The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-07-12
An Anonymous Actress's Views of
Some of shnkespeare's Women.

The bait or anonymity If supereroga-
tory addition to the attractiveness OF
little book called The True Ophelid: and
other Studies Of Shdkespedrc's Women,
by IAN Actress (Putnams); and Is per-
haps not a sincere attempt at conceal
ment, for besides a style" that cannot
imaginably be common among actresses
there are particular possible clues or
personality that should make identih-
cation easy for the qualified curious.
Perhaps the author is really not an
actress at all; but there is "tempera-
ment" in the dedication ito my be-
lovedest." There is Shakespeare sense
in this modest volume, unpretentious.
undogmatic exposition OF some or the
subtler feminine intentions OF the play
wright.
with Shakespearian drama becoming,
as the years pass, more and more
thing OF the printed page, the lead
types blur increasingly the human
types so clearly limned in their pro-
genitors imagination and so much better
clothed on with living aesh in his less
deliberately mechanical contemporary
theatre. For all the stupendous literary
virtue of the printed plays. 1t Is not
reasonably to be questioned that the
1lrSl purpose was Aii'eNhi 'N"' N''N
punch: and without discredlting the
clustered critics Of the plays as litera-
ture. IL Is possible to welcome the views
OF an intelligent and argutely articulate
actor, practlsed in the art as well as
yersed in the science Of getting II
over" But this anonymous actress
critic opposes, not the literary, profess
s'onal commentators, but rather the
- ha itself The
possibilities of Ophelid have not, she
thinks. been properly appreciated; the
insignIficance OF Juiiet's mother and
the frailty of Hdmlets have been made
too much of; producers do less than
Justice TO the "undaunted mettle" OF
Lady Macbeth. Portin's childish soph-
ISM was really triumph OF acumen.
and "the willy little Shrew" Is n monu-
ment OF psychology.
Considering The Frailty Whose Name
Was Gertrude" the actress wonders:
why did no manager, some dozen years
ago or so, think Of persuading Ellen Terry
to play, not Queen Gertrude, nor yet her
husbands brothers Wife," but simply tho
mother OF Hd,nlet1 Just as Miss Genevieve
ward with her naughty, fierce Individual
ity, would have made a wonderful and con-
vincing Lady Capulet. the mother or Juhef'
as the author has written her down. 30
would the intensely feminine and gentle
personality OF Miss Terry have made Of her
AN ideal representative of the beautiful
| "wretched Queen" Provided. OF course.
that she assumed the character that shake
| speare has drawn for us and did not play II
simply on the surface, according TO custom
Custom is the pet particular black
! beast of this author. which Is not at
all a clue to identity, because custom.
| the mainstay of the general, is the
bugbear at once OF the littlest and the
biggest minds.
! Is OpheIid before madness "a pretty.
| fragile, stupid. weak little inanity," and
| her mad scenes only "interpolated as a
turn" in relief TO the grim gloom OF the
play? SO II seemed to the actress author
until professional eXigencies impelled
! her 10 serious study of the part: that
| in the effort after originality the inten-
tion OF the playwright had been lost to
| sight. In the new view the character
| became the most reserved, shy and
virginia. of the heroines; modest, gener-
Gus in mind and trustful as child
but with IAN unsupported depth of ma
ture which is revealed as her tragedy
unfolds" She and Hamlet begin with
romantic affection in which Is no taint
of ungenerosity on the one side or OF
suspicion on the other POiOnius, with
words of unfatherly harshness and
cync insinuation, stirs the dark waters
of doubt, and from that moment the
circumstances of fate and the addiction
of the human heart to erroneous un-
Outstanding combine to make their very
loves torment and tragically sure
instrument of alienation. Ignorance
and cross purposes breed true. with
progeny Of suffering. Act H., Scene
I, Is zone of the most poignant and
pitiful love scenes ever written" each
protagonist unconsciously giving the
other stab after stab; symphony OF
pain" Love wars with pride, recurrent
CLEANS of hope are quenched by new
false certainties Of injury. As the play
progresses Hamlet becomes increasingly
ironical and cruel; "like most men who
hate a woman they love, he cannot
keep away from her II she is present
The progress TO madness traced In the