is intention of dealing with fact in the manner of a novelist, and
regardless of the sweetness of Dante. To him, _Concordia_ is fourteen,
since he considers 1289 as the date of the tragedy, and, with his
details from Boccaccio's commentary, he has coarsened _Francesca_,
making her bitterness full of the spleen that could only accompany
maturity. A striking point is to be noted in the strong vein of
Catholicism that colours many of the speeches.

_Paolo's_ wife, _Orabile_, moves through the D'Annunzio play with
only slight mention--to show the husband's avoidance of her--to draw
attention to her deep-rooted aversion to _Francesca_. Mr. Crawford
also brings her on the scene, and has _Paolo_ the cause of her death,
wittingly distorting history, since _Orabile_ died many years after
the murder of her husband.

The only American drama on the subject is that by Boker; it is a
peculiarly contradictory piece of work, since, from the standpoint
of the stage, it is essentially and effectively dramatic, while as
literature it is imitative of the Elizabethan style. Boker's
poetic imagery is distinctly borrowed, and his choice of words
disappointingly colloquial. Yet, over and above the mere story, he
has succeeded in portraying a strong character in his _Pepe_. The
historical setting of the play is slight, yet sufficient to localize
the piece, and his _dramatis personae_ are faithfully distinct in
outline, though at times devoid of consuming passion.

Phillips as a dramatist has the fault of being diffuse; Boker's style
is prosaically plain. Were it not for over-elaboration, D'Annunzio's
play might supplant all others because of its spirit. Could we take
from Phillips his simplicity, from D'Annunzio his Italian intensity,
and from Boker his proportion, and could we add these to Crawford's
realization of situation, toned away from his melodramatic tendencies,
an ideal drama on "Francesca da Rimini" might be constructed.

But the revitalizing power that was given Shakespeare, has been
bequeathed to none who have followed Dante. The one beauty of the
Francesca story is the simple element that permeates the dark
motive. The genius required to deal with it lies in this: to make one
conscious of the tragedy in a touch that recalls the beauty of spring.

It is strange that no other poet than Dante has succeeded in catching
this beauty. No poet, writing directly on the theme, has the subtle
feeling which may be compared with that of t