Dorothea+Jordan

Maham Fatima November 3rd, 2016 Professor Rosenthal Research Paper

I ntroduction: Dorothea Jordan’s Early Life and Stage Debut

Unearthing the mystery that is Dorothea Jordan leads readers through obscure articles written deep into the 1700s and early 1800s. While meandering through the few articles published about the late actress, we learn that she was one of the greatest stage actresses of her time. Jordan was born in 1766 in Ireland along with 8 other siblings. Her father, Captain Bland, was an Irish officer who later became an actor to support his growing family. Making her debut at the age of sixteen in Dublin, Ireland, Dorothea began acting at a very young age. Her mother was also a stage actress under the name Miss G. Phillips. Although Dorothea’s parents had initially fallen in love and eloped, the marriage did not last long despite the couple’s initial affair. The Dramatic Magazine states that Dorothea “…made her debut at Dublin, as Phoebe, in the comedy of As You Like it… but fearful of offending her father’s relatives, for whose favors she still hoped, she assumed the name of Miss Francis.” Dorothea was an incredibly dynamic actress for her age and time, as written in the Weekly Entertainer in 1816, “…The manager asking her in which line she wished to engage, she immediately answered with that fascinating frankness and vivacity so peculiar to her, “all!”” In every article and biography that describes, Dorothea, readers learn of her magnetic and charming personality that helped bring so many of her characters to life. And as more pieces of her life come together to form the big picture, we learn that she dealt with much of the same comedy and tragedy offstage she often portrayed onstage. Dorothea Jordan - A Personality Larger Than Life

Many audiences who watched plays that Dorothea starred in were left amazed at her acting abilities. They found her versatility and passion for stage acting catapulting her farther into a successful career. In a piece written in 1850 for Biographical Sketches of Remarkable Women, we learn that she was “Youthful, joyous, animated and droll.” The writer, Sir Jonah Barrington, watched her at a play in the Dublin Theatre. He describes her by saying “It is worthy of observation, that her early appearances in Dublin were not in any of those characters (save one) wherein she afterwards so eminently excelled; but such as being more girlish were better suited to her spirits and her age. I was then, of course, less competent than now to exercise the critical art, yet could not but observe, that in these parts she was perfect, even on her first appearance; she had no art, in fact, to study: nature was her sole instructress.” Barrington goes on to say, “her laugh bubbled up from her heart and her tears welled our ingeniously from the deep spring of feeling… Her expressive features and eloquent action at all periods harmonized blandly with each other, not by artifice, however skillful, but by intellectual sympathy; and when her figure was adapted to the part she assumed, she had only to speak the words of an author to become the very person he delineated.” It becomes clear that Dorothea had a talent for lighting up the stage in an effortless manner. Critics describe her figure, her voice, her eyes, every physical part of her as being able to move emotion. This would not be the last glowing review she would receive from those who watched her, as she is said to be “…the favorite actress of comedy of both the public and the critics.” Love & Tragedy, A Look at Jordan’s Life

As Dorothea’s career grew, she moved to York from Dublin to further pursue her talents. Along the way, she became acquainted with Mr. Richard Ford, son of Sir Ford, chief magistrate of Bow-street. Although Jordan’s role in plays like The Country Wife pushed the idea of honour deep into society, Jordan’s own actions offstage would have been considered quite dishonorable, as she had several children with Mr. Ford out of wedlock. Mr. Ford was a lawyer who also took interest in acting, but was quite different from Dorothea and her bubbly personality. Jordan cared for the couple’s three children by herself, and sources state, “Ford himself was wholly maintained by Dora Jordan, he being but a very indifferent actor, managers were unwilling to engage him. As for his feeling of affection towards a woman who appears to have loved him sincerely, his subsequent conduct proved him to be a person totally devoid not only of kindly sentiments, but utterly lost to every sentiment of self-respect.” Ford’s lack of appreciation for Dorothea may have been one that he was alone in, as those who watched her perform could not get enough of her. She was sensational, described as having a voice that “...was clear and distinct, modulating itself with natural and winning ease; and when exerted in song, its gentle flute-like melody formed the most captivating contrast to the convulsed and thundering bravura.” One person who took particular interest in Jordan was the Duke of Clarence who became infatuated and mesmerized by Jordan. He made advances that are described as being “impossible of being misunderstood.” It is recorded that Dorothea initially resisted, remembering the father of her children and being “unwilling to desert them.” She decided that she would confront Mr. Ford and ask him to get married. Mr. Ford is noted as refusing her offer because he noticed the affair between the Duke of Clarence and Dorothea. Mr. Ford instead defamed her and this lead to Dorothea often abandoning her roles onstage at the last minute. It is stated that many audience members became very angry with her because of her last minute disappearances. They began to hate the Duke of Clarence as well “for not withdrawing his mistress entirely from the public stage.” It is then that Dorothea herself published a letter to the editor in the Herald saying, “A variety of paragraphs having lately appeared in the newspapers, tending to convey an insinuation that I have declined performing again at Drury-lane theatre, until I am announced in a manner different from what I have been; I beg the favor of you to insert this letter, as a positive denial of such charge, and of the supposed circumstances on which it is founded – a long continuance of severe illness has alone been the cause of my absenting myself from my duty to the proprietors and the public.” Jordan’s absence from the stage was difficult for her audiences as she played regularly at Drury Lane from 1785-1800 in TheCountry Girl. Mary Tickell, sister in law of Richard Sheridan who owned Drury Lane Theatre is quotes as saying that “Jordan has more henuis in her little finger than Miss Brunton in her whole body…” Upon seeing Jordan play Imogen in Cymbeline and Priscilla Tomboy in The Romp, she states that Dorothea is “the best comedian on either stage, or that I ever saw.” Jordan’s diverse roles and ability to play any character made her all the more likeable by those who watched her. A Feminist Before Her Time Jordan’s life should not be examined simply for her acting, but for the conditions under which she acted. Throughout her life, she bore 14 children in total, all out of wedlock during a time in which many, if not all European women were pressured into suppressing their sexuality. Dorothea is stated as often performing while pregnant. PhD Candidate Chelsea Phillips states, “In her career she primarily played sprightly virgins, cross-dressing heroines, the rakish dissolute Sir Harry Wildair, and the hopelessly spoiled boy hero Little Pickle, all while visibly and frequently pregnant. Despite this, her audience rarely found pregnancy to have a negative impact on their perception of the fictional role; by this I mean that audience members did not complain when a pregnant Mrs. Jordan played a virginal heroine, or when Little Pickle became a rather more than usually chubby child. Jordan’s maternity, however, featured greatly in moments of crisis as a means of legitimating her status as a theatrical professional and defending her conduct in private life.” Jordan had the quality of allowing her body and condition to disappear when onstage playing the various roles she brought to life, a quality not many actors or actresses could boast of. English writer Charles Lamb is noted for saying, “...Her childlike spirit shook off the load of years from her spectators; she seemed one whom care could not come near; a privileged being sent to teach mankind what he most wants—joyousness.” Jordan was at times celebrated and commended for performing while pregnant despite being so out of wedlock. Her dedication to the stage brought audiences to understand just how much she truly loved performing. As Chelsea Phillips notes in her essay, “One reviewer wrote, “Mrs. JORDAN performed Nell with her accustomed excellence and was encored in some songs. Her appearance on the stage in her situation is a strong proof of her wishes to please the Public. The audience felt this; and they were equally filled with admiration, gratitude, and pity” (Morning Post and Fashionable World, November 24, 1796). Instead of her body becoming a site for humor and double entendre as in 1791, her pregnant body inspired pathos and admiration.” (Phillips) Dorothea Jordan was an actress well ahead of her time. Her unusual life made for an act unlike any other, one that lives on through the bits and pieces we know of her life. Her work as an actress has left a permanent impression on the world and continues to be an important part of literary history. She stood out because of her unique circumstances and her ability to overcome them without letting audiences lose sight of her talent.

Works Cited

1) ALPHA. "BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF REMARKABLE WOMEN." Reynold's miscellany of romance, general literature, science, and art, vol. 3, no. 78, 1850., pp. 375-376http://search.proquest.com/docview/2885528?accountid=14696.

2) "Anecdotes and Character of the Late Mrs. Jordan." The Weekly entertainer : or, Agreeable and instructive repository, Jan.6, 1783-Dec.27, 1819, vol. 56, 1816., pp. 906-908http://search.proquest.com/docview/4127645?accountid=14696.

3) Burwick, Frederick, Nancy Moore Goslee, and Diane Long. Hoeveler. The Encyclopedia of Romantic Literature. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. Print.

4) Dent, William. The Flattering Glass, or Nell’s Mistake. London: October 28, 1791. British Museum online collection. Web.

5) Fothergill, Brian. Mrs. Jordan: Portrait of an Actress. London: Faber and Faber, 1965. Print.

6) "MEMOIR OF MRS. JORDAN." Dramatic magazine, 1829-1831, vol. 2, 1830., pp. 232http://search.proquest.com/docview/6669945?accountid=14696.

7) Morning Herald (London, England), Wednesday, February 6, 1788; Issue 2275. 17th-18th Century Burney Collection Newspapers.

8) Morning Post and Daily Advertiser. London: October 15, 1791. Issue 5765. Burney Collection of 17th-18th Century Newspapers. Access provided by OSU Libraries. Web.

9) Morning Post and Fashionable World. London: November 24, 1796. Issue 7707. Burney Collection of 17th-18th Century Newspapers. Access provided by OSU Libraries. Web.

10) Phillips, Chelsea. "Thalia’s Sweetest Child: Dora Jordan and the Performance of Maternity." (n.d.) Web.

Note: Any work improperly cited is not intentional, I pledge that I have not knowingly plagiarized or stolen anyone else’s work. All writers quoted should be listed above.