Hedda Gabler and Phaedra: Death and the Heroine We must always sympathize and/or identify with the tragic hero/heroine to some extent. What devices does Racine employ to maintain our sympathy for Phaedra? How do we feel about her at the time of her death? What devices does Ibsen use to elicit our sympathy for Hedda? How do we feel about her at the time of her death? Phaedra is in the quintessential sense the tragic heroine, as it seems to fulfil every quality required to be one. She is able to arouse compassion and terror at the same time. Phaedra is not altogether guilty, and not altogether innocent. She is drawn by