on messing with them as I deliver my line, mumbling most of it under my breath as if I’m already preoccupied, “Well, well and you managed all right getting home from the quay I hope?” I would raise my voice slightly more when I say “Eh”, and turn my head to face her direction after I had said it, waiting for an answer.
ACT ONE.
Ibsen's style works through hints and innuendos, many of which are picked up later in the play and built upon. It is important therefore to `read' the play aright, with all mental antennae on the alert, to pick up these clues.
FIRST INTRODUCTION OF GEORGE TESMAN [PAGE 4 / 1266.]
1. Read carefully Ibsen's description of George Tesman. It suggests an open, disarming uncomplicated character. It is clear that he has had an easy journey through life, has been looked after and feels at ease with himself and the world. Try a couple of students making an entrance as him and then spotting his aunt, his face lighting up with pleasure.
The next section establishes a number of facts and hints of what is to come but has little subtext to work through. Facts are: that a number of people met them from the boat, including Judge Brack who is first mentioned here and thus is shown as quite a close friend and neighbour.
That George Tesman and his Aunt are easy together and close. Worth noting, that Miss Tesman says that his behaviour [undoing her bonnet for her] is just as if he were still at home with them.
Miss Tesman has bought a hat so as not to let stylish Hedda be ashamed of being seen with her. It is clear that Miss Tesman expects to be often in Hedda's company - going for walks together.
George has done a lot of research on the honeymoon - a further hint that the honeymoon was not entirely devoted to love-making and the young couple spending time together. This is confirmed by Hedda later.
Hedda had many admirers before her marriage. This confirms that George as a rank outsider was not expected to carry off the prize. Typical of him though, he feels pride in this fact but no particular surprise himself. However, a question is set up in our minds through these hints. Why did beautiful stylish popular Hedda marry George, who anyone can see is a nice enough fellow but not handsome, dashing or lively?
2. Look at the dialogue between George and his Aunt from: MISS TESMAN `But tell me, George - haven't you any - any extra little piece of news to give me?' [Page 6] I But look here, Jorgen, haven't you anything ... anything, well, special to tell one?' [Page 2688] to MISS TESMAN `Yes, yes, dear boy. 1 was thinking of your books.' [Page 7] I `Of course, my dear boy. It was the library I was thinking of. [Wage 270.]
This is a gently comic section, as Miss Tesman tries to find out whether Hedda is pregnant and George is too wrapped up in his academia even to realise what she's saying. At last, MissTesman has to give up, with a sigh, realising, with loving indulgence, how unaware George is.
To acquaint themselves with the scene, have the students improvising in their own words first. Just stick to the general idea: an over-protective mother tries to find out details of the honeymoon from her son, without actually asking outright whether there's a baby on the way. The son doesn't understand at all what she is on about!
T hough this exercise is a modernisation, it will remind the students of two things: Aunt Juliana is as close as a mother to George and it is a comical scene. Playing it themselves, should reveal the comedy and will help them understand the facial expressions, body language, voice tones and the comic timing needed from the two characters.
As always, record the best of these for voice, gestures, and moves and translate them to the equivalent lines in the dialogue.
The rest of the dialogue, up to Hedda's first entrance, mentions a couple of important facts and introduces the key character of Eilert Loevborg.
The facts are: that Hedda `had' to have this house, she had set her heart on it [as she `had' to have that long expensive honeymoon.] Judge Brack made all the arrangements - a useful friend to the family.
That Miss Tesman has risked her own small income to help afford the house, proving further her desire to do anything for the `motherless and fatherless' boy she has brought up.
There is a hint that George could have financial difficulties ahead. It is obvious already that he is an unworldly man. Now it is made clear that he has already spent up to the hilt and is counting on getting his professorship to keep up paying for their new lifestyle. Further alarm bells ring when Miss Tesman first mentions Eilert as `the man who was your most dangerous rival.' l `the person who was most dangerous to you.' and adds that he has just brought out a book. Though she dismisses the book, saying it can't be as good as George's own forthcoming work, the subject matter of George's book seems hardly inspiring, and even Miss Tesman, seeing George through rose-tinted spectacles as she does, has to admit `Making notes; filing and indexing; you've always been wonderful at that.'/' Arranging and collecting - that's what you're so good at' This does not sound promising; George is clearly an academic of the most humdrum nature. We hear that Eilert is out o€ the running as a rival for George in the academic world because he `has had the mightiest fall. And now he's lying there in the pit he dug for himself, poor misguided creature. '/` gone down before you. ... And there he lies now, on the bed he made for himself, the poor misguided creature.'
The introduction of Eilert in this way, coupled with George's startled reaction to news of his book, arouses our interest and sows seeds for the rest of the play.
3. Cook at the five speeches which start with the one quoted above, about Eilert being out of the running and continue with George's `Have you heard...' Up to Miss Tesman's `So they say. l don't imagine it can be of any value, do you?7 `Yes, so they say. I shouldn't think there can be much in it, would you?'
Reproduce this short dialogue, observing the following notes.
Miss Tesman is dismissive of Ellert and solidly supportive of George. Try to discover the tone of Tesman's responses. How alarmed is he? Is he so alarmed that there is quite a pause before Miss Tesman dismisses the whole thing lightly - and comfortingly - with her 'So they say...' ? Try it out for yourselves.
Is Tesman's worrying about Lovborg an expression of his fundamental decency? Or does he feel guilty at having taken the manuscript? Does he perhaps fear public exposure? Tesman's fundamental decency and love of his aunt move him to begin to suggest that she come to live with him and Hedda, "Yes, just fancy what a nice time we three might have had together, if--?" (p. 61). Hedda cuts him off, rejecting his idea "If--?" (p. 62). Tesman backs down and leaves the suggestion unspoken. Why doesn't he insist?
Another consideration in analyzing Tesman is his response to the news that Hedda has burned the manuscript. Initially he expresses "a violent movement of terror" (p. 62). But at the news she did it for him, he has "an outburst of mingled doubt and joy" (p. 63). Once he believes that she loves him, he laughs "in irrepressible glee" (p. 63). After some expression of happiness, he thinks of Lovborg, "Great God! it is terrible to think what will become of poor Eilert now" (p. 64). Does he make himself an accomplice in Hedda's crime by agreeing to secrecy? What else could he have done? What do his response and acquiescence show about Tesman morally and emotionally? Is he morally corrupt or merely weak? Or is he, as Weigand suggests, "every bit as honorable as the average run of commonplace people"? Is he indeed like most of us in his behavior, his morality, and his moral decisions--an ordinary man who is neither better nor worse than most of us?
Does his conversation with Hedda show his naivete and immaturity regarding male-female relations?
Throughout this scene, Hedda warns Tesman to be quiet so that Berta won't hear; she wants to avoid scandal and to maintain her privacy. Is there anything ridiculous in Tesman's wanting to tell Berta that Hedda loves him or that she is pregnant? That prospect makes her clench "her hands together in desperation" and cry out, "Oh, it is killing me,--it is killing me, all this!" (p. 63). What is so offensive to her in Tesman, his response, and her situation?
Christopher Raikes excels as the insensitive Tesman, cheerfully twirling the string on a packet of new books, and eager to ‘cut the pages’.
Benedict Cumberbatch plays Tesman, not as the usual naive prig, but a serious youthful scholar, just returned from a six month honeymoon and proud of his recently acquired doctorate.
But his true spirit is only revealed when, in the closing moments of the play, he begins his new life’s work collaborating with his natural partner, the fragile Thea Elvsted, played by Lisa Dillon with a touching air of dogged integrity as she and Tesman piece together Loevborg’s lost masterpiece, the original manuscript destroyed in a fit of jealousy by Hedda..
