Opinions differ however. Stung to fury by Mrs. Kendal's playing of the
part, George Moore says somewhere, "Mrs. Kendal nurses children all
day and strives to play Rosalind at night. What infatuation, what
ridiculous endeavour! To realize the beautiful woodland passion and
the idea of the transformation a woman must have sinned, for only
through sin may we learn the charm of innocence. To play Rosalind a
woman must have had more than one lover, and if she has been made to
wait in the rain and has been beaten she will have done a great deal
to qualify herself for the part." Still another critic considers the
role a difficult one. He says: "With the exception of Lady Macbeth no
woman in Shakespeare is so much in controversy as Rosalind. The
character is thought to be almost unattainable. An ideal that is lofty
but at the same time vague seems to possess the Shakespeare scholar,
accompanied by the profound conviction that it never can be fulfilled.
Only a few actresses have obtained recognition as Rosalind, chief
among them being Mrs. Pritchard, Peg Woffington, Mrs. Dancer, Dora
Jordan, Louisa Nesbitt, Helen Faucit, Ellen Tree, Adelaide Neilson,
Mrs. Scott-Siddons and Miss Mary Anderson."
Of those who have recently played Rosalind perhaps Mary Anderson, Ada
Rehan, Henrietta Crosman and Julia Marlowe will remain longest in the
memory, although Marie Wainwright, Mary Shaw, Mrs. Langtry and Julia
Neilson are among a long list of those who have tried the part. Miss
Rehan appeared in the role when Augustin Daly revived the comedy at
Daly's Theatre, December 17, 1889. We are told that an effort was made
in this production to emphasize the buoyant gaiety of the piece. The
scenery displayed the woods embellished in a springtime green, and
the acting did away as much as possible with any of the underlying
melancholy which flows through the comedy.
William Winter frankly asserts--perhaps not unwittingly giving a
staggering blow to the art of acting in so doing--that the reason
Rosalind is not more often embodied "in a competent and enthralling
manner is that her enchanting quality is something that cannot be
assumed--it must be possessed; it must exist in the fibre of the
individual, and its expression will then be spontaneous. Art can
accomplish much, but it cannot supply the inherent captivation that
constitutes the puissance of Rosalind. Miss Rehan possesses that
quality, and the method of her art was the fluent method of natural
grace."
Fie and a fig for Mr. Moore's theory about being beaten and standing
in the rain, implies Mr. Winter!
To Mr. Winter I am also indebted for a description of Mary Anderson in
_As You Like It_: "Miss Anderson, superbly handsome as Rosalind,
indicated that beneath her pretty swagger, nimble satire and silver
playfulness Rosalind is as earnest of Juliet--though different in
temperament and mind--as fond as Viola and as constant as Imogen."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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