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Merope Sahaki Kantarjian ( hy, Մերոպէ Սահակի Գանթարճեան), also known as Siranush, Siranuysh, or Siranoush ( hy, Սիրանոյշ) (born on May 25, 1857, in Constantinople and died on June 10, 1932, in Cairo) was an Ottoman Empire-born Armenian actress, one of the few whose work is tied to an entire era of theatrical history. The legend of Siranush has been living in the memories of the Armenian people for over a century. Her name went down in the history of Armenian theater as a norm and a height that was not reached. This remarkably talented actress was one of the few artists who helped Armenian arts reach world fame through her career.


Biography

Merope Sahaki Kantarjian is the birth name of Siranush. She was born on May 25, 1857, in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire. Siranush’s sister, the late Astghik (Amber Kantarjian), was also a talented actress and singer. She began to pursue her career in theater from the age of 16. Siranush started out as an actress and later an opera singer for the Armenian theater companies in her hometown. Her artistic career started in 1873, working in the theatres of Constantinople and for Petros Maghakyan's "Oriental Theater". After the Turkish sultan issued a decree banning Armenian plays in the Ottoman Empire in 1878, Siranush was forced to move. In 1897 she moved to
Transcaucasus The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Arme ...
and played in Tiflis, Yerevan,
Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
and other towns with her group. She also visited Russia, Balkans and Egypt. Among her best roles were: Ophelia and Hamlet, Desdemona, Lady Macbeth ( Shakespeare), Rouzan (
Muratsan Grigor Ter-Hovhannisian ( hy, Գրիգոր Տեր-Հովհաննիսյան; December 1, 1854 – September 12, 1908), better known as Muratsan ( hy, Մուրացան), was a prolific Armenian writer, known best for writing '' Gevorg Marzpetuni'' ( ...
's "Rouzan") and others. After the death of Armenian actor Petros Adamian in 1891, Siranush sparked interest among Armenian spectators towards theater again. Siranush played nearly 300 roles in the best plays of Armenian, Russian and European authors. Some of her best roles included Marguerite Gautier in "The Lady of the Camellias" by
Dumas fils Alexandre Dumas (; 27 July 1824 – 27 November 1895) was a French author and playwright, best known for the romantic novel ''La Dame aux Camélias'' (''The Lady of the Camellias''), published in 1848, which was adapted into Giuseppe Verdi's ...
, Medea in "Medea", Zeynab in "Betrayal" by Alexander Yuzhin (Sumbatashvili), Ophelia in " Hamlet" by Shakespeare, Teresa in "Sister Teresa" by , Johanna d’Arc in Schiller’s " Maid of Orleans", Kruchinina in "
Guilty Without Guilt ''Guilty Without Guilt'', (russian: Без вины виноватые, ''Bez viny vinovatye'') is a 1945 Soviet drama film directed by Vladimir Petrov. Plot The film tells about the famous actress Kruchinina, who goes on tour to a city about w ...
" by Ostrovski and others. Siranush was the first female actress in the world who played the role of Hamlet and was gifted with the exceptional power of personification. She not only played the role, but “lived” and “relived” and was almost like
Eleonora Duse Eleonora Giulia Amalia Duse ( , ; 3 October 185821 April 1924), often known simply as Duse, was an Italian actress, rated by many as the greatest of her time. She performed in many countries, notably in the plays of Gabriele d'Annunzio and Hen ...
, despite the fact that critics compared Siranush more with
Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 or 23 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including '' La Dame Aux Camel ...
. This always angered Siranush and on one occasion she wrote the following: “…Why does my small Armenian nation want to incorporate the persona of another actress in me for appreciation? Those who compare me with Sarah Bernhardt do not have the right to praise my hard work with that of another. Why was I supposed to be the Sarah Bernhardt of Armenians? After all, I showed all my sacrifice and feelings with love to my Armenian people as Mrs. Siranush.” She died on June 10, 1932, in Cairo at the age of 75, and was buried in the Armenian Cemetery alongside the tomb of the famous Armenian satirist,
Yervant Odian Yervant Odian ( hy, Երուանդ Օտեան or Երվանդ Օտյան; 19 September 1869 – 1926) was an Ottoman Armenian satirist, journalist and playwright. He is regarded as one of the most influential Armenian satirists, along with his ...
.


References


Further reading

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External links


Siranuysh in Great Soviet Encyclopedia
{{Authority control 1857 births 1932 deaths 20th-century actresses from the Ottoman Empire Ethnic Armenian actresses Armenians from the Ottoman Empire 19th-century Armenian people Stage actresses from the Ottoman Empire 19th-century actresses from the Ottoman Empire