person
Eleonora Duse
also: die Tragische, the tragic one
Eleonora Duse (1858--1924), the great Italian tragic actress whom Rilke revered; the unnamed 'tragic one' who, as a child in Verona, held roses before her like a mask, already foreseeing the reality of her own suffering.
Reading notes
- The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge §436 tragic one
The unnamed great tragedienne, traditionally identified with Eleonora Duse (1858--1924), whom Rilke revered; she stands stripped of form before an audience that feeds on her displayed pain.