Sarah Siddons: Actress Of Theatre, Queen of Tragedy
was Reynolds that entitled his painting “ Mrs. Siddons the Tragic Muse.” William Hazlett wrote that “her passion emanated from her breast as a shrine. She was tragedy personified.” Her warm, rich voice captivated all who watched her performances and could easily keep them in awe. Sarah shunned publicity but always won the praise of many of her contemporaries.
Sarah lived 19 years beyond retirement till the age of 76. Over the years, she mothered 7 children, 2 of whom died in infancy. She apparently continued to still do private readings and even did a special performance for her brother Charles and his wife as a present. She died June 8, 1831 in London. A statue by Chantry presently stands of the actress in Westminster Abbey. She inspired so much through her performances that an award was created in her memory. The contemporary Sarah Siddons Distinguished Acting Award is given to actresses still today. Her son Henry still carried on the family tradition when he managed Edinburgh’s Theatre Royale.
The actress known for her tragic renditions of women, especially Shakespeare’s women made pain romantic. She was an actress that didn’t need to struggle with her characters. It was an easy transition and she learned early on in her career that when she tried too hard it interfered with her concentration and performance. Emotion flowed when she crossed the stage and she never looked back. She took what she knew how to do and did it better than anyone else at the time.
Sarah Kemble Siddons will forever hold the throne as the Queen of pain, tragedy and sadness but will also stand for a woman that lived a dream, satisfied her soul and created a history in the performance arts known as the theatre. Her life was full and dramatic and no doubt full of love from home and the audience. She was rumored to be so depressed from her retirement that it was fitting that she committed suicide, but no truth has been established to prove the rumor.This only added to the romantic nature of her life on stage. However there are many today in London that swear her spirit still roams. In what is now an electrical substation on Baker Street a ghostly spirit has been seen wandering around. Why would her spirit want to be in this location? It was where once stood her home. Obviously her soul still creates
Latest Articles