New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-05-14
TRTING'S DANTE.
a Spectacular NeIodrama at Drury
Lane, srith GLmpses of Inferno.
London. May ?.

London. May ?.
Sir Henry Irving's Dante IS instinct Win
genius and imaginatio and will live in the re-
membrane Of playgoers and be source OF III
spiration like the poets own consecrated ioNe
for Beatrice II is one of the greatest OF his
approximations Of character AS ne appears a.
the opening act. with close-ftting brown hoou
Drawn around the intellectual sorrowful face' OF
in subsequent scenes habited in son1bre black as
an exile solaced in misfortune by high thoughts
and prenonitio1s of future world where IN
fustioe oppression and clerical hypocrisy are
avenged plsysoers who see him Will ever THINK
of Dante TIL. French dranatists may nave
taken strange and uniustihable liberties With
tradition and rearranged with free mana tHe
episodes of the ''Divina Commedia' in their Ell
forts 70 piece out spectacular rneloorana WIN
Whist they describe moral and symooiic
Dante in place of the historical Dante but the
actors genius has the Incompatible git or lie
ana IS not hanpered by the hollow articles and
theatrical devices of the playwrights Dante
lives aeain at Drury Lane in an inlpersonation
of touching pathos poetic sensibility. intellec-
.usI subtlety and epical dignity. Who can ever
forget the pale haggard face of the exiled
patriot or the warning gesture of the avenger
of pgrongdoing IN church and state. or the far
reaching glance Of the inspired dreamer beyond
the chickering's and strife of Guelfs and Ghibel-
tines and the immortality of the Papal court at
A1;gnon. TO another world. where injustice and
.x-rannx are explained and punished eternal
principles OF readjustment and righteousness
n. sardou's indispensable requirement in MAX
4nr = dramatic use Of historical characters
seems 10 be the creation Of an inegitfmate child
This was done in ''Robespierre" for the sake of
1ntithesis in setting against father in a
quest Of vengeance. and father against son in a
mission of atone1nent and deIiverance. The
process is repeated in Dante for the practical.
~rorknanlike purpose Of making a plot for
play and artiicially connecting isolated episodes
sof the '.Divina Commedia-" At the close OF the
fifth canto Of "Purgatory is this passage, as
rendered by Cary:
-Ah! when thou to the world shalt be return'd
And rested after thy long road" so spake
Next the third spirit: then remember me
7 once was PA Sienna gave me NE;
sWho me with jeweId ring had first espoused-"
This Pia de Tolommei according to tradition.
vas the wife Of Nello della Pietra- who sus-
pected her fidelity and condemned her to death
In pestilential quarter OF Maremn1a- NM
Eardou and Moreau, with no better warrant
than play upon words in the poets mysterious
references TO Bella Petra" in several SON
nets assume that there was a love affair be-
tween the Sienocse lady and Dante, and that
khere was an illegitimate daughter. Comma
while students OF Dante cannot explain salts
ssctorily the reproaches Of Beatrices friend In
ssIourpatory' they naturally resent this identih-
cation Of Pia de Tolommei with the Donna Gen
tile" Of The Commedia," and prefer TO accept
the more reasonable view that he married Gem
M Donati after the death Of Beatrice, ana
That no doubts were cast upon the legitimacy
Of his daughter. Beatrice, who became nun
On 2 convent at Ravenna. 1t is difficult. indeed,
T. reconcile these theatrical expedients with the
EXQUISITE account given in the VITA NuoVa OF
Dantes love for Beatrice and the Uansuostan-
ttation of The woman after death into q cohse-
c,,,aa sniritual ideal The "Divina Conmedia"
:. the apotheosis Of wornanhood through the IN
spiration of imagination; and the poet whose
reliious faith was restored and his life purified
.nd ennobled by sustained remembrance OF
rsea+rice and idealization Of her qualities OF
heart and mind rendered TO her q tribute such
as no other woman has ever received from
lover The unique beauty of the transngureo
love affair which imparts eternal interest 10
,ba ..Divina Comnedia" is marred by the French
drauatists' intrigue based on a play OF "oros'
bu: a central episode is secured lor SCI
,.,oashle Mot for the Comma OF the drama Is
conveniently betrothed 10 Bernardino oa 10
1snto nephev OF Francesca's father; and not
,-,x are the restless fitting spirits of the pair
., Lovers in the fifth canto of the Inferno re-
..,-sd IN life in Malatestas castle, but Ora
,rs.;c scenes are also provided for the rescue vi
nantes daughter from the Convent OF St Chlara
at volterra and her subsequent deiVeranoe ii0i''
Imprisonment at Avignon
Dante can be read sympathetically IN lhe re-
~,-s-,s,t Of the library: it is another thing 10
srake an effective drama out or the measIe
r6 NJ his career Of political activities ana ehie
,..s ssr6ou and Noreau have succeeded IN as
.oc,atinr the personality Of the poet with some
nj the best known passages Of his masterpiece
They have produced what they oescrlpe dc
svmbolic drama and certainly it is fun OF move
goen. and interesting in detail; and apart from
,,roxdd,ng Sir Henry Irving with strong I'M
nersonation It reflects faithfully and plctu-
resouelv the evils of turbulence, oppression ana
clerical domination, against which Dante the
,,.,-,o.sc exile was in revolt. The prologue OF
s,e NAV reproduces the CHASTITY story Of Count
srgolino. from Canto xxxin Of the Inferno -liie
.sroe horrible recital of the starvation OF three
generations given by Chaucer in The Mohh
rr.,e., Dante himself was charged with exag-
serating the horrors Of the Tower OF hunger