Evening journal., 1893-02-18
MRS. PoTT AND SHAKESPEARE's
WOMEN.

There is great deal Of persistent
foolishness in the attempt to prove that
Bacon wrote Shakespeare's plays. There
are so many persistent, but smart, fools
at Il, however, that we cannot ignore
them, as a woman cannot ignore a flea.
The more remote and Insignificant, and
harmless even, the hea the more she
cannot ignore It. Anew. Century Club
girl, with all the up to date, end-of.the-
century fads wabbling about in her YER
satile brain. could not prevent her highly
cultivated features from clownish and
painful contortions simultaneously with
the consciousness Of a secreted but active
flea She could mot keep her mind up
to the Browning standard with a safety
pin.
These Shakespeare doubters are as
pesky as feas. But a Mrs. Pott has
come into the arena who is particularly
oxasperating. She tries to prove
that Bacon wrote those marvel
Gus comedies and tragedies because
Bacon hated woman in general and dc.
tested great many women in particular
She says:
From the entries which refer to
women, we see that Bacon formed very
unfavorable views regarding them.
The Shakespeare plays seem to exhibit
the same unfavorable sentiments of their
author There are 1870 female personages
In the plays, and the characters Of these
seem TO be easily divisible into six
classes:
Cd Furies and viragoes, such as
Tamora, Queen Margaret, Goneril, Regan
and even Lady Macbeth in the dark side
Of her character.
(2) Shrews and sharp .tongued women,
as Katharine, Constance and many
others, when they are represented as
angry.
90 Gossiping and enthusiastically
women. as most Of the maids. hostesses
etc, aud as Percy insinuates that he
considers his wife TO be.
(G Fickle. faithless and artful, a dis
position which seems assumed through
out the plays TO be the normal condition
of womanhood
(5) Thoroughly immoral, as Cleopatra
Phrynia, Timandra. Blanca,
(h) Gentle, simple and colorless, a
Hero, Olivia, Ophelia, Cordelia, etc
Noteworthy exceptions. which exbibi
more exalted and truer pictures Of gooS
and noble women. are the characters o
Isabella, of Noumnia. and of katharin
J Of Aragon but these are not sufficient Z
do away with the impression that tn
author, on the whole. had but a poo
opinion of women.
Ia the first place, it is shame that
woman should have written this Ii
the second place, nobody but a woma
with an idea-one idea only-eould hav
written against her sex and agains
Shakespeare In that way.
ANY woman can prove her case, to be
own satisfaction at least, II she is 8
lowed to exploit one set of facts an
suppress another set of facts. In tn
case the irrational and headstrong Mr.
Poit does not mention Imogen, Julie
, Desdemoua, the two Portias, Rosalin'
Viola, Prrdita. Hermione. Miranda
Helena, Julia and Sylvia lin the ''Tv
Gentlemen of Verona. y Marina q
Pericles. y aud others, who. IL added
her three noteworthy exceptions, woul
have made her classification ridiculous
Shakespeare has given US some Of Il
most beautiful most lovely and mo-
lovable women known 10 literatur
r Mrs. Pott either doesn't know them
she has suppressed them. If she is NJ
ignorant she must be dishonest.
o either case she Is an aggravating nui
o ance difficult to catch and impossible