Medea and Hedda Gabler - 1222 Words

The materialistic wants of people often lead them to act in imprudent ways. This is especially true in the cases of Jason and George Tesman, main characters from the plays of Medea and Hedda Gabler, who display the folly of blindly adhering to aesthetic standards. (In this essay, an aesthetic standard is the placement of value on worldly goods and sensationalistic feeling). Acting on such a standard creates a tunnel vision that limits one’s thoughts and prevents one from seeing anything other than that which is directly beneficial. This tunnel vision inhibits Jason and George Tesman from perceiving reality as it is and holds them captive to their own specious view of events. Furthermore, it negatively affects their lives as well as those†¦show more content†¦This suggests Tesman views Hedda to be a â€Å"trophy wife†, one whom he can proudly display around town, and that he chose to marry her for this purpose rather than for reasons of love. Moreover, Tesman go es on to say that he has â€Å"several good friends†¦who would like to stand in my shoes† (Ibsen 4). One might extrapolate from this statement that Tesman was in a competition for Hedda and he cherished having won the race, outdoing others along the way. Both Tesman and Jason succumb to the blinding power of aesthetic standards. They are unable to see the potentially deleterious consequences of their actions. Jason, infatuated with his lie and desire for higher social status, does not perceive Medea’s forthcoming passionate revenge, and George, stuck to ambiguous thoughts and material wants, cannot imagine the extent to which Hedda is controlling their marriage. Blindfolded by their acquisitive nature, the characters fail to see that the light at the end of the tunnel is in fact the train of their demise. The actual consequences of the characters decisions are far worse than either can imagine. In response to Jason’s deceitfulness, Medea concocts a horrific plan to kill his newly-wedded bride, father-in-law, and two children. When all is done, only a few survivors remain. Although Jason is among those spared, his misery is great. In grief, he reveals his short-sightedness, caused by an insatiable thirst for power, cost him immensely: â€Å"You hatefulShow MoreRelatedGender Stereotypes in Literature1570 Words   |  7 Pagesself-sacrificing mothers and wives and that they are dependent on men. This is seen in the play Medea, set in Greece during a time that was dominated by men. Women could only, under exceptional conditions, obtain a divorce yet any Greek man could rid himself of a wife simply by publicly renouncing his marriage. The ideal woman was spoken of as little as possible among men, whether for good or for ill[1]. Hedda Gabler is set in Norway during a period of man y changes. In 1854 women were given the right toRead MoreEssay Prompts4057 Words   |  17 Pages Light in August Anna Karenina Long Day’s Journey into the Night Antigone Lord Jim Beloved Macbeth Crime and Punishment Medea Death of a Salesman Moby-Dick Ethan Frome Oedipus Rex Faust Phedre Fences Ragtime For Whom the Bell Tolls Sent for You Yesterday Frankenstein Tess of the D’Urbervilles Hedda Gabler Things Fall Apart King Lear 2003 (Form B): Novels and plays often depict characters caught between colliding cultures-national, regional