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The last of Avalon: Henry Irving's "King Arthur" of 1895

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Citation Goodman, Jennifer R. 1985. The last of Avalon: Henry Irving's "King Arthur" of 1895. Harvard Library Bulletin XXXII (3), Summer 1984: 239-255.

Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:42671436

Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA The Last of Avalo11: Henry Irving's King Arthur of 1895 JenniferIi. Goodn1a11

-• IIE ENGLlSII literary and artistic cstablishn1cnt of the ]atcr ninetcentl, century supported a ren1arkab]ercviva] of inter- est in the 1ncdic,·al legend of I(ing Arthur. Indeed, throughout the century~ fron1 C:ubbctt and Scott through Disraeli~ Ruskin, and 1\1orris, the idealized i\1iddlc J\gcs n1anifcstcd their attraction in art, archi1ec1urel literau1re~ and politics. Tenny- sonls /({)1/fs of the King, \\TiUian1 l\1orris's ul)cfcncc of (;uencveret Arnold "s 'l ,~istran, andJseult, S,vinburne's 1,·istr,1111of Lyonesse, and the Arthurian arl ,vorks of Sir Ed\vnrd Rurne-J ones.,l)anle Gabrjel Ros-

setti, 1\1orrisI and Beardsley a11 bear ,vitness to the rene,ved appeal of the Round Table for the rnost \'jsion:1ry of the \ 1 ictorian artists. The early nineteenth-century 1ncdicval revival \l/as, to a great

extent t bent on c'"contrasting a bclic\ring, heroic pa st \Vi th a skcptica l, n1ateriali stic present.'' i The ear] y students of the iVIidd le Ages notably Cobbett and Sir \\ 1a1ter Scott - had hoped that human significance n1jgbt be rediscovered, even in an incrcasing]y industrial ,vorld~ through the study of a contrasting age of "faith, order~ joy, cnunificence, and creativity.J'.2 The final state of this revival, the ArLhurian flo,vering of the later nineteenth century, see1ns to reOect the san1c basic contrast bct\vccn an orderly past and the chaotic prcscntt but it also points to a gradua] failure of hope in the ideals that g:-iverise 1.0 the Ill oveinent. in the first. place+ The \vriters .and artists ,vho depicted Arthur's kingdon1 sa\,-' in it not only a n1irror i1nagc of \rictorian aspirations for a perfected social order but also a shado\v of the n1on1l disintegration of society that they feared \Vas impending.

J Al~ce Chnndlcr, A Dream of Ordet: The Alcdit'i..'OIIdeal in Ninrlefnth-rcnturyEnglish l.it-

erature (Linco~n: University of Nebraska Prcs.~1 1970}, p. 243. i Ibid. ., p. 1. h shnuld he rioted that Chandler exdude~ most of the ninetecnth.centurr Arttmrian m::.tcrial frmn her study, _,;;;inc:csbc; (."On~iders it ~isymbolic: ratl1cr th4ln trul)' m cd icva l"; p. 2 32 . 239

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXXII, Number 3 (Summer 1984), 240 Harvard Library Bullctiu i\-Iark Gj rouard has suggested that these depictions of the i\rthu rian legend n1ny be divided into t\\'O 1najn strearns, one '~rnoral" and the other Hro1nantic. n:i In ~1cnnyson 's Idylls, as con1plctcd in 1886, the ,var of Sou] and Sense ]cads to the ruin of l\rthurls ordered society,. ~s the adultery of Guinevere and l~ancelot spreads passion~ se]f- ind u]gence, and skeptic1sn1 throughou l the kingdorn. 4 Dy contn1st, the urornantjc'' versions of the legend turned n,vay fron1 Arthur as a center of n1ora] order. '1'he scnsualjty of the n1ajor Prc-lla phacl itc portra.ya]s of J~ancclot and Guinevere, l\1er1in and Nin1uc, 'lristran1 and I se1i]t in the paintings of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Burne-Jones~ and \~1i11ia1n?v1orris ovcrshado\vs the satnc artists' exaltation of '~the spotless knight" Ga]aha

3 1'·lar1(iircmard~ Tb.·Raur,i UJ Camt:lot:Chh..wlry am! lhe English GeJ1lltma11 (Ne:-\\' I·l:1\·cn and : \'alt University Press, 1981), p. ] 80. 4 Jerome l~. Ilucklcy 1 Tenn.rsrm:The Grtri.l)thef li /be, (!960; rpt. C:1rnbridg-c1l\1ass.:

Ha n·ard Uni vcrsity Prcs:s, 197 4 ), p. 182; (3 irou arrl i Rew rn to Camelot(r, otc l) 1 pp. 180· 184. Girou:1rdi Re/llrn to Cnmelo!{note 3}~ pp. 185-194.

r, J. Co111_ynsCarr, KiitlJ.A r1hr,r {London 1 1896). A 1Jri1:Jdiscussion of the play occur:s in Taylrn· ~nd llrcwer1-.sThe Reutrnof Kiltt:Arthur (Ne.,_,.York: Hal'nes and Noble, 1983).

7 [ham Stokcr 1 Pcrwnp/ R~mi}Ji~-ct-r1c-csof Hc,ffJ ltvfog (1906; rpt. \Vestport, Conn.: Green- wood, l 970}, 11 253-.

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXXII, Number 3 (Summer 1984), The lrll:il ~rAvalon 241

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I h1r1)ard1'heatre Cover of SOU\'Cnirprograrn issued for the prcn1icrc performance 1876, \vhen Irving had appeared there as Philip of Spain in 1cnny- son's historica1 drama, QueenA1aJ)t· 8 Under Irving's n1anagen1enti the Lyccun1 co1npany ,vas to produce t,vo more of lcnnyson,s plays, The C'up in 1881, and Becket in 1893 (after the pocfs death). 1"cnnyson ,vould perhaps also have ren1ctnbered Irving's Jeading Jady1 . As the sixteen-year-old bride of the painter G. F. \V:-nts,she had p]aycd Indians and knights of the Round Tah]e ,i-·ith ~Tennyson's young sons in the sun1mer of J 864. 9 In spite of these personal .and prof cs sionu] tics, Tennyson ref used to be coaxed into adapting his !~1•/lsof the Kinlf for the stage. "llc had dealt ,vith the subject in one ,vay and did not \Vish to try it in another+~,lO

8 Ibid .,. l, 197-201. f-'or "lcnnyson~s other pbys sec .Stoker, I. 202-146; Buckley, TttmJ•:;rm (note 4)i pp. 195-215. Roger J\·1an \·ell, Ell~n Ten)' (New ) 'Gr k:Put na 1111 1968), pp. 53-5 4. w Stoker, PersonalRemJnistencn (note 7}, l 2 53. 21 l. lli1ll::1mTcnliyson recorded the fact that one of '11::nnrson's J83 3-40 i\1S uuoks indicated tha1 the poet was considering presenting the Art ht1rtan 1nalcrfal as a musical rnasf]ue. A drafl scenario is printed in Alfred. Lunl Nc\v York; :t\ ortont lc1u1yson. Poc-ms1 c;:d. Christopher Ricks (London~ Longman, 1969;

l 97 2)i pp, l 46 1-146 2 .

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXXII, Number 3 (Summer 1984), 242 Ifnrvilrd Librtuy Bulletin FoHu,ving this rehuff, Irving commissioned an Arthurian play from \\I. C. \Villst ,vhosc \Tnnderdeckenhe had produced in [878. VVhile

Irving bought \Vi]l s'~, play in 1890, he ren1ained dis~at isfied ,vith it 5 and applied to Joseph Con1yns Carr to prepare an actable script. Con1yns Carr, ,vho is best kno\vn today for his association \Vith Pre-

H.aphaclitc art as director of the Grosvenor Gallcry 1 preferred to jettison \\ 1ilh/.s play entirely, in favor of a nc"' text of his o,vn con1- position~ 1 1 I-Iis contact \Vith 1\1orris and Jj urnc-J ones, enthusiastic readers of the A.forteDar/bur, n1ay h_aveled Cornyns Carr to announce that he \\'Ould ignore ·1ennyson and re1y directly on 1'.-1a]ory'sfif- teent ·h-century romance in preparing the script. [2 In his search for a play\vright, .Irvjnghad apparently \Vandcred from one literary faction to the opposite pole. In fact, despite Carr~s Pre-Raphaelite connections, his version of the ,\rthurjan legend suggests an effort lo fuse the clashing interpre- tations of its period into a sjngle, all-encornpassing texL Carr\; p] ay opens \vith a pro]oguc, dcpictjng .A.rthur, guided by !vlerlin l receiving the s\vord Exea] ibu r c~from the sea .'l t 3 Burne-Jones\~ setting is appro- priatel y n1ist-shrouded and \~1agncrian. ~I~he chon1sJs patriotic chant, u F..ngla11d'ss\vord is in the sea," lays strong en1pha sis on the nationa] syznbolisrn of the Jegend. (Hurne-Jones ,vas revolted at the first rehearsal by ''jingo hits about the sea and England \Vb ich (::::1rr should he ashamed of.l') 14Carr's opening also calJcd up the mystical at1nos- phere of 'fcnnysonJs first ldylll "~rhe Con1ing of Arthur,"in \Vhich h1erlin receives tl~c infant Arthur hi1nself fro1n the ,vaves. For n1any spectators, al] these symbolic possibilities con1bined to evoke the mystery of the Arthurian \\'Orld. Lena Ash,vel 1, ,vho played £1 uine, praised the Pro1ogue)s uatmosphcrc of a,,·c and cxpectrtncy," and reg3rded it as one of the rnost successful n1omcnts uf the production. King Artburis first act opened by coupling Elaine of t\sto]at's confcs- ~ion to Queen (;uinevere of her unrequiled Jovefor Sir Lancelot ,vjth the departure of the knights of the l{ound Table in search of the Holy

11 j\1addcinc BJngham, 11,my lr-vingand tbr l'icwria11'theatre(] .ondon: Allen and Unwin~ 1978)! p. 262. 12 For Cilrr\; as~ociation with the Grosvenor Gallery, see Penelope Fi11.gcrikl,Edu1ard n,,n1c~/r;mrs:A Biograpk)•{London: .i\t~chad Joseph, 1975). pp. l 66-l67. 213. I J Ibid, H Fivgcraltl, Lfl-i.MnllJur11e-Jo11c5 (note l2). p. 257. l Jena Ashwd l cornn1rntcd on her role in the pby in H'e So·w 1Jim Act; A Symposiumon tht Art C!_(Sir ife,uy b··vi,1gled. H. A. S:1in1shuryand Cc~il P;.1lmt;t (Nc1r.vYork and London: B~njamin B]om, 1939), p. 326.

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXXII, Number 3 (Summer 1984), The Last of Avalon 243

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llarttord Theatre Collection 1-Jcnry Irving as King Arthur in annor designed by Burne-Jones

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXXII, Number 3 (Summer 1984), 244 I /arvard LibrtU)1

Grai1~ This nc\v chronology proclain1s Carr 1s independence fron1 both l\1nlory and ~Icnn yson. Ela inc's appearancc at court a]so sccn1s to be (:arris invention. \Vhere the A1orteDnrtbur and the ld)•llsernpha- sizc Lance]otis exertions on the Quest of the I-lol y Grail, (:arr pre- ferred to cxc]ude hirn at the start f ron1 this mystica] adventure. Carr's L.ance]ot rcn1ains at court ,vhi Jc his f eJIov~· knights depart on the quest. This trcatn1ent clifferentiatcs hirn al once fro1n his comradcs- at-arn1s, but a]so dcprjves hi n1 of a n1ajor crisis of conscience. The effect of Cgrr~s dccjsjon is 10 rnake Lancelot n much less cornplcx figure than he is in C:arr's sources. ~fhe play's hand1ing of the Grail quest ovcraI1 seen1s to reflect the Prc-l{aphne]ite~l reverence for Gala- had and his fel]o,vs, rather than 11a]ory and Tennyson's 1nore dubious v1e,v of this doub]e-cdgcd exploit. 1n this act., Queen Guineven/s p]ea, supposedJy on behalf of Elaine, that Lancelot rcn1ain at court reveals the queen's personal interest in hc1~husband's most disrin- guished knight and underlines his failure to deliver hin1sclf frorn temptation. Their 1nutual attraction is observed \Vith interest by the play)s villains., i\1ordrcd and J\1organ Je Fay, ,vho is here made A1lordrcd"'s n101her in another altempt to uni fr l\1aloryrs plod in e. 15 Carr"'s Lancelot and Guinevere succumb to each other in the j\1ay- ing scene of ..~ct 11.,as A11urdred and i'Jorgan le Fay ]ook on once ugain. 1 ...hc ]ink het,veen the Jove of I.... nncclot and c;uinevere and this l\1ay setting can be traced to 1vlalory's f arnous con1parison of true love and the sprj ng: For, lyke as lrees and crbys burgenyth and floryssy1 h in A-1ay,in lyke \vyse every lusty harte that ys ony rnaner of Jover spryngith, bu rgenyth, budd yth, and fiorysshth in 1usry dedis. . . . And therefore all ye that be Iovers, calle unto yourc ren1ernhrauncc the monethe of tvlay, lykc as

i, In J\1alory, ~\-tordn.·tr~mother is Anhur 1s othl'r half-si:ster) (Juccn h1org:n.1scuf OrkncyT See Sir Thoma~ !\t~.lory. l\'l:irls, 2nd c

Tennyson's rnoM 1 (lclibcr.He excision.'>from ~i\Iaiory~in the !{{}1/.~1 i\lordred i:sthe ~on of King Lot and Arthur's rcn~mr-d half-sister, Hdliccnt - who tn:1ynut 1n fact be Anhur\_; sister at i!ll. See Tenny~on (not<.~10), 1738) J. 554; 1756, 11. 42-45, ,:rndn,Jtc. The unifying dc:,.·icc cldoptcd Lr Carr reappc-.,n~in the 1980 llln1 F-rcalihur.,andt modified slightly,. in the 1954 film Kmghrsc/ 1hrRotmd 1,lb/e.

lli i\1alory, H'frrkr1 HI, 1119-1120.

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXXII, Number 3 (Summer 1984), The Last of Avalon 245

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I Ja 11,.-ard 1'heatre C'o!kc I ion T'he vision of the I loly Grail appearing to Sir Lancdot, p1aye

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXXII, Number 3 (Summer 1984), 246 Harvard Libro0t R11lle1i11 \Vhilc l\1a]ory hud in fact disclosed the existence of the trcasonab]e anQ adulterous Jove affair rnuch t:arlicr in the history of the llound Table., Tc"rtnysun found it irresistible tu n1akc this later ~1aying scene the opening of the Queen's ron1ance ,vith Arthur's princjpal knight. ']cnnyson'.s Guinevere thought back fo her journey under J.. ancelut's guidance to A r1.h r'~u court: and rar ahead Of his and her retinue 1noving, they Rapt in s,vcct talk or l1vely, a11on love And sport and tilts and pleasure~ (for the tin1c YVasn1aytimc~ and as yet no sin ,vas dreanicd,) 17 Tennyson used this .~elting in ''The Con1ing of Arthur'' to underscore the innocence of the beginnings of Lhe Round ']able at 1\rthur's ,vedd i ng ,vi th Gu incYcrc, as "the ,vorld is ,vhi tt: ,vith i\1ay.n18 Carr's nc\v arrangen1ent also disjoints ']cnnyson's seasonal progression fron1 i\1ay to ,vintcr. Again, it~ c]oscst paraHcls 1nay lie an1ong the Pre-

Ra phacl it-csI perhaps ,vi th IvtorrisJs defiant Gu in evere describing the spring day on \vhich she first kissed Lancelot, ~£,Vhenboth our n1ouths \l'ent ,vandcring on~ ,vay, / And aching sorely, n1et a1noi1g the ]ca,.,es+"19 1~ro1n Lhispoint, the destruction of lhe Round lablc is irrevocable. In the third acl t set in ''the tcl\ver above the river at (:am~]ot ," the corpse of Elaine .of 1\stolat is brought onstage in its coffin. l~he prcscricc of this innoc.:-entn1artyr to love precipitates (~uinc,rcre's confession of her O\\'U .sin, much as the naive prattle of the novice to the disguised queen operates in Tcnnyson,s later lt{)'ll, "Guinevere." As in the i\1aying scene, .so here th~ play"'right'.s chief concerns seem to be for rapid n1ovcn1cnt and visua] opporlunity. 1-fhcsan-1e princip]es of con1position seern to govern the final scenes of Kiug Ar/burr At Guinevcrc,s u·jal in the Great Hall at Can1r]ot, Arthur replaces Lan- celot, ,vho invarjab]y cha1npions the queen in carlrer versions of the legend, in the fight to sa,·e her frotn execution. Once inore, Carr has compressed the original narrative, fusing the judicia] co1nbal to save

1i' ~rc-nnyson-t17 34, IL 381-385. l 'Icnnysun, 1482, L 481. For · Icnnysonls sci\SOn.alorganization, see Buc~k_y, I'fJmysou (nolc 4), p. 17 3. 1 \ ViI l ta1n i\ 1o rri ~, u~rhc Defence of Gu c ncveret i [~ Richard lhr ue..'f,cd. 1 TIN A rl httr ;IJ,~ le.gcmis:A 1J 1 luJtI ratedA nt lx.ifogy(Toto"'a t N . J.: Litt 1e fid d Ad .1 n1 :s, and Co. , l 97 9)-t p. 192. Sec ~lso Chandler, })ream efV:rder (note Oi p. 214. ·

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"f.;:l!--IGAfl:n-t:UR .. At THE:. LYCEUM TH~A'ffit I Jorva rd TheatreCollect ion \Voodcut of the turret abnYc the ri,·cr at Camelot ,dth the Lier of Elilinc of Astolat in the background

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXXII, Number 3 (Summer 1984), 248 lfa1.,.ua1YiLibrary Bulletin Guinevere f ro1n the stake ,vith Arthur's last due] ,vith 1\'lordrcd. innovative scene also gave (:arr the opportunity to present a tab]eau farni1iar fro1n ~fcnnyson,s H(~uincYcrc.'' The 1895 audience could ]u1rd] y fail to rccaH the poet la urea tc's depiction of the repentant queen prostrate at the feet of her blan1clcss husband in his shining arnior: but \Vhen arn1ed feet l{ang con1 ing, prone fron1 off her seat she feH, i\nd grovcll "'c.i,vith her face against the floor: There ,\·j th her n1i]k,v hitc arn1s and shad o,vy hair She 1nade her face a darkness fron1 the l(ing: And in the darkness heard his ar1ned feet })ausc by her; then can1e silencei then a voice, ~'lonotonous and hoHo,v like a Ghoses Denouncing judgment, but tho' changcdi the l(ing's. 20 "l'hc in13ge of the p~ostrate queen dernonstrates her fall graphica1ly. "'rhc p1ay'tJike the IdyllJ, charts GuineY'ere,s descent f ron1 the throne to the flooL ~fhc rcsuhing effect 1night he described as a character- istica1ly \ 1ictorian rcplaccn1cnt of the king of the n1edieval ,vhee] of Fortune- no,v clc\Tated in n1ajcsty~ no,v tragical1y cast do,vn \Vtth a figure of the opposite sex~21 The play's epilogue turns av,...ay fron1Guinevere to depict the Pass~ ing of Arthur and the return of Excalibur to the sea. By 1895 the death of Arthur had beco1ne an even rnore farni]iar scene than the repentance of Guinevere. ,cThe Epic,,, \vhich cautious]y introduced the narratiYc of the Iast battle het,vccn Arthur and l\1ordred and the

departure of the ,vounded king in his harge 1 tended by lhree qucenst to be healed at Ava]ont ,vas 1cnnysonts first n1ajor i\.rthurian pub]i- cation. 22 Burne-Jones hau begun his career as a Prc-llaphac]itc painter by assisting Rossetti and J\1orris ,vith the il1~fatcd Oxford Union

:rn Tennyson~ 1735, II. 40?-418. See Girouard~ Rctuni w Camdo1 (note 3)~ p. 115~plate 127 for :in 1879 tapestry of this sccnci and Ilarbcr (now 19)~p. 167, for (~ustavc Dore\: 1867 illustration of it. In l\{alory~there is no similar confrontation between Arthur and Guinevere; cn~tead, the fina.lscene of renunciation occLirs between Guinevere a.nd L:mcdot. 21 Compare hlalory, [ rJ, 12JJ. The med ici·alscheme did not necessarily imply any moral n~nsur~ of tiw f.glkri ru 1~r. 21 lt :1ppcnrcdin 1842.,l)tCCt!dcd uy wJ'hr. l--11d)' or Shalott" ( 1832-34) ~nd fragu1cntson L:incclot and (;uinc\·c-rc and on Sir CaLihad. Sec G trouard, Rtturn to Camefot (note 3)) p. 178."

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXXII, Number 3 (Summer 1984), The l~aJI of Avalon 249 frescoes, ,vhich faded a]n1ost a~ soon as they ,vcrc painted; the fina] /\rthurian episode they depicted ,vas the I)eath of Arthur. l"hcAvalou Burne-Jones began \Vork on in 188 I returned to this final scene of the legend. 2} Perhaps inescapably, Carrts p1ay depends far n1ore on Tennyson than 1\'1alory. I-Iis Arthur reca] ls the ctbla111eless k1 ngn of the / d.ylls, not J\1a1oryts sinfully hun1an n1onarch; the ~A..rthur,vho fathered l\1ord red in an incestuous union ,vi th his ha] f-sistcr l\1orga use rcrnaincd aln1ost unkncnvn to the nineteenth century. Guinevere~s ultin1ate discovery that she lores her husband after a11 is equally 'l"cnnysonian; the queen uf the Idylls cried out: uls there none/ ,vil1 tc]] the king I Jove him though so ]ate?'l e'c;uincveret Jines 645-646.) As l\1orris obscrv_cd at ]cngth in his HJ)cfcncc of Guenevere," this redeen1s the guccn at the expense of our belief in her Jovefor J_,ancc1oc 1\lso like 1 cnn yson ,s.Carr'~ Ilound ·rable is destroyed by the Queen's adultery ,vith 1...-ancelot,not~ as in 1\-la]ory,by a long chajn of inter- connected events that reaches back to the outset of Arthur's reign. (~arr's choice of episodes fur dra1natization coincides notab]y "\\-'ithhis period's inrerest in the mystery, puthost and tragedy of Arthur, as ,veII as ,vith its mon1cn ts of

2 J Cha 11dlc..: r,. / )ream of ()rdrr (note 1) p. 212 1 and Fi tzgr raId, Edward Dr1ru,:J,:meJ {not c- l 2},p. 30.1. 1 24 Fitzgcrald 1 t.'dil"t1rd B1frnrjonr.s (note 12), pp. 256, 305. l1urn~-Jom:ss rf;adingin Arthu. rian litc..:ralur<:hcgan \\'ith Tennyson~s 1Horlf d',1rthur (published I842) in tl1c 1840~. He did no1 cnco,intcr ~;....laloryunti~ after he had gone do,vJ1 to Oxrord; he fir~, located :1 copy in 1855. Sec:Fitzgerald, pp. 18-19, 28, 37. Sec c1lsoBnrhcr) Ar1huritm l.£gend1(note 19)~p1:1tc between pages 170-171 for Burr\e-Jones 1s tapestry of Tbr Visionof th;:lloly Gr~iJ. PC'rciv.al, Bors! a nJ Ga 1c1 ha

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXXII, Number 3 (Summer 1984), 250 Harvard Libro1yBulletin for King Arthur ,vcrc destroyed 1n the 1898 \Varehou~e tire. 25 Brain Stokerls descdption of the setting for Act 11 n1ight be a Tiurnc-Joncs painting set to 1no1100: Soule of th~ !'icene'.\ \verc of transccnd~nt beauty~ not~bl r that called "The \Vh ite- thorn "\\'ood.M~rhc sc~ne \\'a.~ fill green and ,vhilc - th~ side of a hil I thick ,~·ith blossonling thorn through "·hich~ do,,•n i1 \Vi nding path., can1c a bevy of m:-i idens in Ho\,·ing ganucnts of tissue "rhich sccn1('d to s\vay and undufatc ,vith c,·e;ry nlotion and en:ry brc~th of air. There \\'i'lS: a dain.tincss and a ~ensc of puriry about the \\'hole scene ,vh ich w:is very rc1narlalJ1t,.M Stoker's e,·ocation of the scene recal1s the processions and m ystcrious ritual of n1.1rne-Joncs'sThe GoldenSta,~rs (1880). As Lhe cornmcnts of its audiences indicatt~ King 11rthur relied on its designer for rnany uf th c production" s stro n gcs t cff cct s. Throughout the ~nal stages of the rche~rsals., Durnc-Jones's lack of theatrical experience Jed to friction bct\veen the artist and the 1....yceomcon1pany. (;ninevere's je,veHcdcloak prored to Le so heavy that Ellen Terry could scarcely bteathc in it, let a]one n1ovc~ her

dresser ,vas forced to circle the leading lady.,snipping off je\vels1 until the cloak became portable. The knights' elegant arn1or, specially made in J>aris, had shoulder and cl bo\v pl ates that f or~cd the a<.:tor.s" arms into strange gestures. Stoker reports that ,vhcn Burne-Jones \\'as asked ,vhy he chose such a design, he retorted, 1'To puzzle the archae- ologists .,,n l ~hisa\v k \\·ardness did not prevent its ,vcarcrs f ron1 danc- ing a quadrille at the Duchess of Devonshire's ball - Irving lent the arn1or for tl1e occasion - or hinder the Harvard undergraduates hired as extras on the 1895-1896 Atnerican tour of the production frotn skirn1ishing rather too vigorously .an1ongthemselves. 28 Rurne-Jon(;s, in turn, ,\·as repel Jed by the irreverent a tt:1tude of the , Irving a,nong thcn1. J)enelope l 1'itzgcrald quotes fron1 the artist's recollec- tions of the first dress rehearsal:

Irving. alone on the ~rage on a golden throne 1 \\.'as dedain-.ing: 'And then, my o\\·n. true Guine,·erc, 1ny q uecn - \rhric's gone ,vich the gas there? \ Vho1s up

.H Stoker, P~nrmalReminiscence:t (note. 7}. 111 297-303. 26 Ibid.1 ] \ 254. For lll1rnc-Jone.s•sGoldnt S1airs~ sec- Filzgcrahl, f'tlu:ard Bnrm:jfJNes (note: 12)l PP• 183-18), 17 Stoker t Pcrm1u1J Rem in iiam:es (n otc 7), I 1 25 4. See the portrait of Forhc.li-Robcrts on as r.nncdot in Girouard t Newrn 10 Camrlot (note J). p. 183. lf: Sto ~ert Perrona! Remin isu-1u:ts(n ntt: 7), ] , 25 4; 11t 261-2 G 2, S to kcr goes on to rn en tion thal one l-l;ir,,·ard supernumerary~ stung hy Ihe nctor•nrnnagcrts rcprimandi wrote- to drnl~ lcngc Irving to a duel.

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXXII, Number 3 (Summer 1984), 'J'lJtLnst qf Ava/011 251

t . \

, ~.• L·. ·~·. J •. . .. . ·, ! ' J\ ...... ,r' . • ~;

. . _jj\ \ : ': • - L •., r • ,r . , I!'

r·<)l...... , . .... 1\ . •:·.~r' l I -..J-~ I- •. _: . :\ -_,. \. I I .- • • ' . f ' ' - ' +.- '-- r ,; J .. .!.I . :_ . PhoJo; H'indo·w& GnHlt~ fondon 1-JarvardTheatre Colleclfrm

El lcn Terry as Guinevere jn thl' _j~,n::-lnlcloak designed by Ilurnc-J one.i.:

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXXII, Number 3 (Summer 1984), 252 Harvard Libra,y Bullclin llu~rc?' ... As lo fr.1crnn 'rhey have set aside 1ny design and made hicn filthy and horrible ... , 1~1organ le Fay is simply dreadful ... she is half

Gi]bert's coHaborator and achieve fan1e as a serious n1usician.- \\'ith undisguised satisfaction., Co1nyns Carr recorded the compo::ier's dc1ight in the script and his interest in attcn1pting an opera based on

KingArthur. (Burne-Junes, ,vith equally characteristic g]oom 1 recalled 1neeting Sul]~van at a dress rehearsal: usuHivan in a fury - telling n1c he \Vould have given £ [00 to he out of it.n) 11 At the srart of his career, the young lady Sullivan ,vas courting~ llachel Scott llusseHJ

had proposed that he ,vrite "an Arthurian grand opera, Guiuc-verel based on Tennyson. 1~H For Ct1rnynsCarr's play, Sullivan composed choruses of Lake Spjrits and Unseen Spirits for the prologue., The Chaunt of the Grail for the first act, a lvlay Soog for the second act, a funeral march, and the final chorus. Sul1i,ran'sbiographer, Percy l\1. Young~ regards the i\1ay Song as '1one of SuHivan,s happiest inventions _,iB ~loday\ the Kng .£1r1h11r suite built upon these pieces ren1ains the n1ust enduring product of the 1895 presentation. A]though it had been ,vd t ten specificaH y for their company, the Hctors of the Lyceum found that King A rthnr confronted them \vith !=iOn1crom plcx problen1s of casting and intcrprcta tion. Johnston Forhes-Robert·son~searly r1ssociations,vjrh the Prc-l{aphaclitc movc- 1nent as an artist's n1ode] n1ight ha\rehelped hitn to develop his strong interpretation of Lancelot; the American tour suffered front his absence+ E.l1cn ~Icrry~s glan1or as Guinevere is attested by numerous,

n Fitzgerald. EduYrrdBurm:wjone.; (rmtc 12), p. 257. m ibid . ., p. 258 _ 31 ibid .., p. 257. H r.. t:"sl tc (;r11.ly,Gilbert aud Snl/ivm1::Their lives ,wd Ti,:nt:F(London; Thames and I lud~on, 1973lt p. 27. 13 Percy ~-1.Young~ Sir ArJh1,·r Sullivan (Nc\.v York: \V. \V. Norton. 197l), pp. 243-244.

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXXII, Number 3 (Summer 1984), TheLast r;J.A,.va/011 253 souvenir portraitst most often under the i\1aying scene's c]oud of bJossoms or cnl:ascd Jn her ponderous jc,vclcd cloak. For the young

l ...ena 1\sh ,veH i the 1ninor ro]e of E1ai ne seems to have been mc1nora bJc for her ordeal as a corpse in Act III, a trial she requested herseJf in order to see rnore of the action onst~ge. 14 ..rhc greatest intrricr to the success of the producrjon lay in the tit le ru]c. Henry Irving had bui h his f orn1id Hb]c rcpu tation 1argc1yupon his portraya1s of introspeclive, vindi_cth.re~or scheming characters. I-Iamlet, , l~uis XI of France, Richard III~ and Cardina] Riche}jcu_had been a1nong his triun1phs. A inagnificent Pre-R.aphae- ]itc couple~ £Hen Terry and Itorbcs-l{obcrtson unqucstionah]y ]ooked their parts; I-lenry I r\~ing resernhled no one)s ideal in1nge of K 1ng ArthuL His infamous quirk~ - the odd sid]ing gait, his propensity to n1umb]e, his Jean face and figure - hardly suggested the a,ve- inspiring presence of a IJrjtish national hero. Throughout: his career~ Irving had struggled against his o\vn physical ]in1itations. No\vt n1uch of the ph1y,seffect· depended upon his ability to capture the audience\~ imagination. The revie\vers ,vere qui ck to co1nment on this funda- mental prohlen1 ,vhen the play opened on 12 Jnnunry. In its o,vn day, King Arth11r evoked conAicting critical rcponscs. ""fhcprestige of the col]aborators clearly in1prcssed their auditors; the production demanded to be judged among the n1ost an1bitious the- atrical efforts of the century. Nevertheless, at frs opcningi the spec- tators"' reactions ranged fron1 exa]tation to disgust. 1.. he uspecial Correspondent'' to the Boston S1n1dnyliernld, Annie ,,,a keenan I Jath- rop, found hcrsc]f too n1ovcd to ::ipp]aud as the final curtain fc11on the fir.st cvening~s performance. The t:rtttc of the Ne\" "\{ork\\/urkl cheered the touring production that autumn; 1f ariy of the house were unin1pres:sedlast night by the beauty, the artistic charrnl t11char.rnony and taste \Vhich 1narkcd the fatest, and pcrhBpsmn:st wondrou.~ stage production thar \\'C owe tu 1-icnry ln·ing, let him ho~d his peace. lie is :-i Gotl1 - a cr.as-sBoctian - bcrcfl of soul and sighl. H

1 H For Forbes~Rohcrlson s · Pre-Raphaelite." conncction.i:;1 .iic."CFitzgerald, Edu'{JrdBurm·-

Jonrs {note- l 2}1 p. 2 57 . 1-Jis portrait 2s Lancelot in (; irou a rd (note: 27 ahove) is: Ilei ta l [e]cd strikingly in the portrait of Lancelot in a \Villiam J\·forrisand Company .stainc::dglass windO\\',

Hi•rl.11..:r1 Arthurit1nLfgtuds {note ~9), p. 165. Om.: Anu;rican n ..·-vinvcr calk,tl Forbes-Rohen -

1 .sonts replacement ~\astick '; see Lena Ash,\·ell jn \Vt ~\'awJ-ii-m AcJ {rwti:; 14), pp. 325-3 2:6. 35 1 ·he lVor}drevie,v, quoted anAustin Hrcn::loni The l.rfe-vf 11,my lr--ving(1908; rp1. 1\"C\1i.· Yori.:":Bc::n1inn1 [l Rfom. 1969), Ill 23 f. For Stoker\; l'iew of King ArtJ1ur's Liox-officcpotenti:il, .see Stokc:-rtPe11·01Mi Rrmi11irr:enrcs {note 7), lJ, 302.

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXXII, Number 3 (Summer 1984), 254 llarvard Lib1Y11yBulletin StiH, despite this emphatic support and the play's cYidcnt box-office success - J~ran1Stoker described h as a ''certn in dra\,,"P a. nu n1 ber of influcn tia l critics ,vcrc ready to proc] aim thcn1sc]ycs c;oths. 'fbis critical dubiety focused on the ,vcakncsscs of Comyns C~nrr\; script and on Irving's interpretaLion of Arthur. \'-/i]Eacn Archer bal- anced his praise of King Arlhur as '(a sp]cndid pageant and folk play'' ,vith the caustic observation that the \ 1 is ion of the l-loly Grail \Vas

"like a parluur-n1a id brj nging in a vol-au-vent +n~ 6 A rchcr's friend 1 George Bernard Sha\\', the ne\V critic of the Satardt~yRe·vieu,i, attacked his fc11o,vplay\vright vigorously, though he had unexpected praise for Irving: ~rhcrc is one scene in the ph1yin ,,·h ich J\1r.Irving rises to the-height of his art., and i1npcrsorn:ilcs,\vith the nnbh~.,t fed Lng, ~~nd the mc)."itsensitive Tcfinement of execution, the K~ng A rrhur of all our i 1naginarions in rhc t11on1cnt\\'hen he learns that his wifc 1u,·cs hi,"ifri~nd inst{:ad of him~df. And all the time, \\·hilst th~ l'Oice the g:esture~ the cn1orion expressed arc those of the hcroLldng, the rnlk is the talk of an angry and jl'alnus t:o~lern1onger~ exalted by the abject ~uhmi.!-i!-;lUn of the nt her pi1rties to a transpot1 of n~agn:1ni1nity in ref rairdng from reviling his ,vif c and punching her lo\'cris head. 1 do not st1ppo.1ic 1\·lr. Irving s~id 10 _r\·lr.Con1yn~ Carr

1 in 50 n1any \\'ords 1 ~'\\~r1lc\ ,:hat trash you ltke~ ltll play the real K.ing Arthur o\·cr the head of your stufr'; but that "'.as wh:H it came tu. And the end of it \\':Is thr.t j\1r. Con1yn5 (~arr ,vas too n111chfor !\·fr. Irving. \Vhen King Arthur, h:wi ng broken do,vn in an attc1npt to hit Ljncclot wilh his s·word, left Gu ine:vcrc grovelling on

du.:-flrnlr ,vith her hcnd ,,·irhi n an inch of his roi:sI and stood plainly <.~On\icyingto the numerous byscandcrs that Lhis \Vas the proper position for a fem a le who had forgotten her.self .i,;nfar as: to prefer .1nothtr n1an to hinl, one's gc.ngerose. H Sha,,·'s chan1pionship of Ellen Terry l¼idnot neglect the u]timatc source of the obnoxious scene. "That vision of a fine figure of a ,voman~ torn \Vith sobs and relnorsei sLretched at the [eet of a nobly superior and dccp]y \\Tonged ]ord of creation, is no doubt stil1 as popular ,vith the n1en \vho~c scntin1tntal vanity it flatters as it ,vas in the days of The Idylls of the King."'38 Sha\~/scrit.icisn1 heralded both his O\vn nc\V dran1a and the spirit of the approaching century. H.ccipru- cally.,1 L indicates ho\,-'deeply Ki11g A rt bur \V~s rooled in the p3ssing age of \ 1ictoria.

n Arthur 1\-Lichcn{lllOtcs An:h~r in l \-'fSa\t: Tlim Act (not<.~i4}l p. 344.

H G. H. St11w, n:·dc.:w of King A rfhttr 1 Satw-d,~yRe-vie:;1\ p:tn iatty (JOOtc:::din .St. John

Ervine, BernardShrn.i:: Hi1 l.ijt\ \ Vor.kmu/ Frio1d1(New York: ,viiliam I\1orrow 1 1956)1 p. 2i2; and in Ilinghc1m,llrury Irving (note 11},pp. 263-264. Jfi ~h~w, ,nBinghnm, p. 264.

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXXII, Number 3 (Summer 1984), The l.ast of A·volon 255 ]~he contcn1porary verdict on Irving's Kingi\1·thur ,vas manife.~t1y a pp roving. '"fhc pla)~ ran for a h undrcd nights, toured the United States and Canada successfuUy., and ,night ,velJ have been revived if the 1898 fire had not destroyed its scenery. (:omyns Carr thonght ,veU enough of his part in the production to attempt a sequel! 11·istra1n . and Jseult, produced a.t the in 1906. 39 Perhaps the n1ost significant indication of fayor may ha,rc been the offer of knight- hood that lr"ing received in Alay 1895,. to,vards the end uf Kiug

Arihllr's run. \\'hen he accepted this honor 1 the first such title t-o be conferred on an English actor, Irving considered it a nc,v nulrk of recognition for the acting.profession, not:mere]y for his o,vn athicvc- n1cnt. lly attempting to unite the n1ajor arLists of his age in staging the n1oslimpress i\'e su hject a\'ai]a blc to a ni nctccnth-ccn tury English-

n1an l Irving had sta tcd his belief in the dignjty of the thca trc l and its potcntia] fut uniting the arts., in the 1nost"e1nphatic terms. Queen \ 1ictoria could not have chosen a n1ore approprjate rnon1ent Lo s1gnify her pleasure. 1~·orus today, Henry lrving~s fJan1boyant Kiug At'lhut seen1s as ephe1neral an artjfact as H.ossctti's faded ()xford Union frescoes, and, perhaps, one of similar historic significance. The frescoes inaugurated the Pre-Raphaelite n1oven1ent; Ki11gJ\ rt hur proved to be the ]ast major spectacle of the ninctccnth-ccntury~s Arthurian procession. The idio- syncracics of the scriptt the loss of lll1rnc-Joncsl's scenery~ and our century's disregard for the \ 1ictorian slage 11aveaH undoubtedly con- tributed to King Ar1hur1s neg]ect in the age of Crnnelot.Fronl its appe3I to the theme of the British En1pirc as a nc\v l{ound 'fab]r, through jts Pre-R.aphaelite visual impacl and its Tennysonian struggle bet\veen passion and rnoralit}\ the p1ay brings into focus key issues of the \/ ictorian cnL The ] ..yceun1 Theatre's production a]so ucar~ \Vitness to the perennial i1nportance of the Arthurjan legend as a veh1cle for po]itical and cthica I concern, a ro]c it has sustained f ro1n 1\1alory"'sage to our O\vn ..

39 Cumyn~ Carr lh.:cbtr-.:dhis posiliou in OpJliO:;itionLO \Yc1.gm:r and in fa\-ur of ~1alury in an in tcr11:ic,,. I)(;( ore the- o j)Cning-of '/ HstrtJm ,

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXXII, Number 3 (Summer 1984), CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE

BESSIE ZABAN JONES iSi the author of a history of the Smithsonian

AMrophysical ObscnTa(ory1 lighthouse of the Skies{ 1965), and is co~ author of a hi story of the 1-latva rd College Obs ervator y, The Il ai- 7.mn/ CQl/rgeObservatmy~ The Firsl four Directorships,1839-1919 ( 1971). She edited 77x GoldenAue of Science(1966) and co-edited with h~r Lnc husband) Prof es~nr l-lc.nvard .F\·lumfordJunes~ The 1Ha,:YVoites of B0s1011( 1975 ). As one of the organizers and managers

of The \Vindo\\· Shop 1 :she participated in the C3ml_n1dgecffon~ to assist European ref ugc-cs.

jF.NNIFf.:R R. GoOUMANis Assistant Professor., Department of English, Texas A&J\1 Unh'crsit y.

l\·1A"fTHIAS lV SENGER is ,.-\ssistant Prof cssor of Gcrnian, I Jar\·ard LTni- vcrsity.

Ev AS. J\1os1::LEYis Curator of :tv1anuscriptsin the Schlesinger Library,. Rad di ffe (~olt ege.

312

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XXXII, Number 3 (Summer 1984),