Melpomene

It is, as we read it, a complete work of art, capable indeed of being acted, but not dependent on theatric presentation.

And the impression produced by its exhibition on the stage seemed to me to be merely one of pleasure at the gratification of an intellectual curiosity of seeing how far Melpomene could survive the wagon of Thespis.

In producing the play, however, the members of the Shelley Society were merely carrying out the poet's own wishes, and they are to be congratulated on the success of their experiment, a success not due to any gorgeous scenery or splendid pageant, but to the excellence of the actors who aided them.

End of section twenty-three, The Cenci.

Now I love laughter so well that I would fain teach you to be merry and put away grave thoughts; but I read in your face that you will never be servant of mine.

I think," she added, turning to another of the nine, "that you, Melpomene, should know better than I what lessons befit this demure young scholar."

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"My lessons," answered Melpomene in slow, deep tones, "are not for a child to learn." Orpheus looked at the speaker with surprise; for he saw that while all the sisters were much alike in form and countenance, she resembled Thalia so singularly that these two seemed to be twins.

Only Melpomene's face was the saddest he had ever seen, and in her eyes, black like Thalia's, dwelt a somber fire.

Washington Irving, 1805. she was tragedy personified william hazlitt instead of gazing upon mrs siddons as painted in or out of character by gainsborough sir thomas lawrence harlowe or beechey and passing by even sir joshua's magnificent picture of her as the muse of tragedy let us look at an unfamiliar but interesting group of mrs siddons and her niece fanny kimball by briggs a royal academician who once enjoyed much repute as a portrait painter This picture is the property of the Boston Athenaeum, to which institution it was given by Fanny Kimball herself many years ago.

The charming actress who died in 1893, an old lady of 83, spent many years of her life in America, having first appeared in the United States at the Park Theater in New York as Bianca in 1832. she married a southerner mr pierce butler in eighteen thirty four but the union turned out unhappily and was put an end to by divorce at a later time she gained additional fame by her readings from shakespeare and her dramatic talent was supplemented by a poetic gift she not only produced verses of merit but two or three plays and wrote several delightful volumes of reminiscences filled with anecdotes of the numberless celebrities she had met many eminent americans were her friends longfellow among them and his fine sonnet written in eighteen forty nine in admiration of her readings may be quoted here o precious evenings all too swiftly sped leaving us heirs to amplest heritages of all the best thoughts of the greatest sages and giving tongues unto the silent dead how our hearts glowed and trembled as she read interpreting by tones the wondrous pages of the great poet who foreruns the ages anticipating all that shall be said o happy reader having for thy text the magic book whose sibylline leaves have caught the rarest essence of all human thought o happy poet by no critic vexed how must thy listening spirit now rejoice to be interpreted by such a voice from fanny kimball's records of a girlhood are taken the following references to her famous aunt when fanny was a child mrs siddons she says at that time lived next door to us she came in one day when i had committed some of my daily offences against manners or morals and i was led nothing daunted into her awful presence to be admonished by her Melpomene took me upon her lap, and, bending upon me her controlling frown, discoursed to me of my evil ways and those accents which curdled the blood of the poor shopman, of whom she demanded, if the printed calico she purchased of him would wash.

The tragic tones pausing in the midst of the impressed and impressive silence of the assembled family, I tinkled forth, "'What beautiful eyes you have!' all my small faculties having been absorbed in the steadfast upward gaze i fixed upon those magnificent orbs mrs siddons set me down with a smothered laugh and i trotted off apparently uninjured by my great aunt's solemn moral suasion this sprightly juvenile was but little older when her parents removed a covent garden chambers it was while she says we were living here that mrs siddons returned to the stage for one night and acted lady randolph for my father's benefit of course i heard much discourse about this to us important and exciting event and used all my small powers of persuasion to be taken to see her my father who loved me very much and spoiled me not a little carried me early in the afternoon into the market-place and showed me the dense mass of people which filled the whole piazza in patient expectation of admission to the still unopened doors this was by way of proving to me how impossible it was to grant my request However that might then appear, it was granted, for I was in the theatre at the beginning of the performance, but I can now remember nothing of it but the appearance of a solemn female figure in black, and the tremendous roar of public greeting which welcomed her, and must, I suppose, have terrified my childish senses by the impression I still retain of it, and this is the only occasion on which I saw my aunt in public.

On June 8, 1831, Fanny Kimball, then 21 and an accepted star, having won immense success at her debut as Juliet at Covent Garden in 1829, thus records the death of Mrs. Siddons.