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Helena Modjeska

Helena Modrzejewska as Ophelia in Shakespeare's Hamlet, Austrian Poland, 1867. Ophelia is a Fictional character in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. William Shakespeare ( baptised Hamlet is a Tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601 Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland
Born Helena Opid
October 12, 1840(1840-10-12)
Free City of Kraków
Died April 8, 1909 (aged 68)
Newport Beach, California, United States
Spouse(s) Gustav Modrzejewski
(1861-1868)
Count Karol Bozenta Chłapowski
(1868)

Helena Modjeska (aka Helena Modrzejewska, "Mod-zhe-yev-ska"; modrzew = "larch"), born Helena Opid in the Free City of Kraków on October 12, 1840, was a renowned Polish actress who specialized in Shakespearean roles. Events 539 BC - The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon. Year 1840 ( MDCCCXL) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The Free Independent and Strictly Neutral City of Kraków (Cracow with its Territory Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian Year 1909 ( MCMIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Free Independent and Strictly Neutral City of Kraków (Cracow with its Territory Events 539 BC - The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon. Year 1840 ( MDCCCXL) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works William Shakespeare ( baptised She died on April 8, 1909, aged 68, in California. Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian Year 1909 ( MCMIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean.

She was the mother of Ralph Modjeski, and godmother to Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, son of Stanisław Witkiewicz (the elder Witkiewicz almost accompanied her and her family to California in 1876). Benjamin Franklin Bridge from DUKWjpg|thumb| Benjamin Franklin Bridge]] Ralph Modjeski' (born Rudolf Modrzejewski) ( January 27 1861 - June Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, aka "Witkacy" ( February 24, 1885 – September 18, 1939) was a Polish playwright For his son the writer who lived 1885–1939 see Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean.

Contents

Early life

Madam Modjeska in her garden at Arden in Santiago Canyon, CA
Madam Modjeska in her garden at Arden in Santiago Canyon, CA[1]

Modjeska's father, Michał Opid, was a musician, and her tastes soon declared themselves strongly in favor of a dramatic career. In 1861 she married her guardian, Gustav Modrzejewski, who helped her get started in the theater. Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common

In 1868 Gustav Modrzejewski died. Year 1868 ( MDCCCLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap Modrzejewska married Count Karol Bozenta Chłapowski, a politician and critic, and received an invitation to act at Warsaw, in Russian Poland, where she remained for seven years. Warsaw (Warszawa; also known by other names) is the Capital and Largest city of Poland. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland She kept the normal, grammatically-feminine form of her first husband's surname. In Linguistics, grammatical genders, sometimes also called Noun classes are classes of nouns reflected in the behavior of associated words every noun must belong A surname is a name added to a Given name and is part of a Personal name. She would later, when acting abroad, use an "anglicized" version of her name ("Modjeska"), easier for English-speaking audiences to pronounce. [1]).

In 1876 Modjeska emigrated to southern California with her husband and son and several friends, including Julian Sypniewski and Henryk Sienkiewicz, future author of Quo Vadis. Southern California, or So Cal, is defined as the southern portion of the U The surname Sypniewski is of Polish origin and centered around the Oder region where families bearing this surname are still found today There they founded a utopian Polish colony on a ranch that Modjeska and her husband bought near Anaheim (future home of Disneyland). Utopia is a name for an ideal community taken from the title of a book written in 1516 by Sir Thomas More describing a fictional Island in the

It was in this period that Sienkiewicz wrote his Charcoal Sketches (Szkice węglem). The utopian experiment failed, the colonists went their separate ways, and Modrzejewska returned to the stage, reprising Shakespearean roles that she had acted in Poland. Utopia is a name for an ideal community taken from the title of a book written in 1516 by Sir Thomas More describing a fictional Island in the In Music a reprise (rəˈpriːz ruh-PREEZ; it does not rhyme with "surprise" is the repetition or return of the opening material later in a composition William Shakespeare ( baptised Perhaps the best account of daily life on the ranch was Theodore Payne's memoir, Life on the Modjeska Ranch in the Gay Nineties . Theodore Payne was born in Northamptonshire, England in 1872 and served an apprenticeship in Horticulture.

Career

Helena Modrzejewska. Portrait by Tadeusz Ajdukiewicz, 1880.
Helena Modrzejewska. Portrait by Tadeusz Ajdukiewicz, 1880. Tadeusz Ajdukiewicz (1852 in Wieliczka – January 9 1916 in Kraków) was a Polish painter

In 1877 Modjeska appeared in San Francisco in an English version of Ernest Legouvé's Adrienne Lecouvreur and also made her New York debut. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city Gabriel Jean Baptiste Ernest Wilfrid Legouvé ( 5 February 1807 - 14 March 1903) was a French Dramatist. Adrienne Lecouvreur ( April 5, 1692 &ndash March 20, 1730) was a French actress. Despite her imperfect command of English, she achieved remarkable success.

During her career she played nine Shakespearean heroines, Marguerite Gautier in Camille, and Schiller's Maria Stuart. William Shakespeare ( baptised Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller krɪstɔf friːtʁɪç fɔn ʃɪləʁ/ʃɪlɐ (10 November 1759 9 May 1805 was a German Poet, Philosopher Mary Stuart (Maria Stuart is a play by Friedrich Schiller based on the life of Mary I of Scotland. In 1883, the year she obtained American citizenship, she produced Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House in Louisville, Kentucky, the first Ibsen play staged in the United States. Year 1883 ( MDCCCLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common "Ibsen" redirects here For other people named Ibsen see Ibsen (disambiguation. A Doll's House (literally translated A Doll's Home, from the original Norwegian title Et dukkehjem) is an 1879 play by the In the 1880s and 1890s she had a reputation as the leading female interpreter of Shakespeare on the American stage. Events and Trends Technology Development and commercial production of Electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered The 1890s were sometimes referred to as the " Mauve Decade" because William Henry Perkin 's aniline dye allowed the widespread use of that William Shakespeare ( baptised

In 1893 Modjeska was invited to speak to a women's conference at the Chicago World's Fair, and described the situation of Polish women in the Russian- and Prussian-ruled parts of dismembered Poland. The World's Columbian Exposition (also called The Chicago World's Fair) a World's Fair, was held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Prussia ( Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Prūsija Prūsija Prusy Old Prussian: Prūsa) was most recently a historic state Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland This led to a Tsarist ban on her traveling in Russian territory. The Tsardom of Rus' (Царство Русское was the official name for the Russian state between Ivan IV 's assumption of the title of Tsar (Emperor in 1547

She last visited Poland in 1902/1903. During her stay, from October 31, 1902, to April 28, 1903, she appeared on the stage in Lwów, Poznań and her native Kraków. Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse Year 1902 ( MCMII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title Year 1903 ( MCMIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting Lviv ( Ukrainian: Львів, L’viv, Lwów Lemberg Львов L'vov; see also other names) is a major city in western Poznań Lublin Voivodeship This article is about the city in Poland Kraków, in English also spelled Krakow or Cracow (ˈkrækaʊ M-W: krăk'ou krāk'ō is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland

On May 2, 1905, she gave a jubilee performance in New York City. Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. Year 1905 ( MCMV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting The City of New York Then she toured for two years and ended her acting career, afterward only appearing sporadically in support of charitable causes. The definition of charitable organization, and of charity varies according to the country and in some instances the region of the country in which the charitable organization operates

Modjeska died at Newport Beach, California on April 8, 1909, aged 68, from undisclosed causes. Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian Year 1909 ( MCMIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Her remains were sent to Kraków to be buried in the family plot at the Rakowicki Cemetery. Rakowicki Cemetery Cmentarz Rakowicki is one of the largest cemeteries in Kraków, Poland A book by her, Memories and Impressions of Helena Modjeska, appeared posthumously in 1910. A Polish translation ran that same year in the Kraków newspaper, Czas (Time). Kraków, in English also spelled Krakow or Cracow (ˈkrækaʊ M-W: krăk'ou krāk'ō is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland The last Polish edition of the book appeared in 1957.

Modrzejewska's son, Rudolf Modrzejewski (Ralph Modjeski), became famous as a designer of bridges. Benjamin Franklin Bridge from DUKWjpg|thumb| Benjamin Franklin Bridge]] Ralph Modjeski' (born Rudolf Modrzejewski) ( January 27 1861 - June A bridge is a Structure built to span a Gorge, Valley, Road, railroad track, River, Body of water

Legacies

Modjeska's home from 1888 to 1906, "Arden", is a registered National Historic Landmark. Modjeska House, also known as Arden, is a house designed by Stanford White in Modjeska California. A National Historic Landmark (NHL is a Building, site, Structure, Object, or District, that is officially recognized by the

Named for her are:

Roles

Modjeska in 1886 as Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots
Modjeska in 1886 as Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots

Modjeska's chief tragic roles were:

  • Ophelia, in Hamlet;
  • Juliet, in Romeo and Juliet;
  • Desdemona, in Othello; and
  • Queen Anne, in Richard III. William Shakespeare ( baptised Ophelia is a Fictional character in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Hamlet is a Tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601 Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the Desdemona is a fictional character in the tragedy Othello the Moor of Venice (1604 by William Shakespeare. Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591

Modrzejewska was also the Polish interpreter of the most prominent plays by Ernest Legouvé, Alexandre Dumas, père and fils, Émile Augier, Alfred de Musset, Octave Feuillet and Victorien Sardou. Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. Gabriel Jean Baptiste Ernest Wilfrid Legouvé ( 5 February 1807 - 14 March 1903) was a French Dramatist. Alexandre Dumas Fils (French for son similar to Junior in English ( July 27, 1824 &ndash November 27, 1895) was Guillaume Victor Émile Augier ( September 17, 1820 &ndash October 25, 1889) was a French Dramatist. Alfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay Along with his poetry he is known for writing La Confession d'un enfant du siècle ( The Confession of a Child of the Century Octave Feuillet ( August 11, 1821 – December 29, 1890) was a French Novelist and Dramatist. Victorien Sardou ( September 5, 1831 - November 8, 1908) was a French Dramatist.

Popular culture

Modjeska as Laodamia
Modjeska as Laodamia

Susan Sontag's 1999 novel, In America, won the National Book Award in 2000. In Greek mythology, Laodamia referred to two different women Laodamia was the mother of Sarpedon by Zeus, and a daughter of Bellerophon Susan Sontag ( January 16, 1933 – December 28, 2004) was an American Literary theorist, Philosopher, In America is a 1999 novel by Susan Sontag which won the National Book Award in 2000. The National Book Awards are among the most eminent literary prizes in the United States. Although fiction, it is based on Modrzejewska's life story, including her 1876 emigration to California, and her ascendance to American theatrical fame. Year 1876 ( MDCCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Sontag was accused of plagarizing passages of her book. Plagiarism is the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work [2]

References

External links

References

  1. ^ Inkersley, Arthur (February 1911). "Modjeska's Life in California". Overland Monthly LVII (2): 178-185.  
  2. ^ Carvajal, Doreen (May 27, 2002) "So Whose Words Are They? Susan Sontag Creates a Stir." New York Times Book Review.
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