Shakespeare References in Glorious Morning

Glorious Morning, a novel by Julie Ellis, contains several Shakespeare references. The first is to King Lear. Ellis writes: “‘But last August Jacob Adler came for two weeks at the Pavilion. I saw him twice,’ Olga said in triumph. ‘In Uriel Acosta and The Jewish King Lear’” (p. 67). Then Antony And Cleopatra is mentioned (well, sort of): “’Wear the pink silk frock tonight. We’re going to see Herbert Tree and Constance Collier in Anthony and Cleopatra’” (p. 70). Yes, it says “Anthony.” Then there are a couple of references to Shakespeare himself. Ellis writes, “Max dreamed instead of Yiddish translations of Shakespeare and Ibsen” (p. 99). And: “’I spent all my time reading plays I took out of the school library. Shakespeare, Ibsen, Shaw’” (p. 110). The next three references are to The Merchant Of Venice: “‘I wish I had been in New York when Adler played Shylock. People from uptown came down in droves to see him. Two years later he played Shylock on Broadway” (p. 119). And: “Adler played Shylock in Yiddish; the rest of the company played in English” (p. 120). And: “Jacob Adler was satisfied to do just Shylock uptown” (p. 122). That is followed by a reference to King Lear: “Thinking of parts that Rissa could play as soon as her accent disappeared. Cordelia in King Lear, Anya in The Cherry Orchard, Nora in Riders to the Sea” (p. 123). Julia Ellis also mentions Romeo And Juliet: “For five cents audiences could see anything from slapstick to Shakespeare. On Avenue B next month they would see Romeo and Juliet and Rip Van Winkle with Joseph Jefferson” (p. 181). There are two more references to Shakespeare. Ellis writes, “While Shirley read the latest Rinehart, Rissa pored over Strindberg, Shaw and Shakespeare” (p. 296). And: “The great Yiddish actors castrate Ibsen, Strindberg, Tolstoy. Even Dumas and Shakespeare” (p. 411).

Glorious Morning was published in 1982.