RACHEL, ra'sheli, MLLE. (1821-58). A cele brated French tragic actress, whose real name was Elisabeth Rachel-Felix. She was born of Jewish parents at an inn in the Swiss village of 3Iumpf. Her father was a peddler. The family settled for a time at Lyons. where she and her elder sister Sarah used to sing in the streets and cafes. In 1830 they came to Paris. There her singing attracted the attention of Choron, an eminent teacher of music, and he took her as a pupil. Her voice after all proved not very prom ising, but her dramatic gifts were evident, and she began studying under Saint-Aulaire, the actor. Later she was a pupil in the Conserva toire. In 1S37 she secured a position at the Gymnase and made a debut which excited no great attention. A few critics, however, per ceived her genius, among them Jules Janin, and Mlle. Mars (q.v.) likewise foresaw her future greatness. On June 12. 18:3S, she made her ap pearance upon the stage Of the Comedic Fran oise. as Camille in Corneille's tragedy of Horace. In this role and in a series of other impersona tions from the classic repertory she achieved great success, and popular admiration of her perform ances grew to such enthusiasm that for years she was without a rival in the great tragic roles of Corneille. Racine, and Voltaire. It was in Racine's Phidre that the zenith of her artistic career was reached (1843). Another of her tri umphs was in Adrienne Lccourreur, which was written for her by Scribe and Le_roure. but in other modern roles she was less fortunate. Her
relations with her colleagues at the Theatre Fran cais were by no means always pleasant. Her caprices were without number. In her tours abroad she met with great success, especially in England in 1841 and later, and in Russia in 1852. Her health and popularity in Paris were both failing when in 1855. the year of Adelaide P,istori's first Parisian appearance. Rachel un dertook a tour to America with her brother Raphael as manager. She was warmly greeted. though the returns were disappointing. a ml she soon went back to France in utter physical pros tration. A visit to Egypt failed to restore her. and she died of consumption at near Tou lon, January 3. 1858.
Of the details of her private life, which was not exemplary, little need he said. She was constant to her family and helped her sisters who went upon the stage. As an artist, within the limits prescribed by her genius, she was perhaps never equaled. "She does not act—she suffers," one said of her. Her Pliedre was a portrayal of human agony never to be forgotten.
Matthew Arnold's three sonnets upon her are well known. Consult the Memoirs of Rachel, by Madame de B- (Eng. trans., New York, 1858), which are not, however, altogether re liable; Janin, Rachel et la tragedie(Paris, 1858) ; Rachel d'avres sa. correspondance ( Paris, 1882) ; Kennard, Rachel (Boston, 1888) ; De Alirceourt, "Rachel," in Lcs contemporains (Paris, 1854).