Helena Modjeska Biography

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Through most of her American career, Modjeska directed her own

company. As his wife's personal manager, Karol Chlapowski accompained her

everywhere as she and her acting company traveled for nine months each year

by railroad, steamship, and horse and buggy. Modjeska appeared in eight

performances every week, not only in the great theaters of Boston and New

York, but also in the makeshift halls and so-called opera houses of rural America.

Although she never completely lost her Polish accent, Modjeska's became

America's most distinguished Shakespearean actress of the 1880's and 1890's.

Some theater critics, expecially in England, claimed that foreigners could not

correctly interpret Shakespeare. Toward the end of her life, the Polish actress

wrote:

"Whenever my pronunciation was found fault with, I could do nothing but

accept the criticism in all humility and endeavor to correct the deficiencies of my

tongue; yet I persisted without discouragement, and went on studying more and

more Shakespearean parts, conscious that their essential development consisted

of the psychological development of the characters, and confident that I

understoon them correctly and might reproduce them according to the author's

intentions."

Modjeska's acting partners included Maurice Barrymore, Otis Skinner, and

Edwin Booth who was regarded at the finest Shakespearean actor of his age.

She was venerated for her high artistic ideals and for her training of many young

actors who went on to form their own companies. Altogether, in Poland,

England, and the United States, Modjeska played a total of 256 dramatic roles.

English-language plays in which she appeared included Adrienne Lecouvreur,

Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Camille, Dalila, Peg Woofington, Frou-Frou, East

Lynne, Mary Stuart, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Juana, Odette, Cymbeline, A

Doll's House (Thora), Nadjezda, Prince Zillah, Donna Diana, Two Gentlement of

Verona. The Chouans, Daniela, Measure for Measure, Much Ado About Nothing,

Richelieu, Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice, The Tragic Mask, The Countess

Rondine, Henry VIII, Magda, Mistress Betty, Antony and Cleopatra, Marie

Antoinette, The Ladies Battle, and King John.

 

 

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