| Show ABSURD DEATHS nature violated instead ol 01 shown a A french dramatic critic with some show of medical knowledge represents that nearly all actors and actresses outrageously violate nature in their imitations of death says the baltimore gazette he cites in corroboration of his charge the customary theatrical death of camille in the younger dumas favorite emotional play of that title according to the author his heroine is affected with pulmonary con and an incidental attack of hemorrhage of the lungs extinguishes her life there is absolutely nothing dramatic to be made out of this mode of dying if fidelity to fact be obeyed the gashing of a stream of blood from the mouth would be realistic but the imitation of such a phenomenon is never made by actors male or female nor would any discreet manager tol crae such a piece of stage business again the overwhelming suffocation walh produces the rapid death in camilles case is never accompanied by convulsions such as her dying representatives senta tives on the stage almost always assume in natural death from aliis cause the sufferer simply collapses from failure of the vital powers poisoning scenes are also usually untrue to nature it is popularly believed that when a fatal dose of laudanum or is swallowed the victim immediately sinks into a deathlike sleep as is commonly seen on the stage whereas the first effect of this poison taken in like quantity is invariably to excite and enliven is the mode of dying after the hackneyed cardiac stage stab in conformity w etli the laws of nature the actor simply falls at full length or in a heap whereas the everyday member of society gives a spring when the heart is struck before entering eternity by this unhappy gate even the modern othello has not inherited enough of shakespeare s wonderful fidelity to truth to die naturally after a stab through the heart |
