question about Hedda Gabler ..In Hedda Gabler What does the setting suggest in Act 1& 2 ? is it a constraining setting or does it convey hopes and promises? how does the setting relate to the burgeois dream of perfect mariage and perfect life

I think that Ibsen meant for the setting to portray contemporary Norway as he say it in the mid to late 1800's. So, we have the standard Victorian psyche at play here; Men ruled pretty much everything, class structure was rigid, Women dreamed of marrying well, babies just appeared rather than through a sexual act....All these rules were very constraining. The gender role for women was rigid and narrow. This was problematic for Hedda. She was not content to become what is expected. Hedda is literally trapped in the drawing room for the entire play which pretty much becomes a metaphor for her constrained pent up life.