Sarah Bernhardt Criticism
Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923), born Henriette Rosine Bernard, was a French actress renowned for her compelling stage presence, immaculate diction, and mesmerizing influence on audiences. Her theatrical legacy includes acclaimed performances in plays such as Phèdre, La dame aux camélias, and particularly her groundbreaking portrayal of Hamlet, which challenged traditional gender roles and received acclaim in France, as detailed in The Context: Literary, Theatrical, Cultural. As noted by Lytton Strachey, her genius lay in her ability to create memorable characters, despite limited understanding of dramatic theory.
Offstage, Bernhardt led a vibrant and unconventional life, marked by numerous artistic pursuits, including writing, painting, and sculpture, as well as entrepreneurial ventures. She deftly managed her career and contributed to cultural life, as discussed by Muriel Bradbrook. Her personal life, frequently the subject of public fascination, included rumored exploits and a turbulent marriage to actor Jacques Damala. She maintained a prominent social presence, mingling with notable figures such as Thomas Edison and remaining active in charity work, notably transforming the Odéon Theatre into a hospital during the Siege of Paris.
Bernhardt's literary contributions were as diverse as her stage career, ranging from children's literature to novels and theatrical criticism. Her 1907 memoir, Ma double vie: mémoires de Sarah Bernhardt, blends fact and fiction, artfully sustaining her public image and offering insights into her life and times, as praised in A review of Memories of My Life. Her later years saw her transition into silent films, often reprising her stage roles, as she remained committed to the performing arts until her death in 1923.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Essays
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Our Theatres in the Nineties: Duse and Bernhardt
(summary)
In the following essay, originally published in 1895, Shaw contrasts performances of Bernhardt with those of Italian actress Eleonora Duse.
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Hamlet, Princess of Denmark
(summary)
In the following essay, originally published in 1899, Beerbohm finds Bernhardt's Hamlet to be a comic spectacle and takes issue with the French prose translation of the play.
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A She Hamlet
(summary)
In the following essay, Howells offers a negative review of Bernhardt's Hamlet, arguing that a woman in the title role is a perversion of the integrity of the drama.
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Sarah
(summary)
In the following essay, originally published in 1904, Beerbohm praises Bernhardt's later work, considering her an important cultural institution in her older age.
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A review of Memories of My Life
(summary)
In the following essay, the anonymous reviewer praises Bernhardt's Memories of My Life, noting that it deftly portrays the actress, but adds that the memoir adds little to common knowledge of Bernhardt's life.
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'Sarah's' Memoirs
(summary)
In the following essay, originally published in 1907, Beerbohm praises the skill with which Bernhardt wrote her Memoirs of Sarah Bernhardt, noting, however, that it was typical of Bernhardt to practice all her endeavors with unusual skill and knowledge.
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Sarah Bernhardt: A Postscript
(summary)
In the following essay, Agate reflects on Bernhardt's body of work and popular reaction to her.
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Sarah Berhardt
(summary)
In the following essay, originally published in 1923, Strachey comments on Bernhardt's natural genius for acting, noting that she did not necessarily understand either great drama or the craft of theatre, but was instead primarily concerned with her extraordinary ability to create and develop memorable characters.
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Sarah Bernhardt
(summary)
In the following essay, Agate offers a critical assessment of Bernhardt's body of work on the occasion of her death.
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Sarah Bernhardt, Sarah Bernhardt in Phedre, and Pelleas and Melisande
(summary)
In the following essay, Baring provides an overview of Bernhardt's career.
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Sarah Bernhardt
(summary)
In the following essay, Harris eulogizes Bernhardt and provides a personal recollection of her.
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Bernhardt
(summary)
In the following essay Woolcott eulogizes Bernhardt and remembers his last encounters with her.
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Sarah
(summary)
In the following essay, Walkley contrasts the Bernhardt he knew with the 'legend' of Bernhardt.
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Eve in the Spotlight: Sarah Bernhardt
(summary)
In the following essay Bradford surveys Bernhardt's life and works.
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Paris in the Bernhardt Era
(summary)
In the following essay, Bradbrook examines Bernhardt's social and artistic standing in Paris during her time.
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Bernhardt on the London Stage
(summary)
In the following essay, Trewin discusses London's reaction to Bernhardt and her reaction to the city.
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Chekhov's Response to Bernhardt
(summary)
In the following essay, Senelick discusses Bernhardt's acceptance by critics and Anton Chekhov's opinion of the actress.
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Two-a-Day Redemptions and Truncated Camilles: the Vaudeville Repertoire of Sarah Bernhardt
(summary)
In the following essay, Woods analyzes Bernhardt's roles on the American vaudeville stage, contending that her portrayals of complex and conflicted women produced a significant marriage of high and low cultures and allowed Bernhardt to continue performing despite illness and advanced age.
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The Context: Literary, Theatrical, Cultural
(summary)
In the following essay, Taranow provides a critical overview of the literary and theatrical influences and historical background of Bernhardt's Hamlet.
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Our Theatres in the Nineties: Duse and Bernhardt
(summary)
- Further Reading