La dame aux camélias and Eleonora Duse's fine de siècle repertoire on the English stage

This article discusses Eleonora Duse's interpretation as Marguerite Gautier in Dumas' La dame aux camélias, as part of her international repertoire and one of her most successful roles in her London season in the 1990s. Following the London theatre critics' reception of Duse in this role , the article argues that the Italian actress succeeded in discovering a new dimension for this well known role, challenging the traditional iconography of the"tart with a golden heart" and offering a nuanced, subtle and psichologically intense interpretation of this character.