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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 6, 1908)
" ' 1 "; . ; ' " ' 1 y ... ,:;, '' . ' ;' ' - ' 111 - " 1 1 v1 r . - - - ' 1 1 1 1 ' 1 1 " 1 : " " -" ". " r '; - - ' , -- , , v .Vwliwiii ii m in n w mi ij i . .i "" " " ' "" ' ' ' " y 1 " 11 'Hi-Jj-jjim uu win mi ' - ... f ...Ir: . ;;r;v Cfiti A Sf(vi-;Qi: :v'- " " i 3 "j 5 f f " ; Ii A . ' ' , jsV-Sh-- r.tJ Mill hi '-,?-- . - i - I : : ..t. int.;-'. IN lfv : : . ' ,; .MlWlr 7 '-' ' ' nn'tii'mnnnr' ., . l.M.I.IMI .1 t u' . Conceptions of Embodied Evil in Drama, Literature, Art and Poetry ONE can scarcely have filled to notice, of recent years, the remarkable pop ularity of the dev.l. Of course, the evil one has figured in "Faust" and other masterpieces of the stage for years, and, as such, has become a fairly familiar character. But recently . his satanic majesty has broken out in litera ture and drama more prominently than ever. . Plays based upon his supposed per sonality and depicting his genius for evil as exerted in a human way are -till the rage; novelists are turning their attention to him as a picturesque and striking acces sory of dramatic literature in other words, the prince of darkness is enjoying a most remarkable vogue. For that matter, the story of his pre sentation to the human imagination in the past as zvcll as nozv pictures drawn of him by literary, dramatic and artistic genius forms a most interesting study of the em bodiment of the spirit of evil. "You have the TJovil underrated. 1 carirot yet persuaded be! A feilow who is all behated Must something be." Goethe. LUCIFER lias undergone remarkable trans formation at the hands of poets and writers; the, notable Evil One of 3Jil tftn'e "X'aradise Lost" has become a prince of the world, a favorite of cociety in ne popular novel, while in the modern play of iMolnar, about which there has been waged a theatrical war, be" is represented' as the embodi ment of the "spirit which maketh for, unright eousness," a ' sort of philosophical conception, aptly designated when he places -his finger on the forehead of 's charming woman and mut ters, "I am there." The arch enemy of mankind has been a popular lipre. in 'poetry and the drama, in .opera and art. He appears iu Goethe's "Faust" as a most iiifcidious and subtle seducer to ruin anvj evil ; in Dante s "Inferno" j ho looiWS u- pendoufly In hell, a creature of liprror, at whosi. Jiren thing etorms fahake the worJds- In the ojd medieval hu'raelc plnys lie de lighted and thrilled audiences, lie was pre ented to thc-ni as a creature with hoofed feet, i .mil and hwriisi. ; k- wss v. ick(-dne.ss mid u'li- -.ill m'Moiii'nnL . 3n , more modern plays and 1 W v I V ' : . ' ' 4 ' J THE OREGON SUNDAY ' , ' .". '.' . . r 1 -. I iff ?V ft -a&Y? Loouo, however, he becomes the polished gen tleman, a wit, a person of irresistible lascmu tion and charm. He is an epigrammatist, a philosopher, a lover if need be a very fine devil of a fellow. Hut wherever he has appeared he has -unfortunately, perhaps been very popular. Whether it was in a miracle play or in a novel, he has proven a big popular hit; whether it i a -Mepluslophclcs in "I'aiist,'' or the philo sophicnl devil of the Austrian playwright, ho teems certain to win. REGARDED AS I'ntil comparatively m&k-rn time -his Sa tanic majesty wits regarded as a personal, walk-ing-around-on-two-loffs evil. He was an individ ual spirit, ruler of the world of darkness; a Pluto to the Ilomans, an Ahriman tj the Ter tians and a fire-breathing Satan to the people of the Middle Ages, when he was wont, to tempt poor nionks in their cells, visit astrologers and alcheit)i.liI and lead them to destruction in the late hours of the night, and go around seeking whomsoever he might lead to wnvs : pleasure and temptation. Hut in the modern play he is men ly sym bolic a representation of the principles" of wrongdoing. In "The DeTil," by jlolnar, h represents the evil side of man's nature, lb moves among normal nd healthy pci.plc, fa-oi-llates them by his wit, tempts them merely l.y subtle suggestions. ; lie .is elever. He is insidious and artful. IJe getsvpeopIe agreeing with him and lp; them on; talking brilliant nothings, intersperv ijnr eiwnments on failing to pluck the fruits of pleasure ajitT wheedling and cozening them into wrongdoing. He is cynical a man with an infinite kmiwledfiP if the- world, who- rauhll.v . remarks that "The best wives urcotluT 1110115 wives' " . " , , , . - fc mnrf--v.vi:,. v;:, i I. J .. I'll - - j :,&vf4' -v . 1 - 1 II y Wis V: '--"7- , T?J I- v. fei?r . - JOURNAL PORTLAND, SUNDAY MORNING, DECEMBER ' 6. 190.5 i In "Faust" he appears as " a ptiilosophef , too; a poet, with a sense of beauty; a -man of learning, abstruse, keen. Ho describes himself thus: ' . .' -. .. I am- the spirit that deniesl Anil Justly so; for all thing, from -the void .... 'ailed , forth tlewrven Ift-Uf lett4yed., 'Twt hettei: then., were :nausJ)t rreatfd. . Tiiun, mil 'which yoii a sin have ratutf let ruction auKht with evil blent 4 " That is mri"prtijier elemertK -. A . . . Dante, whos "Divine ' Comedy"' ranks among the masterpieces of the world, finds in 6 IV., ft. jT.i" vr . . If IU- J , ' i V 1 141 8 1'' f If?- YVS2? : -:rjl? f4 If. , - ; 11 A PERSON I I4,5r VA . Vil I If I I ' Mt ' I , I ' W-fM - I X III , r vtel Ik m 12 Ai' v """Ve I B ; -If (JS5 fW av 1 Hi J' VZ I ''' the arch fiend a being of appalling terror, lie. describes him thus: Oh, what a-Ightt . How passing- strange It seemed when I did sjy Upon-his .head three faces: one In front. Of hue vermilion, the other two were this . , Mid way each - other . shoulder joined . and at . -. the crest; .. . ... , . The right 'twlatt wan and yellow geemed; the ' left-.- . - -' . - ' '. . . To look onk such as come from whence old Nllfl . Stoops to the lowlands. Under each shot forth Two" mighty wtngs,: enormous as became'' A bird mi vast. No plnme-s had thiv, , -i Hut wore In texture like a bat. and thee . . i )te flapped in the air that from him tnued still Three wirtda wherewltJTCocytus to its depth 3 J llll J ! 'MWW .11 .ii.l. ..."(.."'. I.J. I M..T.. 11 ill Was frozen. At six eves he wept: the tears Adown three chins distilled with bloody foam. At every mouth his teetha sinner champed. Bruised as with ponderous engine; so that three Were in this guise tormented. s Milton's conception of Satan is regarded ns one of the most splendid. In this great epic, Milton depicted the fall of the great angel from heaven and the fall , of man. Ilia description of the mighty spirit ranks among the most powerful written: Is this the region, this the soil, the clime, Paid then the lost archangel, this the seat That we muft change for Heaven; thta mournful gloom For that celestial light? Be It so! since h Who now is sovereign can dispose and bid What shall be right: fartherest from him la best. Whom reason hath equaled, force hath made) supreme Above his equals! Farewell, happy fields, Where Joy forever dwells. Hail horrors! Hall Infernal world! And thou profoundest hell. Rejoice thy new possessor! one who brings A mind not to be changed by place or time. The 'mind is Its own place, and in Itself Can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven. In a recent popular' novel the evil on appears as a prince of a little-known princi pality who visits London, where he makes the acquaintance of a young writer who has just inherited five million pounds. The motive of the 6tory is based on an old belief that Satan, with other lost angels, will finally be saved. In it the description of the evjl one is striking: t "As I looked straightly at him I thought I had never seen so much beauty and intellect uality combined in the outward personality of any human bt'ing. The finely-shaped head de noted both power and wisdom, and was nobly poised on such shoulders as lmght have befitted a Hercules; the countenance was a pure oval, and singularly pale, this complexion intensify ing the almost fiery brilliancy of tho full dark eyes, which had in them a curious and wonder fully attractive look of mingled mirth anil misery.-' ' . MOUTH THE TELLING FEATURE "The mouth was perhaps ' the most telling feature in this remarkable ' face. Set in the perfect curve of beauty, it was yet firm, deter mined, and not too sjpall,' thus escaping effem inacyand I noted that in repose it expressed bitterness, disdain and even cruelty. But with the" light of-a smile upon it, it signified, or seemed , to signify, something more subtle than any passion to which we. can give a name, and already, with the rapidity of a lightning flash, I caught myself wondering what that mystic undeclared something might bo." Prince Lucio tempts, but he rejoices when , men resist his temptation, for that increases his hope of salvation. The choice falls to Geof frey Tempest and he rejects Satan, when Lucio is grafted a brief glimpse of heaven. During the Middle Ages tho devil was .treated with fear and awe. But he began to lce his terrible personality- and was often treated humorously. Dionysius Kline, in 1622, published a humorous work on Satan. In one of his powerful political satires Victor ,llugp presents hira as playing with the Lord for human souls. In one of his 'poems Heine do scribes him in these words: He Is not ugly, he is not lame, He is a delightful, charming man; A man In the prime of life, in faet. Courteous, engaging , and full of tact. George Arliss, who appears in Molnar't play, and who has been highly commended" for his impersonation of the evil one, 6ays of tht character: - ; ''The devil pictured as a human being can be as varied -its his aspect, his methods, his al lurements, as is 1 the temptation of sin. ? The author of this play has pictured him as cynical and insinuating because these attributes were liable to be most useful in the circle in which wo -find him. "' . - ' "The devil must have' charm," he concludes, "and he must compel' admiration in a normal, human way byvn&tur aTCmean8,ft Emphasize his traditional supernatural trai's and you at once , sacrifice the most-valuable means of producing t the diabolic illusion in a straight iip'fbs-dato Bociety comedy." '"' Vv-
