"THE PRINCE HIPPOLYTUS"

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2830, 22 July 1916, Page 2

"THE PRINCE HIPPOLYTUS"

MISS SPINXEY IN GREEK DEAMA,

The glory of old Greece has faded sadly since those halycyon days, when it etood for all that was highest and best in culture, and all is as dust where Euripides, Sophocles, and Aristophanes caused tears arid laughter to flow. bj* ( the power of their immortal writings. "The Prince 'Hippolytus" is a very fine example of the works of Euripiaes. Very human is the evil wrought by a guilty woman, very human are the passions of tho two men affected by the lie invented by the poisoned mind" as it fades into oblivion, and very beautiful is the final scene between the two.men, when the veil of' misunderstanding is rent. The piny tells the story of the. love of Phedra, the wife of King Theseus, for son Hippolytus, the clean-hearted. Young and beautiful there may be some excuse for her only too human lapse, but undei stress of circumstances slio confides hei condition to her nurse, who, in her devo» tion, counsels her mistress to cnre herself by daring all, and she (the nurse) suggests to the Prince how the Queea is affected. He is outraged by the; very thought of such perfidy, and reviles' the Queen to such an extent that- she herself, but leaves behind her a tablet accusing Hippolytus of dishonouring her. The Kjng orders his stop-son into exile, • and en "route he is thrown _ from his chariot; dragged along by the liorsea, ana picked up nigli dead. Whilst he 19 being brought back the god Artenua speaks to the King, telling him of the Queen's perfidy and his son's purity of heart and action, and as the soul of Hippolytus passes, a reconciliation place. .. Miss Dorothea Spinney, who recited the play in. Grecian dress at theMasomo Hall last evening, succeeded in giving a deeply -impressive recital of ; this .notable classic. It niust be an'exceedingly difficult task to memorise the whole play in the first instance, but not only does the visitor display an extraordinarily, retentive memory, but with graceful action, and a voice attuned to every emotion and each character, she enchains the attention to such an extent that tlios# interested are carried in fancy back to those wonderful scenes, hallowed by the master dramatists of those misty dayc. On Tuesday next Miss Spinney is to recite "The Bacchae" of Euripides, and on Friday next will be heard in a tnple bill, which will include The Travelling _ Man," an Irish legendary play by Lady Gregory, "A Maker of Dreams," by 0. Down; and vill also bo «oen in "Posea from a Greek Vast 1 ," with a musicfll ao companiment.