The paradox of the actress: Fanny Kemble and the performances of Juliet and Lady Macbeth.

Abstract

This study examines the meaning of womanhood in the life and theatrical performances of nineteenth-century actress, Fanny Kemble. I draw from scholarship in women's history, feminist criticism, and semiotics to explore the paradox of the actress who is both the object of the male gaze and the subject of her own performances. This paradox is not only an important aspect of the creation of meaning in theatrical performance, it also describes the constant interplay of forces in, around and against the ubiquitous objectification of women in the nineteenth century. In life, as in performance, the meaning of womanhood was complex, controversial and continually transforming. The paradox of the actress provides a particularly useful point of departure for a study of Kemble. As an actress who claimed to hate performing and as an independent woman who professed a belief in the dependent nature of women, Kemble embodied many of the contradictions of her age. Throughout her two acting careers---initially as a dutiful daughter playing ingenues such as Juliet in her father's company and later as an embattled wife performing mature roles such as Lady Macbeth on tour---she continually transformed her concept and performance of womanhood in response to the contradictions she encountered. As a young actress, Kemble gradually supplanted her self-image as an honorary male with a notion of idealized womanhood which she sought to embody on and off the stage. Her Juliet was popular with audiences who perceived idealized images of feminine delicacy in her performances. Yet these same performances also conveyed a contrasting sense of female power that was consistent with Kemble's analysis of the character. When Kemble returned to the stage, she viewed morality and the maternal instinct as central characteristics of womanhood. Therefore, she interpreted the evil power of Lady Macbeth as masculine. This controversial Lady Macbeth aroused ambiguous and contradictory responses among audiences which exemplify her age's growing concerns over female power. The range of critics' reactions to Kemble's performances suggests that she both confirmed and violated the objectified position of women in a male-dominated society. The diverse and often conflicting images of womanhood that emerged from the conception, production and reception of Kemble's Juliet and Lady Macbeth indicate the ways in which women's theatrical performances mirrored the social debates over the meaning of womanhood.