Cymbeline - eTheses Repository - University of Birmingham

much the actor can be allowed.
The actor who should approach Shakespeare in
a spirit of pure rationalism would find his
powers paralysed by a hundred doubts and
questionings; therefore Lady liartin's ingenious
and womanly reflections need no excuse.
But the critic stands on different grounds.
He must be a rationalist on pain of merely
darkening counsel by words without wisdom.
That is why such fantasies as come with the
best grace in the world from Lady Martin
strike us as mere reductions to absurdity of
the craft of criticism when we find them in
the works of - but why give names when their
name is legion?°
27.
For present purposes, Helen Faucit's letter on Imogen
is interesting by virtue of its relationship with her stage
performances of the play, notably with Macready in 1843.
It reflects the text used in performance (there are no gaol
scenes or apparitions, and no mention is made of the sooth*
sayer: Cloten's intention to ravish Imogen is omitted),
but there are few descriptions of the circumstances of her
performances.^ The longest reference to the acting of
another performer is devoted to Plton (iisanio in 1843):
No one whom I have since acted with has so
truly thrown into the part the deep devotion,
the respectful manly tenderness and delicacy
of feeling, which it requires. He drew out
all the nicer parts of the character with the
same fire and firm hand which we used to admire
upon the French stage in M. Regnier, that most
finished of actors, in characters of this kind. 8
The letter is a scene-by-scene discussion of the play,
which is treated as though it were called, Imogen, Princess
of Britain (an alternative suggested by Kiss Faucit). The
exposition is preceded by reminiscences of childhood performances
of the "mountain" scenes, the anecdote of the
male costume (see p.87 below) and the praise already quoted
for Elton 1 s Pisanio. Then Miss Faucit discusses modern
production methods. She discards the cumbersome scenery
arid "upholstery" of the modern stage. Interestingly enough