The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-11

Mr.. James again: "There are many things
In the world that arc past finding oiit,
and one Of them ID whether the subject
OF a work had not better have been another
subject. We shall always do we'll to leave
that matter to the author. he may have
some secret for solving the riddle; 20 terrible
would Lis revenge easily become II he were
to accept q responsibility for his theme. '
And further: The use Of Hsddd Gdblsr
Ia that she acts ON others. and that even
her most disagreeable qualities have the
privilege, thoroughly undeservcd doubt
less, but equally irresistible, OF becoming
. part Of tie history Of others. And then
one isn't so sure that she 10 wicked, and
by NO means sure that she IL isagreeable.
She il various and sinuous and graceful,
complicated and natural; she suffers she
struggles she Is human, and by that fact
exposed to dozen different interpretations,
to the importantly Of our suspense Z"
This seems to be final Judgment II
judgments of Ibsen can be fnal-upon
woman, who, all said, is human enough to
suffer, suffer principally because she feared
to sin. Again must 1t DO insisted that
despite the temptation. theatrically speak
ing, to present Hcddd as a moral monster.
she Is not one. Nor Ia she intended rs q
caricature OF the modern woman II
she had b ,come conscious Of the claims Of
others, in a word the modern unselfsh.
enaro pated woman. her life would have
been different-and the theatre also deprived
OF one Of it's most fascinating and eng alto
figures. with her pallid skin. her haunting
gray eyes. her sweet. studied lapgior and
her delicate air OF one to whom life owes
its richest gift.
DR.. Wicksteed, in his admirable lectures
on Ibsen, remarks: Il am convinced that
it is in this typical significance Of marriage,
and not in any special interest in tho So
called woman question as such, that We
are to seek the reason Of Ibeen's constant
recurrence to this theme. Suppress in
dividuality and you have no life, assert it
and you have war and chaos. 'Hedda
Gabler neither drifted nor was forced into
marriage. but she deliberately and shame
lessly paid the Aattered and delighted
Tssman in the forged coinage Of love for
opening to her O retreat from the career
she had exhausted. and entry into the
best career she could still think Of - pos
sible, and we see the result. Without the
spirit Of self-surrender. FREQ choice will
never secure self-realization.
Her death, sought because Of cowardly
reasons, is yet the one real fact in Heddd's
shallow, feverish existence. As Ibsen
says, you can mend q fiddle, but bell
you cannot" so death could alone solve
the discords OF Hedda's cruel LIES music.
Mrs. Fiske deserves more than conven-
tional critical praise for her courage in
attempting such an ungrateful task as
putting 1Hedda Gabler' before American
audiences. Heddd has been played here
in German, and in March, 1898. Elizabeth
Robins repeated her English performance,
but without troubling the surface Of slug
gish critical complacency. Mrs. Fiske
is nothing If not bold, and through her
Interpretation left many sides Of Hecd1's
character untouohad especially in the
earlier scenes--which were cloudy as to
motive-as a whole, 1t was interesting,
significant. Duss crouched over the fire.
place muttering with sombre ferccity the
ghastly words OF the exasperated Heddd.
Mrs. Fiske does the same, and it is TO be
hoped that she will not make the episode
more theatric--as theatric, for example,
as the Bible burning scene in #The Notorious
Mrs. Ebbsmith' And what joy such a
part as Hedda Gabler must afford the true
artist The very discussion Ibsen arouses
proves him still living issue in contem-
porary drama. JAMES HuNEKER.