- The Governor General of Canada
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Alexander Robertson Webster
Toronto, Ontario
Grant of Arms
July 12, 1995
Vol. III, p. 30
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Blazon
Arms
Per fess dovetailed Sable and Or in chief two maple leaves also Or and in base two bars Sable;
Crest
Issuant between two thistle leaves conjoined at the stalks a beaver's dexter foreleg Or holding a mirror Sable glassed Or;
Motto
REFLECT;
Symbolism
Arms
The maple leaves represent Mr. Webster’s artistic achievements as an actor and his accomplishments and dedication towards the development of Canada’s theatrical community. The dovetail and bars suggest the footlights and floorboards of the theatrical stage which are at the heart of Mr. Webster’s professional work.
Crest
The beaver’s arm grasping a mirror combines elements taken from the arms of the Shaw Festival where Mr. Webster’s work is renowned and has left a lasting mark. The arm and mirror also combine to relate to his love for what he believes is the Canadian experience of art reflecting nature back to itself. In Hamlet, Shakespeare wrote: “…the purpose of playing, whose end, both at the first and now, was and is, to hold, as ’twere, the mirror up to nature…to show…the very age and body of the time his form and pressure.” (Act III, scene ii). The thistle leaves refer to his Scottish lowland father and highland uncle who influenced him greatly in Mr. Webster’s life.
Motto
REFLECT, relates to the mirror in the crest and answers the motto “Behold” in the arms of the Shaw Festival Foundation.