I have been told that Patrick Stewart has died.
What a horrible thing.
Although he lived a long life, I feel like a void has opened up within me. His role in Star Trek: The Next Generation was always imbued with great optimism. His character exuded the stuffy British masteries of travel and exploration, only without the horrific trappings of colonialism and imperialism mixed in. He was nuanced and charitable. But that was only the substance of Jean Luc Picard, what the writers set before Stewart to play. The man himself, I wish I had known him.
His association with Shakespeare was another touchstone for me. In college, I spent a lot of time reading Shakespeare's plays and was shown several videos of Stewart dominating the stage with his signature charisma and magnetism. There was one video however where he demonstrated the variation of performances possible with Shylock, the villain portrayed in The Merchant of Venice. And that has stuck with me all these years. (Thank God for YouTube…)
His interpretation of the character, I think, highlights his talent in finding unique ways to express the emotions and intentions of a character long familiar to us, one especially dogged by antisemitic stereotypes. Furthermore, Stewart’s portrayal evinces a far more troubled Shylock, one that shows a man in pain, using humor as an insulation from the ostracization he experiences in his own life. In Stewart's mind, Shylock can still be a villain and a victim all at once. It's this nuance and complexity that made Stewart such a triumph of theater and cinema. I don't know if there ever will be one like him again.
And, for that, I mourn.
Photograph by Ryan Pfluger / The New York Times / Redux
