New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-01

According To the critics who have sccl
Cerhart Hauptmann's new poetic drama
"The Bow of Ulysses" CDer Bogon dcs
odysseus'). produced a couple Of weeks
ago In Berlin. the German dramatist has
taken extreme liberties with the charac-
ters and story of Homer's odyssey
The play deals with Ulysses home-com-
ing and his slaughter of Pcnelopcs SUIT
ors But il paints out Homer's insratat-
ing picture of Penelope's wifely fidelity
and sicklics Ger with the skcptical cast
Of modern realistic psychology one OF
the most romantic and appealing stories
in classical literature Penelope is one of
the finest and noblest figures in the
poetry Of all ages. Yet the chief aim OF
Hauptmsnns drama seems 10 be TO drag
her down from her pedestal and TO cast
doubt on her loyalty 10 her long absent
husband. She is excluded as a character
from The Bow OF Odysseus' and her
alleged derelictions are described by
malicious third person-Melanto, the
daughter OF the swineherd Eumaius-
who SAYS that her reserve toward the
suitors is hypocritical that she is secretly
cnamoured Of one of them. Eurymachos.
and that she pants after him "as a dog
pants Some OF the suitors express the
same opinion. and even Ulysses, who in
the play never meets Penelope. is influ-
enced 10 take that view, since he asks
Telemachos. his son. after he has slain
the suitors: What will your mother say
now that ] have destroyed her precious
playthings. Ulysses kills the suitors not
because they have plagued Penelope, but
eecauss they have conspired TO murder
Telemschos.
against this Justification Of Homer's
story and even Of the situation on which
Hauptmsnn bases his own drama a critic
IN Die Ncue Freie Presse," OF Vienna,
Paul Goldmsnn. enters an emphatic pro-
test lie SAYS:
The woman who bears the name Pencil
ops In Hauptmanns drama bears ii
wrongly. Penelope IS faithful, and an un-
faithful wife is no Penelope The poet
may work with his material freely, but
with freedom which must have one
unit: he must not alter the features
winch are essential 10 the characters. In
Don Juan drama Don Juan must not
o. ianguishing adorer OF woinanly Writ
ue new Hamlet drama must not rep
recent Hamlet As a gay man of the
world, and a modcrnization OF the 'Odys-
sey must not maintain that Penelope
painted after one or other Of the suitorS
as a dog pants. That Characterization OF
Penelope destroys her essence. and with
the whole sense Of the poem. In the
ODYSSEY the wife Of Ulysses must endure
io' years the sponging oil the suitors in
her house, because her constancy re-
mains mistaken. In IIauptmann's drama
Is inconceivaole that she should ;oler-
ave this eponging and that she should let
hsfself be eaten out OF house and home,
"nce, if the visitors appealed 10 her
nothing would be more probable than that
sns should take one Of them for a hus-
band"
hauptmann slso has 70 cast aside the
'ss, fuse OF Penelope 10 stave on the
suitofs-her challenge TO them 10 prove
'her skill with Ulysses bow. That
NpDlo not m IN with his dctract!on ni
Penelope. lie puts the bow without ex-
p.anaiion IN the custody Of the swineheTd
Hofnsules. and the su,tOrs, who are az
"fnoled In the swinchcrd's hot with Tele-
matboe. provoke quarrel with the lat
YER and decide 70 Shoot him With Ulysses
famous weapon
roth Ultases and Tcemachos suffer
rom Hsuptmann's destructive psychol-
osy. Ulysses Is On overweight old man.
~" the crafty and "godlike' hero OF the
ooyssey" On this point Goldman says:
RE comes pUffirg IN and 'puh5 "ii
nfcpgh the pieoe. There rs no end I"
hn groanins. Now be r9ttles IN The
hfoAt. now ne tremblcs; once he fnlis
IN faint. another time he froths AZ the
moth and has commissions. He is al
"s,t Rowing over with emotion. Inc
"'btstrs OF Homer wceDs only one
WHEN he meots Tsl.fnachos. win Houpi'
MANS Clys tho tsnrE Gov Tsadily'
ne ,ssps again nD1 again. Ills ihfhT'
LesTsss. moves him always afIssh .