Her voice was ever soft,
Gentle, and low,—an excellent thing in woman.
Her voice was ever soft,
Gentle, and low,—an excellent thing in woman.
Could any actor be unnatural in speaking words so simple, so familiar, and so naturally set? Viola says to Orsino:
My father had a daughter loved a man,
As it might be, perhaps, were I woman,
I should your lordship.
My father had a daughter loved a man,
As it might be, perhaps, were I woman,
I should your lordship.
My father had a daughter loved a man,
As it might be, perhaps, were I woman,
I should your lordship.
My father had a daughter loved a man,
As it might be, perhaps, were I woman,
I should your lordship.
My father had a daughter loved a man,
As it might be, perhaps, were I woman,
I should your lordship.
Here again the words are all colloquial and are set in their accustomed order; but by sheer mastery of rhythm the poet contrives to express the tremulous hesitance of Viola's mood as it could not be expressed in prose. There is a need for verse upon the stage, if the verse be simple and colloquial; and there is a need for poetry in the drama, provided that the play remain the thing and the poetry contribute to the play.