THE ATMOSPHERE IN HENRIK IBSEN’S PLAY HEDDA GABLER,

BAUDELAIRE’S POETRY, AND SAMUEL BECKETT’S PLAY

ENDGAME:
The ‘Atmosphere’ of any literary work holds a place of vital importance and determines

whether the work lies in the category of somber tone or a constructive tone. The atmosphere

affects the direction in which the work is headed regardless of what type of literary work it is, i.e.

a poem, play (comedy as well as tragedy), fiction, non-fiction or even prose. No matter what

nature of literature it is, one cannot neglect the significance of atmosphere. In the literal sense,

the word ‘atmosphere’ means surroundings or environment. (Qureshi 41) But in the world of

literature, it has a much deeper implication. Atmosphere signifies a mood or tone of a literary

work. This mood is portrayed in accordance with the surroundings or landscape by an author.

(Hibbard et. al.)

The atmosphere can be defined as the mood which is established by the totality of the

literary work. (Hussain 25) Another literary term which is related to the atmosphere is

‘foreshadowing.’ Both the atmosphere and foreshadowing are primarily interrelated plot devices.

The atmosphere gives an explanation of the current mood in a play or a work of fiction whereas

foreshadowing provides an indication or a hint of what is to come later in the plot. For instance, a

careful perusal of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth both atmosphere and foreshadowing can be

elaborated and comprehended. The early appearance of the ‘three witches’ in the play creates a

sense and mood of horror and gloom. They also give an indication that this atmosphere will later

lead to terrifying and dreadful events. Therefore, the dark and somber atmosphere of the play
determines the direction of where its plot is heading. Another important concept connected to

atmosphere, besides physical appearances and surroundings, is the tone in which a character

speaks or, in poetry, a poet expresses his thoughts. If the words used in a literary work present of

torment of agony, it means the plot of a play or novel, or the theme of a poem is going to be

rather bleak and sorrowful. When we apply this concept to the poetry of Geoffrey Chaucer, his

characterization and tone of the poem Prologue to the Canterbury Tales creates a comic and

humorous atmosphere.

When we look at Henrik Ibsen’s play Hedda Gabler, the central theme depicts a conflict

between society and an individual. Her life is stultifying and empty. The play presents a woman

struggling against her societal norms and values. She is trying to combat a male-dominated

society where women are compelled to marry merely to perform the daily chores and play the

roles of a traditional wife and a mother. If a woman attempts to lead a revolutionary life, they

usually end up in spinster-hood looking after others against their will. An example of such

character is present by the playwright in the shape of Aunt Julia who has nothing else to do but

to look after Tesman, her invalid sister Rina and other invalids like her. The protagonist of the

play is Hedda Tesman who deliberately changes her name to Hedda Gabler to alter her identity.

She does so to be able to live her life according to her will, not the life of a typical married

woman. Unfortunately, her endeavor to fight against the society leads her to suicide. (Ibsen 193)

The atmosphere of Endgame by Samuel Beckett contains even grimmer and cynical

atmospheric effects. Right from the beginning of the play, we are told that a very devastating

natural disaster has recently taken place and the entire community portrayed in the play is

tormented by it. In their post-apocalyptic condition, all the characters of the play are trapped

inside a room. They posses nothing but a handful of useless objects such as a gaff, a stuffed toy,
a picture and an alarm clock, and they have to make use of each of them to deal with the terrible

circumstances. The play begins with an empty stage with a dim grayish light spread about. There

is also an ‘armchair’ placed on one side of the opening scene. All these elements exhibit a strong

sense of pessimism right from the outset. This dark and gruesome initial setting foretells that the

play will to contain a catastrophic sequence of events.

In Endgame, the protagonist’s name is Hamm. He is portrayed as a cruel-natured king

who is disliked by everyone around him. Hamm suggests that they must not lose hope. Another

integral character in the play is a keeper of the Apocalypse named Clov. There is a kitchen

beside Hamm’s room, and it is a place of sanctuary for Clov. Clov finds peace whenever he goes

into the kitchen and gets away from Hamm.

In both Hedda Gabler and Endgame, the characters seem to be entangled in one way or

the other and forced to perform actions against their will. They do not possess the luxury or

space to make decisions according to their liking. They have to abide by the rules imposed upon

them by their social norm and are not free to move freely.

The atmosphere presented in a majority of Baudelaire’s poems is depressing and woeful,

similar to the atmospheres of Hedda Gabler and Endgame. As mentioned above the tone and

mood of the poet plays a vital role in his poetic works. This mood is used to set up the reader’s

expectations as to the ‘course of events’ either ‘happy’ or ‘disastrous.’ (Abrams) Most of

Baudelaire’s case lies in the latter category.

Baudelaire himself describes his own poetic works as a painting crafted on the canvas of

‘abnormal, dreamy atmosphere’ which he proclaims as pure poetry. (Baudelaire) According to

him, poetry is sometimes as clear and bright as a ‘morning sky,’ and sometimes it’s like a fire
that fills and fuels ‘emptiness’. The mood and tone of Benediction is a paradoxical blend of joy

and sorrow, disappointment and hope. In one line, the poet seems to be grumbling about his

frustrations, while on the very next line he appears to be hopeful that one day his miseries will

perish.

And twist and stunt this miserable tree

Until it cannot burgeon for the blight. (Baudelaire 22)

The Enemy is a poem written by Baudelaire which shows that darkness and thunderous

storms have engulfed the life of human beings and has become a cause of emotional despair for

the young generation:

“My youth was but a tempest, dark and savage” (Baudelaire 38)

In Act IV of Hedda Gabler, the lead character is shown in ‘black dress.’ (Ibsen 209) The

color black is obviously a sign of mourning and woe. Hedda is shown entering a ‘dark’ room

which is a vivid indication that she is heading towards her destruction in this particular act. The

only sign of remote hopefulness is a dimly lit lamp in the back room hanging over a table. Later

on, we find out that she has shot herself in the temple with a gun. The importance given to

‘atmosphere’ was a prominent hallmark of Ibsen’s writings. Time and time again in Hedda

Gabler, the playwright employs various atmospheric techniques to elaborate how things are

being portrayed as well as the imminent doom. The tone of the words uttered by the different

characters in the play, including that of the lead character, is most certainly cold and hurtful

throughout the play. The last line of the play, uttered by Judge Brack, sums up the entire play’s

theme. It exhibits a tone of a character complaining to God about the misfortunes faced by

Hedda in her lifetime:

 “Good God! People don’t do such things.” (Ibsen 221)

In Endgame, the word ‘end’ is used quite often to describe the current circumstances as

well as a tool for prediction of the future. The expression of gloom on the faces of characters is

also chosen deliberately by Beckett as a way of exposing his intention that he is going to make

his characters meet their demise:

HAMM (gloomily):

Then there's no reason for it to change.

CLOV:

It may end. (Beckett 02)

To sum the entire discussion up, one can conclude that the utilization of atmosphere is a

key feature of almost every work of literature. This phenomenon of depicting the circumstances

faced by people has gained enormous value and popularity especially among the modern

fictionists and poets alike. Just like all the other forms of art (painting, music, lyrics of songs,

etc.), if the technique of adapting mood and atmosphere in literary works can leave a significant

psychological effect on the mind of the reader.

However, one must keep in mind that it takes a vast literary knowledge and intellect to

use this literary device to perfection. Without the utilization of atmosphere by a writer, it

becomes tough for the reader to fully grasp the severity and emotional depth of the situation

which the author is attempting to convey.

LIST OF WORKS CITED:

 Hibbard et. al. A handbook to Literature. Rev. and enlarged by C. Hugh Holman. New

York: Odyssey Press, 1960. Print.

 Qureshi, Bashir Ahmad. ‘Atmosphere.’ Kitabistan’s Twentieth Century Practical

Dictionary. Ed. Prof. Stanley E. Brush. Lahore: The Kitabistan Publishing Co., n.d. Print.

 Hussain, S. S. ‘Atmosphere.’ Goodluck Dictionary of Literary Terms. Lahore: New Kitab

Mahal, n.d. Print.

 Ibsen, Henrik. ‘Hedda Gabler.’ Four Major Plays. New York: Airmont Publishing

Company, Inc., 1966. Print.

 Beckett, Samuel. Endgame. New York: Grove Press, 1958. Print.

 Abrams, M. H. A Glossary of Literary Terms. 1st ed. New York: Holt Rhinehart, 1957.

Print.

 "Charles Baudelaire Quote." A-Z Quotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2017.

 Baudelaire, Charles. Poems of Baudelaire. Trans. Roy Campbell. Eds. Barbara Watson,

Mark Bear, and Akrigg, Ronald Tolkien Travis Hall Press, 1952. Print.

 Baudelaire, Charles. "Poems of Baudelaire." Poems of Baudelaire (Les Fleurs du Mal).

N.p., 1 Sept. 2014. Web. 20 May 2017.