What did Stanislavsky see watching Eleonora Duse's Acting

Abstract

Performances like those Eleonora Duse’s led James Joyce to comment that the Italians had an immense genius for the theatre. He said that on stage, they were undoubtedly the greatest actors in existence. What is more, Stanislavsky was so inspired by Eleonora Duse’s acting that he formed his system, with the aim of matching her absorbing and exquisitely sympathetic acting. In particular, Stanislavsky was profoundly attracted by the simplicity of her acting. But it did not emerge from a natural status or attitude, as many have believed. As we now know that it came from the perfect execution of the drammatica.