The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-01
to both their loves, the young prince an
swers lightly:


to both their loves. the young prince an
swers lightly:
Apprchend
Nothing but ioility. The gods themselves
HumbnE their dcites TO love. havo taken
The shapes OF beasts upon them: Jupiter
Became bull and beloved, the green Neptune
a ram. and bleAted and the IRE robd goo.
Golden Apollo. poor humble swain.
As seem now. Their transformations
Were never for a piece OF beauty rarer.
Then. reminded Of Perditds purity, he
adds
Nor In a way 10 ohasts since ms desires
Run not before mine honor; nor my lusi'
Bum hotter than my faith.
Perdit1's sense OF her dilemma is stronger
and she looks the facts bravey in the face.
o but, sir.
Your resolution cannot hold when It's
Opposed as II must be. by the power o. tho king,
One OF these two must DO necessities
Which then viii speak, that you must change this
purpose,
OR my life.
Some Of the commentators 10 whitewash
these last words as TO make believe that
PerdiiG intends 70 die but most Of them
recognize that Shakespeare ia not the writer
to say change" persons life If he means
endit, and quote Perdita's words to Florizel
when PoiiIenes interposes his royal and
paternal ban:
or your own state take care this dream of mine.
Being now awake, III queen It no inch further
Bus milk my ewes and weep.
That there Ia no thought Of death here
10 obvious. The change In her life which
Psrdaa was thinking of can only have been
to become FLorsers queen. The COM
mentators have not, however, faced the
other alternative. The purpose which
Pcrdito feared FlorfkeI would change is
obviously his resolution 20 deal chastely
with her. The fate she looked to az possible
can only have been that which has con-
fronted other humble maids who have
loved and been loved by a prince What
would have happened 10 Fioriseis "pur-
pose" II he had yielded obedience TO his
father Ia no part of the theme or the story.
but IL IL had been there can he little doubt
that Shakespeare would have painted the
passion and the fate OF Perditc in glowing
elemental colors.
Further on in the scene. when Perdit1
speaks Of strewing -her sweet friend with
garlands. Florisel answers playfully. what.
like corset" Perdhd replies
No. Ike a bank for love 20 lie and play on:
Not nhe a cOrsrs OF lI--not 70 DO OuneQ.
But quick, and in mine arms.
What should we say nowadays OF heroine
who spoke thus to her betrothed2 That
she was figure OF ultimate beauty and
impassioned virtuei-perhapsl
! That there are limits to Perditd's emo
tional frankness and instructive wisdom
Shakespeare has left no doubt; he gives
shadows as we'll as light and color. After
this last speech to Florisei she turns aside,
az if with the preteiest OF maidenly bushes
And then that exquisite oolloquy with
Poii1enesi She abhors carnations and
streak'd gilly-vors. because
There Is an art that In their piedneSs shares
with great creating nature.
They are flowers which some call natures
bastards,' and for that reason she cares
not to get slips Of them Pohrenes, with
ripper wisdom. understands how nature
redesrns art and rsclaims It.
Nature Is made better by no mean
But nature makes that mean: over that ar
(Which you say ada tssnaturo) is an arr
That nature n AXES you SEE sweet maid ro marry
= scn,er scion 20 tho widest stock,
And make conceive d bark OF haSer kind
ny bud OF nobIef race, THIS f. ART
Which does mend nature: change it rather. but
Ire AT itasit 10 nature.
so 1t Is" Perdhd grants, not understand
ing word. PohreHes accordingly applies
Ills reasoning:
Then make your garden rich In gily-vor>
And do not call 'hem bastards.
e This point Is concrete and finds Perdit1
stIll Of the same mind. She exclaims:
I'll not put
Tho dlbble In earth 10 set one slip OF therl
Ripe sweet and innately noble as is Per
dita's emotional nature, her mind has all
the charming immaturity of her sixteen
years. No maiden of the nineteenth cen
fury who hid her passions in white muslin
and blue ribbons, her hips in crinoline and
her legs In pantalets ever had thousandth
part OF her purity and ingenuousness.
perditd is to idylllo romance what Antigone
and Alcestis are 10 tragedy; and it il as
lbhorrent TO interpret one as the other in
the spirit of crinoline and pantalets Her
virtue and chastity are no cold and starched
distractions, no whitei sepulohre Of pent
up natural instincts in decay With her .
virtue Is one Of the vital passions burns
the same fuel and is lighted with the same
1orna fouN IoRprN-