MISS SPINNEY'S RECITAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2576, 25 September 1915, Page 11

MISS SPINNEY'S RECITAL

„ THE HIPPOLYTUS. .-Miss DorotEea Spinney.gave another. > .Greek recital! in - the Masonic Hall last •' . '.evening, the play chosen by . her on this. occasion being: the. Hippolytus of Euri•V: ypidesj, translated by Professor Gilbert ..[Murray.- Each succeeding recital has ..'brought .Miss Spinney morel, and more ; (into, .touch .with her audience; and last v , [evening with'her fine presentment of the : JHippolytus she had it completely .under 'her'spell.' ■ 1 ■•• . Tlie play had for its theme tho lovo . 'of Phaedra, tho young, wife of Theseus, •for Hippolytus, her stepson, - son of • ' I'lheseiis, and the Amazonian.ijueen, ,Hip-. •' jpolyta, a love'that was inspired: by the. goddess Cypris aB. a means-of obtaining (revenge upon Hippolytus for ignoring j her lovo spells. In this as in so many Greek plays the.lielplessness, tho futility of man against tho will of the gods anil the relontless pressure they brought to bear upon him 'went home :. to tho ' listener. "For tliis you were made," the words of Artemis to -tlio dying Hip--.polytus at the end of the play, is one of ''the .finest anU most, moving passages h •: 1 genius could conceive and put into j words, and gavo the keynote 'to the at-. ..^";;;titude:'of : 'th6''Giwk : mihd i ';to/:ttie'-f6fces'; J that made or marred his; life ; and . made. '-' 'him but a pawn in the'tails of 'destiny .: The play, is full of spleudid passages, /:! 'notably the scenes- between the frenzied : -tut" noble-Phaedra and her nurse,- her- ;• : J>iecch to her women on troth and steadfastness, the: wrath of Hippolytus, the ■ ■ worshipper of: the virgin: goddess Ar::temis when tho nurse sought him and tried to beguile' him, and tho scones be- . - tween Theseus and Hippolytus when tho Former learns of the death of Phaedra, :, >nd the charge; she makes in -her mad-. --liess against Hippolytus. Miss Spinney teas simply magnificent in- the _ chariot scene in which Hippolytus met his death by ] the seashore through ■ tho overturn- " ing of his chariot, caused by Poseidon rising in the .guise of ; a mountainous wave .and calling out with a voice like, v thunder so that, the horses were' terrified. . and dashed him among the. rocks. Most moving was the scene in which the death ■! of Hippolytus- occurred and the■-.reveal-. . ing of the truth to Theseus that his son, whom ho had cursed and driven .--into, exile, was : not .guilty of tho dishonour. 4 - of Phaedra; Possibly this was the finest recital which Miss Spinney has yet ■ -giveii,: and it is safe to: say -that - her audience will look forward 'to the;recital ■ on 'Tuesday, of ."Tlie Baccha'e,'' in which . i Euripides is said to have: reached 'his ■-. 'highest. ..S;'';':;