November 27, 1940

Lecturing on “Shakespeare’s Treatment of Passion,” William Allan Neilson, President Emeritus of Smith College, pointed out that passion figured only in the three tragedies bearing the names of the lovers, and then secondarily. In the case of Romeo and Juliet, reported The Miscellany News, Neilson claimed “the beginning and end of the story is a family feud, a socio-political situation into which two young people intrude themselves, falling in love at great risk…. In contrast to the little family feud in Verona, Antony and Cleopatra is the story of a great conflict on an international scale. Structurally the play is a story of how defiance against the Roman Empire is impossible. Love is the force of disintegration in the life of Antony.” Suggesting a similar pattern in Troilus and Cressida, President Neilson then “read several of the famous passages from the two plays, one of the most charming parts of the evening’s program. He received tremendous ovations from the large audience.” The Miscellany News