Hedda Gabler more important than the rational one. Ibsen was interested in the then-embryonic science of mental illness and had a poor understanding by present-day standards. His "Ghosts" is another example of this. Examples of the troubled 19th-century female might include oppressed, but "normal", wilful characters; women in abusive or loveless relationships; and those with some type of organic brain disease. Ibsen is content to leave such explanations unsettled. Bernard Paris interprets Gabler's actions as stemming from her "need for freedom [which is] as compensatory as her craving for power... her desire to shape a man's destiny." The play was performed in
Neal Gabler Neal Gabler Neal Gabler (born 1950) is an American journalist, historian and film critic. Gabler graduated from Lane Tech High School in Chicago, Illinois, class of 1967, and was inducted into the National Honor Society. He graduated "summa cum laude" from the University of Michigan and holds advanced degrees in both film and American culture. Gabler has contributed to numerous publications including "The New York Times", "The Los Angeles Times", "Esquire", "New York Magazine", "Vogue", "American Heritage", "The New Republic", "Us", and "Playboy". He has appeared on many television programs, including "The Today Show", "CBS Morning News", "The News Hour",