Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-07-11
THE WOMEN OF SHAKESPEARE,
BY MISS SADIE BURR.
Read At the State Normal school Comm SAGE
ment. PlanevilIe, Jane, ~, 1875.

ment. Plas'eville, June. ~, 1875.
The Ideal IS master of the world
Nations as we'll as individuals fall
under its dominion. Turn back the
pages of history and look at the old
annals of of the Greeks OF AIexan-
der's time. Centuries before this the
Spartans had made personifed brav-
cry and courage their ideal. They
Taught the youth 20 reverence this
quality till, ultimately, this idea con-
troiled the nation. The same is also
shown in the sovereignty of beauty
and pleasure over the sister nation,
Athens. Look, too. at old mytho.
logical records. Observe the people
governed by their ideal deities. Jub.
tier, verify, was master of "the glory
that was Greece and the grandeur
that was Rome" From the differ
ence in taste and temperam ent arises
q wonderful variety Of ideals. AS
nothing pure can exist amid sur
roundings wholly unchasse, so moth
ing degrading will be cherished in
mind refined and cultivated. A mans
ideal, therefore, reveals something Of
the man himself. Physical symmet.
~ and beauty, Intellectual worth
and manners, femenine gentleness
each in turn form some ones ideal
woman. As by knowing and associ-
ating with noble, patient, real WON.
en- we are made better, SO, by hav-
ing high ideals constantly before as.
some of their beauty will be reflect
ed in our lives. We shall be stimu-
lated by them to keep the heart
their dwelling place spotIess and
pure. 1t is fitting. then that both by
observation and reading we fashion
for ourselves models according to
which we may strive to mould our
lives. Shakespeare-the "myriad.
minded"-with his wonderfully d.
verse types of wonanhood, may fur
nish US, If not complete model GER
tainly elements that may be used in
developing one. Shakespeare's wom-
en- are natural women idealized. A
thoughtful examination shows that
physical beauty is more subordinate
to beauty of.the soul yet we feel it's
presence. The Rdmirer Of masculine
qualities in woman, will scarcely and
his model, as Shakespeare's women
afelnoted for their delicacY and fem
inine attractions; bat thoss 10 whose
ideal intelligence or moral loneliness
predominates cannot Ail to find their
own hearts pictures painted hero.
All agree, howevss, as to the perfect.
ness OF tie figures in this"divine gal.
lery of woNanhood," Careless read>
or of Shakespeare, what think you
CT hia women z Careful reader, of
Shakespeare, what think you of his
Ewomen,S The answer comes, from
both: They are true to life. porfecs
in, representation. Surely, there is
variety The tender Juliet, noble
Hermoino, terrible lady Macbeth
land cruel Regain and Goueri are all
present. Cleopatra, brilliantly wick
ed and coquettish; Desdemona, pure
and sweet; the witty Roselind and
wilful Olivia arc all portrayed by
Shakespeare mas.orly hand. We
admire hia women, renounce them,
Hove, hato, or fear them as
though we knew them, aud it is be-
cause he develops a character from
within outward rather than from
without inward. As the plant grows
and unfolds from the tiny germ to
maturity so Shakespeare's characters
grow and develop from tho germ
some prominent traffic the COM
plete man or woman. It is one oil
the originalities of Shakespeare
style that he follows, essentially, ma.
ture's plan and this is the secret oil
his success as the delineator of hu-
man character. 1t is as if nature
has entrusted to him the secret oil
its working powers. His is natures
own "unity in variety" and his that
vital fexibility which makes his per.
sonages so essentially natures own.
He who has read the plays of Shake.
speare sees this, though not as evi
IDENTIFY as he who has studied them
Is not Portia, of Belmont, a mode.
woman fashioned on this plan2 The
germ of her character is intelligence
ln her is exhibited what no one eIst
has shown as well as Shakespeare
that woman may be truly wise
without being in any degree mascu
line. Witty and learned Portia il
!, perfectly selfpossessed in the con
seriousness of her attachments, buI
withal she is delicate, sensitive, won
6 anly. Shall we not agree with Bas
sanio in making Portia our idea
,, woman !? atsem s. a. -
For she is W Use i'll can Judge of her ea
And fair she Is IL that mine eyes be true,
| And true she is as she has proved herself:
And, therefore, like herself, wise fair and true
Shall she be placed in my constant eare.'
D In Imogen an intelligence which
9 we feel to be fully equal to Portia'
e is displayed in different way. Ev
] cry act bears its unmistakable mark
Y In her devotion to Posthumius sh
e displays the vital principles Of he
being. Shels sad, gentle, spirited.
2 "a rich, full nature. free to trust
. Truthful, and almost sternly just" ifH
' Never unduly disturbed by Sigh
3 annoyances she evinoes depth O
{ nature alike rare and desirable. Her
. was that noble part to suffer tina
' others might be made better,
Excepting. with many a slight disguiso
The secrets Of self sacrifice"
Into the delineation of her characte
,, the poet has woven the truth tina
the truly miserable is tho doer no
!, the sufferer of wrong. Though 9,
. diverse for Portia may not some fea
,, lures of Imogen's character be adde,
! to our ideal woman? Catharine-
Catharine of Arogan-"So rarel,
: found and never to be taught
!, another of the we'll known womeI
: whose portrait Shakespeare ha
: painted for US. Hers is the true wis
= dom - wise judgment - especial,
. shown in the clear quick comprehen
= sion OF tho mind with which she i
dealing, and hers that dignity whic
!. is
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