# Juliana Tesman — Hedda Gabler character guide

> Juliana Tesman in Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Miss Juliana Tesman, Miss Tesman, Aunt Julia, Dear Aunt Julia, Auntie

**First appearance:** 0003-act-i

## Snapshot

George's devoted aunt, who raised him like a son and now hovers over his new marriage with anxious, hopeful tenderness.

## Who they are

Miss Tesman arrives at the newlyweds' house with a bouquet and a bonnet, eager to see her boy settled and to hear whether there are any 'expectations' yet. She has given up her own household and her longtime servant Berta to make George's home comfortable, and she cares for a bedridden sister at the same time. Her uncomplicated love for George stands in quiet contrast to Hedda's coldness, and her small economies hint at the money the young couple are already spending.

## Relationships

### [Hedda Gabler](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hedda_gabler_se/characters/hedda_gabler)

_family_

Hedda is cold and dismissive toward her mother-in-law Juliana, viewing her as a tiresome symbol of the bourgeois family life she despises.

### [George Tesman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hedda_gabler_se/characters/george_tesman)

_family_

George shares a warm, affectionate bond with his aunt Juliana, who raised him and continues to dote on him, while he remains oblivious to Hedda's disdain for her.

### [Judge Brack](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hedda_gabler_se/characters/judge_brack)

_social_

Brack maintains a polite, superficial acquaintance with Juliana as part of his social circle, but he holds no genuine affection for her.

### [Ejlert Lövborg](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hedda_gabler_se/characters/ejlert_lovborg)

_social_

Juliana regards Lövborg with maternal concern and pity, while he treats her with distant respect as an elder of the Tesman family.

### [Aunt Rina](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hedda_gabler_se/characters/aunt_rina)

_family_

Aunt Rina is Juliana's invalid sister, with whom she shares a devoted, caretaking bond, though Rina remains largely offstage.

### [Secretary Falk](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hedda_gabler_se/characters/secretary_falk)

_social_

Juliana exchanges polite pleasantries with Secretary Falk as a fellow member of the town's respectable social circle.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hedda_gabler_se/characters/juliana_tesman
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hedda_gabler_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hedda_gabler_se/characters