Bernhardt’s Many Roles

Sarah Bernhardt is remembered for many of the roles she played. Some are memorialized by Alphonse Mucha’s Art Nouveau posters. For some, like L’Aiglon, she was not only showered with praise but also recognized when souvenir sets of buttons were minted and sold to celebrate her dramatic prowess.

Bernhardt played two roles time and again because they were in such demand. For her audiences, La Dame Aux Camelias was the favorite. She played Marguerite, a courtesan who rejects her lover to satisfy his father’s request – and subsequently dies of consumption, breathing her last in her lover’s arms. The critics, on the other hand, favored Phèdre, where Bernhardt plays the role of a woman who lusts after her stepson.

A list of performances Bernhardt starred in has recently been updated by John Mucci and confirms a very large repertoire with 172 stages roles and 11 movie parts.