The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-12-18
A Study of Shakespeare's Heroine
by Helena Modjeska.
AN ACRESS' POINT OF VIEW.
Sources from Which the Great Bard
Drew the Play.
RosaIind as the Immortal Poet Painted
Her-A Lovely, virtuous Being, the
Last Work of Feminine Grace
and Gentleness.
dominance 1sg2. bz the Author. /

w hat is Rosallndg
Thomas Lodge, on whose story entitled
ssRosalind, - Shakespeare has based his
play, describes her beauty ana her vir-
tues in most glorious but rather exager-
ated terms: esFor upon her cheeks there
seemed a battle between the graces who
should bestow most favor to make her ex-
celIent The blush that gloried Luna,
when she kissed the shepherd on the hills
of Latmos, was rot tainted with such a
pleasant dye as the vermilion that -four
ished on the silver hue of Rosalind's
coutenance; her eyes were like those
lamps that made the wealthy covert of
the heavens more gorgeous, sparkling
favor and disdain; courteous and yet coy,
as if in them Venus had placed all her
amorets and Diana all her chastity. The
trammels of her hair folded in caul of
gold SO far surpassed the FURNISHED glis-
ter of the metal, as sun doth the meanest
star in brightness; the tresses that fold in
the brows of Apollo were not half so rich
to the sight, for in her hair it seemed love
had laid herself in ambush to entrap the
proudest eye that burst gaze upon their
excellence. What should l need to deci-
pher her particular beauties, when by
the censure of all she was the paragon of
all earthly perfection.o
Alinda, in Lodges novel, Cecilia, - in
her tOration to the Father in Defence OF
Rosalind, - says, "Her wisdom, silence,
chastity and other such rich qualities l
need not decipher. -
But we do not need to look for informal
ton to any other authority than Shake
speare himself. With all the good judg-
ment of a clever stage manager he does
rot leave entire freedom to actors in
creating the characters, but gives them
necessary hints and thus compels them
TO follow closely his own conception.
Rosalind is so well pictured by different
persons of the play that there cannot be
any doubt as to the Interpretation of the
part. In the first act of GAS You Like
1t, - Duke Frederick speaking of Rosa
lind, expresses himself as follows:
She is too subtle for thee, and her smoothness,
Her very silence, and her patience
Speak TO the people, and they pity her.
Thou art D fool she robs thee OF they name,
And thou wilt show more bright and seem more
virtuous
When she is gone.
1t is enough to read this passage to
know that she is subtle, smooth, silent,
patient, bright and Virtuous. AS it is her
be, Inoeed, lovely being, the last work
of feminine grace and gentleness. Shake
speare evidently loved his heroine; he is
not contented with giving description
OF her character; he also draws an outline
Of her physical appearance. In her scene
with Celia at the end of the first act,
Rosalind says about herself: 81 am more
than common tall. - Orlando in his
poem thus sings her praise;
Tr.,-.-- .......,- 49,. -. - 49,.
Cleopatras majesty.
In another instance Oliver, quoting Or
lando's description of Ganymede, says:
The boy is fair
CT female favor, and besvowS himself
Like ripe sister; but the woman low
And browner than her brother.
We see by this that she is tall, golden
haired, majestic. beautiful!
Having become thus acquainted with
her moral and physical advantages, let
us see how she appears in contact with
surrounding people and events. In the
first scene of the play we have learned by
Charles, the wrestler, that her father has
been hanlshed by Frederick, but being
very much beloved by her cousin Celia,
Frederick daughter ,Rosalind is retained
at the court and treated kindly by the
usurping duke. At her first appearance,
however, she comes before US with a cloud
OF sadness on her brow and wins our SYM
pathy at once. We love the noble, beau
tiful girl for the sake of her sorrow and
patience and we pity her. Celia tries to
comfort her. but it is not easy to forget a
banished father and she answers softly, 81
show more mirth than l am mistress OFF,
but when Celia insists, accusing her
with a childish petulance of lack of love,
she shakes of her petulance, saying: 81
will forget the condition OF my estate to
rejoice In yours" This is our first insight