Unnaturla Death in Hedda Gabler and Madame Bovary

Throughout Hedda Gabler and Madame Bovary death is a common motif. The use of unnatural death by Henrik Ibsen and Gustave Flaubert allows the authors to breakdown the main characters and reveal their true personalities. The deaths of Emma Bovary in Madame Bovary and the death of Hedda Gabler and Ejlert Lovborg in Hedda Gabler are the climax allowing the reader to learn about the characters in the text.

Emma, or Madame Bovary, died after taking poison given to her by an admirer. Her lifestyle had forced her into debt, as well as adultery, Emma felt that her only escape from her self-proclaimed “boring life” was suicide.

“Her situation now appeared before her like an abyss. She was panting as though her lungs would burst…She stopped in front of the pharmacist’s shop.”

(Flaubert 271)

“The Key turned in the lock and she went straight for the third shelf, so well did her memory guide her, seized the blue bottle, pulled out the stopper, plunged in her hand and drew it out full of white powder which she began to eat immediately.” (Flaubert 272)

The death of Emma affected her husband, Charles. His reserved and content behavior did not prepare him for the death of his beloved wife, Emma. Emma left a note for Charles before she died that told him about Rodolphe and her affairs with other men. Gustave Flaubert uses Emma’s death to dissect Charles showing that he is a loving and caring husband, widower, who eventually dies from the loss of his wife and newly acquired information about her affairs.

“The elder Madame Bovary arrived at dawn; Charles had another fit of weeping when he embraced her. She tried, as the pharmacist had done, to make a few remarks about the expenses of the funeral. He flew into such a rage that she dropped the subject; he even told her to go to the city immediately and buy what was needed.”

(Flaubert 286)

Emma Bovary’s death also affected the minor characters. Characters like her daughter Berthe, who after her mother’s death lived with her grandmother for a while until her grandmother died then was forced to live at her aunts where Berthe worked in a cotton mill to earn her own living. Homais was benefited by Madame Bovary’s death. He became the leading doctor in Y’onville after Charles died from the pain of his wife’s death.

“Since Bovary’s death, three different doctors have tried to establish themselves in Y’onville, but they all have been driven away by Monsieur Homais’ vehement attacks. He now has more patients than the devil himself could handle, the authorities treat him with deference and public opinion supports him.

He has just been awarded the cross of the Legion of Honor.”

(Flaubert 302)

Unnatural death is also apparent in Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler. Ibsen not only killed off Hedda Gabler, the main character, but removed Ejlert Lovborg, a minor character, to serve purpose for Hedda’s death. When Hedda Gabler gives an old love one of her prized pistols she inclines him to consider suicide, and if he were to, be honorable when going about it.

“HEDDA. No, Wait! I want to give you something to remember me by.

[She goes to the desk and opens the drawer, and takes out the pistol case. Then she comes back to LOVBORG with one of the pistols.]

LOVBORG[Looks at her]. That! Is that what you want me to have?

HEDDA[nods slowly]. Do you recognize it? It was aimed at you, once.

LOVBORG. You should have used it then.

HEDDA. Well…! You use it now.

LOVBORG[sticking the pistol in his breast pocket]. Thank you.

HEDDA. And beautifully, Ejlert Lovborg. Promise me that!

LOVBORG. Goodbye, Hedda Gabler.” (Ibsen 246)

Ejlert, later kills himself, it is not stated that he did it accidentally or intentionally. Judge Brack, a friend of Hedda Gabler and her husband, Jorgen Tesman found one of Hedda’s pistols in the breast pocket of Ejlert’s jacket. Brack, remembering that this was one of Hedda’s pistols, confronts her later. Brack promises to keep this a secret. Hedda can’t stand to be out of control of her own life, and now that Brack has some “information” on Hedda, he is in control. When Hedda exits