Файл: «Was Julia happy in marriage? How did her relationships with Michael change in course of time?».pdf
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The first thing that needs to be said is the life with actors or actresses show on the stage is temporary and it is sometimes tragic and sometimes happy and immediately after the end of their performances on the stage they come out from the impacts of artificial emotions. But when they play their roles as real human beings, the intensity of various emotions that are determined by original circumstances, is very deeper and effective. As you have already known these are the points which are primarily concerned with the theme of the novel "Theatre" and their presentation in the novel is done by Maugham’s typical woman
character Julia Lambert.
Firstly, Julia’s personal life is not open like her performances on the stage before her viewers. That's why the novelist very minutely examines all such hidden points and searches the truth of the life of a typical actress out of the stage.
She has married with Michael, who is also in same profession and she has a son called Roger. Actress Julia appears on the stage with many faces according to the demand of situation in the scene, but on the one hand, Julia in her real life especially in respect of her relations with men appears mainly with two faces, Julia as a wife and on the other hand, Julia as a passionate lover, and among them too, her role as a lover is more interesting. I should mention that Julia the lover is more complicated than that of Julia, the wife.
Obviously, Julia the wife is unfaithful, unromantic to her husband Michael, who has lost excitement and enthusiasm in conjugal relations that Julia always expected eagerly before their marriage. She applies her acting skills so brilliantly to conceal her treachery and unlawful relations with men that her husband never suspects on her and remains ignorant from the dark truth of his matrimony. Clearly, the bitter truth of her unlawful relations with men is hidden behind the artificiality of her expressions.
He was the most handsome in her pleasure seeking estimation of men. Moreover, Michael’s physical charm is the only factor that infatuated and promoted her eagerness to marry him.
All such complexities of her behavior specify Julia Lambert among Maugham’s typical women characters.
Absolutely, Michael is an extraordinarily good looking and gentle person but it never made him egotistic he frequently receives love proposals from young girls before the marriage and it made Julia envious. He belongs to a reputed family and has grand ancestral heritage unlike that of Julia. This is only Michael’s guidance and hard labour that trim Julia’s acting talent up to the level of perfection and places her as the greatest actress of London. In addition to it flattery never affects Michael though is often praised by people for his charming appearance. His following remark on marriage once disappointed Julia, for she essentially wanted to marry this handsome man.
On the whole, Julia was attracted by his beauty when she fell in love with Michael from the first sight. Moreover, she was pregnant when she realized it. When a woman expects a baby everything changes in thei life. The quiestion about love could change too. Their occasion isn't an exception. As her passion went out, Julia started to notice defects in her husband’s appearance: He wasn’t so beautiful as earlier; he no longer smelt like a youth, he smelt like a man. Michael grew old that's why Julia fell out of love with him.
Generally, for a short period, a moment of separation from her husband is intolerable to Julia but just after the birth of Roger her eagerness to have her husband's permanent companionship vanishes absolutely and her soul demands freedom from her husband who is sexually cold. She does not find Michael passionate and enthusiastic in sexual relations.
Julia’s firm determination before her marriage to kill herself if anything wrong happens to Michael during the war, (when he was involved in it as a soldier) is again merely a part of her affection to Michael’s beauty. Michael’s outer appearance is so attractive that even after some years of his marriage a wealthy widow called Dolly de Vries takes fancy on him. After the marriage Michael and Julia lead steady success in their profession and to Michael her domestic relations are extraordinarily harmonious. Julia is always a fair and most talented woman to Michael. Julia as a wife reveals quite distinguished side of Maugham’s woman characters.
To sum up, Julia’s philosophy of life is that “the bitterness of life is not death; the bitterness of life is that love dies”. And she does not want the death of love and the only way to be loved by men forever, is to be young and attractive.
I suppose that love is extremly important for successful family life, because only in such a way, I beleive, there are mutual support and understanding within the members of the family. Moreover, love in the family gives an opportunity to children to grow as individuals.