The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-09-18

peopled the Engsish stage with the ma
iority Of its most charming actresses and
her rendition OF Portsa is said 10 Be q
rnost exquisite performances.
II il said that while Shakespeare Is never
didscfic; that is. be paints his figures In
glowing. impressive eoIors and Ieaves the
picture 20 tell the story without any title
or legend beneath. nevertheless that his
figures are all types that are instinct With
some moEal lesson or nots Of warning:
each hercic or fascinating figure az 10 aits
By Is really a teacher, whether it talks 20
teach or only pratiIes. Every one OF
shakspears's women talks different note.
and her note is subordinated with true
artistic sense TO her environment.
Miranda is the artless maiden Who says;
"Hsaee bashsul euaaIsg'
ABd protapt sse. p4aia and holy tnaoeeneel
am Yoar wife, q you will marry me;
II not j Il die FCUF maid.
Silva and Julia are older. less artless.
bat not less virtuous women In Meas
ure for Measure" We have Isabella, the
most majestic. the grandest woman thai
Shakespeare ever drew: in Much Ado
About Nothing" we are shown the picture
Of brilliant, warm-hearted. pugnacions
woman Of teasing wit. In AS You Like
II" we get Rosalind. who, in charming
sprightlinsss. has no peer save Perdita in
The Winters Tale !" Twelfth Night"
gives US Viola, who is = Miranda some
thing matured. shipwrecked and in mIsior-
tune, and Olivia. who is nearest TO Portia,
only that she il clearly older and woman
Of more passion and less wit and humor
than Portia. Olivia is. like Portia, an
heiress. BIZ: how differently Olivia, with
ali her native sense of dignity, talks her
love to Sebastian compared with the re-
served sense of her own consequence that
Portia maintains when she has accepted
Bassanio. OF course 1t is to be considered
that Olivia vas noble heiress that sud-
denly fell in love with Sebastian CT first
sight, and she spoke her love as tumultu-
ousiy as Juliet did to Romeo, while Por-
tia was formally sought by Bassanio,
an honorable sutton competing for a
rich bride. Nevertheless ii is clear
that Shakespeare when he painted Portia
meant to paint woman OF beauty. of
sweetness. OF sense. of sprightly wit and
superior tact ana discretion, but he did
not mean TO paint passionate woman,
like Juliet or that matured Juliet, the fair
Olivia. Porsia is not so charming figure
as the heroic cordelia; not so pathetic
figure as ophelia with her lovely mind
out Of tune; not so delicate spirit as
Imogen or Dssdemona, but she is never
theless an exceedingly captivating woman,
for while she clearly lacks passion she
Is clearly capable of honorable and
high minded affection. She is rich,
and yet places her gold frankly at
Bassanio's disposal TO help his friend out
of his trouble; n true woman, who rea-
soned fairly that a woman who thinks
enough of a man to trust him with her
body and to give him chance to corrupt
her soul, can afford to trust him with her
gold. Otherwise she had better not marry
him.
Bassanio was a square man; he con-
ran in his veins:" and Portis was a square
woman: an intensely ofectioaate woman,
and she was as willing to spend her money
for him as for herself; but she was not one
of shakspeare's passionate women. like
Juliet or Olivia. who, seeing the man they
loved, would not wait, like Portia. to be
courted. but would almost fling themseiv
at the head OF the man they had chosen
for husband.