SHAKESPEARE'S WOMEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 3512, 5 July 1921, Page 49

SHAKESPEARE'S WOMEN.

“Like one of Shakespeare’s women,” says Shelley in one of his poems in signalling out a woman for highest praise. And those who know and love Shakespeare will agree that the comparison does convey the highest idea of womanly worth and charm. In few things is Shakespeare’s power shown more fully than in his presentations of women. How strongly individualised are all the women of his dramas, and this often when they appear but in a few scenes and speak but few words in all. Not many novelists have given us women so fully alive ; 1 strongly individual as Shakespeare’s heroines; two of our greatest men novelists, Thackeray and Dickens, commonly fail when they would present a good and attractive woman, giving us at worst nonentities and simpletons, at best women of very little brain or force of character. Nor is Seott specially successful with his women. Dickens did not value brains in a woman ; Thackeray seems to have p.n animus against eleven’ women, apparently thinking that the more brains a woman has the less heart will go with them. Meredith is free from this prejudice, and lias, I think, given us a larger number of thoroughly vital women, endowed with keen intelligence as well as with strong feelings, than any other of our classic novelists. But a writer of fiction can deal at leisure with his characters, describing them, analysing their foelii' - Towing their actions in hundred - rent circumstances. A dramatist '■ ■■ c less space at his command, and v. ry word and action of his characters must go to produce a vivid personality. The greater hi* dramatic power, the fewer words and actions will be needed to give tee spectators or the readers of the play a definite conception of a. character. Now if we run over a list of the most famous of Sliakespear; s women we shall find that few of them fill much space in the drama. The words spoken by Ophelia, apart from the songs sfee sings in the mad scene do not make up very many lines, and we are told little about her. yet we gain a distinct impression of her character, and her sufferings. Others fill a larger place on the stage, yet if we add up all the linos spoken by such famous characters as Desdemona. Portia. and Lady Macbeth we shall find them surprising!v few. The most distinctive characteristics of Shakespeare's women as compared with the women characters of other writers are their intelligence, courage, and vivacity. Most of them are witty ; nearly all show themselves alert and resourceful in emergencies. The good ones are not only good. lint charming As wo read the scenes in which thev appear we feci the charm >f awinsome personality. Strong in intelligence and will thev arc vet essentially feminine. Even Ladv Macbeth is so. She may cal! on the spirits of evil to unsex her. to fil' her full o f direst cruel* . hut the murder of Duncan accomplished, she cannot endure the consciousness of the crimes to which ambition has goaded her. Hie incited hvr husband into hi- raieoi of crime, but cannot long accompany him in it.: she dies of renin- while he lives on to fall under the sword r.f Mar-Duff. I suppose most of us have nur special favourite o f Bbal-ospcare’s heroines. With manv it will he Portia, of The Merchant of Venice, whom all must acknowledge to be one of the most charming of Shakespeare's women. She has intelligence and revoncefnlnoss in highest, measur", high spirit, wit, and love of fun, as we see in the trick played on her husband and Slratiano over the rings. We fee! the Jjiarm of her womanliness in her glad self

surrender to her lover; terming herself, courted, praised, and flattered as she is : An unlessoned girl, unschoole.., unpractised, Happy in this, she it not yet so old; But she may learn, happier than this, She is not bred so dull but she can learn ; Happiest of all is that her gentle spirit Commits itself to yours to be directed, As from her Load,, her governor, her. king. Yet we feel the want of “the quality of mercy” in scorn of her unsuccessful suitors. They were not lured by ambition, since a merely wealthy lady must have been a poor match for princes, and since they were presumably rich it could not have been her wealth that tempted them, which I am afraid could not be said of Bassanio in the first instance at least. Their acceptance of the hard conditions of the lottery proved the high value they set on her for herself, which should have won them sonic sympathy in their disappointment. Dot none of Shakespeare's characters, women or men are perfect, though some of the women approach perfection more closely than any of the men. We may find fault with his finest heroines, with Desdemona for her deceit towards her affectionate father, with Cordelia, for the slighter wrong of unnecessary hardness and ■coldness of behaviour, to the foolish old father who expected protestations of affection, Shakespeare would not be the master d lincator of human life that he is if he had striven to depict a flawless character. One thing to be taken into account in judging Shakespeare’s heroines is that most of them were very young: school girls they would be in cur days. Miranda , ttosalind, Viola. Perdita. Juliet. Imogen, Portia. Desdemona, Ophelia--whatpictures of girlish grace and charm these names call up! And with the girlishness, what courage, loyalty, constancy, and selfdevotion! Some in difficult circumstances show unselfishness in love, as Viola in pleading the Duke’s cause with Olivia, and strong loyalty to one another, as Beatrice, Celia, and Emilia. We do not find petty mindedness, suspiciousness, envy and jealousy in the women whom Shakespeare puts before -us as admirable as we do in many of the good women of Thackeray. Imogen and Desdemona. show us love and fidelity that cannot he killed by the cruellest wrongs. Surely there is no more wonderful example in all literature of the strength of woman’s love than the dying words cf the cruelly slain Desdemona when asked who has done the deed. “Nobody; I myself; commend me to my kind lord.” The visit of the .Allan Wilkie Shakcsperian Company has given New Zealanders one of the rare opportunities of seeing the' works of our great dramatist acted. Many of those who have been able to profit by the occasion will have been discussing how far the rendering of the characters corresponded with their own conception of them. For all who know the plays well have their own ideas of the characters. Each actor or actress of talent, too, has a special conception, and renders it t-o the best of his powers. In all aits the artist puts 1 s personalitv into his work, which makes- the difference between original art and copying or machine produced work. Thus we may have fine renderings of any of Shakespeare's parts which differ considerably from one another. Apart from the immediate pleasure given, the performance of Shakespearean drama confers benefit on the community by stimulating interest in the works which aro one of England’s chief titles to glory, but which are so little known bv most of England’s people at Home or in the Dominions. It ha* long been a discredit to us that, Shakespeare is as renerallv known, and more seriously studied in Germany than amongst his countrymen.