The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-05


thee, stretches out to thee his arms-cruel,
dear. pitiless, loved, native Florencel
Through all mine exile, and through all
thy hate, never did word that breathed
not love Of thee escape the lips of thy
grown old. grown weary, still unpardoned
play"
Dramatically the prologue is the most
effective Of any scene In the work--the
Tower OF Hunger where ia confined the
wretched Count Ugolino Of the Gherdrdes-
CHI family. tortured by the Archbishop
Ru0giero. Dante comes to the rescue, for
in the tower starving are the innocent sons
and nephews of the infamous Ugotino-who,
readers of the "Divine Comedy know, de-
served punishment for the way he treated
the Pisans. Helen Of S,odbia married one
Of Ucoiino's sons. II is her appeal that
stirred the hot chivalrous blood Of the poet
He organizes rescue He ia repulsed,
and after an alteration with the Arch
bishop ia communicated for bias
phemy. Dante has upset the cross. Sol
EMMY banned by bell, book and candle,
tapers are extingushed and forthwith the
unhappy poet becomes an accurst wanderer
None may help him without peril 10 his or
her mortal soul. Ddnte's bitter defiance.
a sort of counter-excommupicat ia the
climax of the scene He stands upon an
eminence and in the dim light he cries
aloud:
Thou hast hurled thine excommunica-
ton, priest! It's WELL Now do I lay my
curse upon my city, twin with thee in atroc-
ity. Pisa, see thee in the days to come
when. crumbling beneath the outstretched
hand of God. Arno shall rise to wash away
walls; the mighty seas shall draw back
from thy coasts, leaving a waste of fever
breeding sand, wherefrom pale pestilence
shall rise to slay what has escaped thy
conquering foemen's swords, until this now
fair city has become noisome horror to
all things that live Helen dies An
image Of such wreck and misery shalt thou
become ms this-thy latest victim-this
dead mother"
"Ah, Pisa, scandal TO the people Of the
beauteous land where 81 is heard, suggested
the above invective. The last act. Act W
while it has little connection with the piece
like the prologue-is play in itself. 1t is
very strong, very stirring, and one marvels
at the sheer waste of good material in an
evening far too long and stuffed with too
many futile Incidents. II depicts the Papal
palace at Avignon C303- 1910 Cardinal
Colonna, the Papal legate here, is a man Of
straw for the real malefactors- according
to Sardou, Pope Boniface VIII. or Pope
Clement v. In the Inferno tableaux il was
Sardou's express wish that the two Popes be
D. =. a.. grN.- r..
But Mr.. Irving feared the scene and sub
stituted a Cardinal, Sardou, wroth at the
change. angrly declined to attend the first
rehearsals at Drury Lane, Query Was he
really angryO
Dramatic interest is not dest royed by
the Cardinal playing the scene. Comma
and her betrothed arc in danger Of falling
into the hanos Of the Inquisition and Dante
travels 10 Avignon to rescue them. He
reaches there in time to find the fagots
being prepared, the lighted torch in readi-
ness. The prelate. who ia a debauched
wretch on the boards, has had a feverish
dream during which he secs hell and the
devilish preparations being made for his
speedy reception. Dante'e entrance, a
covers at the poets feet begging for a
respite. He is sco-nfully told that the seer
ia fresh from the internal regions. that in
fifteen minutes his soul will be scorchinG
He points to huge pendulum, representing
Time with a scythe. As the clockwork
ticks loudly the Cardinal groans and writ hos
He'll and its burning pit is at hand, nearer.
nearer, nearer Sardou must have read
Poe; "The Pit and the Pendulum" cont aims
lust such elements Of torturing suspense.
Dante denounces the corruptions Of the
Church. and prophesies. Comma and Ber-
ndrdino are rescued the Cardinal or Pope'
dies in horrible agony. surrounded by fami-
lars, jewellers. monks. gesters, courtesa ms,
minstrels and priests.
pray for the Cardinal Colonna; he is
dying" All kneel and che curtain falls on
the solemn chanting Of the dies Ira.
Giotto is in the group. for he is frescoing the
stately palace. It is n picture Of massive
marbles, a castellated fortress and palace
Of splendid pleasures. Mr.. William Moli-
son really carries on all the honors Of this
act--it is the playwright's fault. Dante
looking second Isaiah. is a mere voice, a
social and religious reformer Mt the last
But az in the early acts, the history is facti-
tious, the sentiment Fictitious and the
figure Of that sublime poet, the man "who
went down into hell" has nothing OF real
moral grandeur He is only Henry Irving
whose resemblance is marked, wearing ona
Of his numerous masks and speaking in
his well-known speechless way. IF ever a
theatrical character suffered from q dose
of the pathetic fallacy" it is Sardou s
Dante
Sardou and Moreau call their conception
Of the poet a symbolical one. 1t is hardly
this And it is to be doubted If even the
sympathy, the skill, the historical knowl-
edge of Gabrielle d'Annunzio could dra-
matically vitalize the grand old poet,
After some Of the criticisms, after the
enormous success of his play, the French
dramatist must have retired to Marty and
given vent to sardoni1 and a prolonged
Snrdou-de -doodle-dOu!
The episode Of Paolo and Francesca da
Rimini is introduced in Act l., though
without warrant, historical or other, To
make the thing possible Dante believes
that Comma is in peril, so he rushes into the
house of Lanciotto Maldtestd, Lord of
Rimini. He witnesses in most melo-
dramatic scene the staying Of Francesca
with her lover, and hears the cynical words
of Mdldtestd: "Let him absolve her first
then do the same for me-" But Francesca
- not fJernmu and tho relieved father Lot a