SHAKESPEARE.

Hokitika Guardian, 27 April 1923, Page 4

SHAKESPEARE.

(To the Editor). Sir—Your fine! article “The Shakesporonn Controversy,” in the “Guardian” I read with much profit. Without more ado, let us hear what our great men have said about hi* writings:— First. Macaulay: “In the plays of Shakespeare man appears as he is in title up of a crowd of passions which contend for the mastery over him. and govern him in turn.'’ “X„ man is too busy to read ShnkesI pi are." 11 11 \Loll. | “111 -I l ength of intellect he was a | deiui-god ; in profundity of view, a pro- ! phet : in all-seeing wisdom, a protecting ! spirit.”—Schlcgel. -■ t) 111- myriad-minded Shakespeare. —Coleridge. “.Shakespeare is one of Wit; lest means of culture the world possesses. Whoever is at home in his pages is at home everywhere." llud-on. “In Shakespeare one sentence begets, (he next naturally: the meaning is all interwoven. He goes on kindling like a meteor through the dark atmosphere.”— Coleridge. “He was not of an age, hut for all time.”---Ben Jonson. “Shakespeare has had neither equal nor --cl olid.’*—Maeatila t. (nil of the libraries ol hooks written , about this man the above are as a ' j drop in the ocean. Their mere n.un!p, runs into live figures, and eveiv , j day sees additions. _ i Shortly put. his circum-.tauves may • i tints he summarized. In Shakcsimare s | ];*,-.lime, printing was in its ui'aiay. ! iUl d the newspaper as we know it did | exist. Authors addressed their i [iiiMif Uk? .slittfo. iiuu 1 !,|s I “the pom- player, who struts and Irets ! ms hour upon the stage ’ attained to lame before the anonymous playwrights. Ihe practice wa.-* ’“* 1 play outright to the company of actor-. v.diose property it became. hot the author afterwards to print the phi.v was an act of fraud, and tantamount to starving the actors. Xow. emphatically. Shakespeare's I days were written to he declaimed mi the stage, and not to he read in the study. He was an actor and the stage v.as bis element. “He that hath ears tl . bear, let him hear” he literally in- ) terpreled. In course of umejie died: t and lie had been ill his grave 7 (sewn) veal- when the first collective edition shakw-pcare's i lay-. I lik’d, commonly know n a, the “first folio.” was published. hour folios appeared in all: but the tir-i must t;c regarded as the h | Ark preservative of Shakespeare’s a j 'fig. price of t lie til's) iolio "as £ 1 i- j ione poundL ! Xow. lhc-c four lolio- were rvcintly d ollrrcd I.\ t.t'ialltch. i.oildon. for sale, t- j| s <b tailed in their second-band entail [ogi!c (II Is- seen ill the Wellington Free | l ;a Ij! ie Lilli ary. ’! lie fabulous -um of >- e 1 7.7::iA was piilited therein (seventeen thousand .even hundred pounds). New, -j I, t |,is lir-l folio: Ao-wcr: Ihe | , !tJ .-l mi jo ilasi l . the most iutm'csliu : : (~language. tint of t’.ii play-. : I: j.nblisbed tor the iir-t time. | { P. editors ('aim (OHipji teuess. 1 ~.. . . I i ~f which Shake peare had | i .■• a a menda r in whieii tin’ property i ;iP,v, v. as vested, ai.d without ! iheir rail' r hip. 11 is import a lit to J I in ..end i.a.L ... punting Me : i„ i on: !o ion. laai.v o! tour read rI mat Late been puzzled to a.t,unit lor I the \ai via t i.ms be! iv. en Ibe .1 ili event j editor- . f Shalcspeai. ’s plays. For | in.-lame, the famous line of liamlet's ! -( A. t I s■. : ‘Tin re aiv more thing-. in h-a e’j aml earl b. i I .1 a I to. than are , dre,.mi ol in your (our) |•!ii I■ >- opl.y ." | Xoc. the word ■'i.lir" i- the version a- ; ... in the livsl. folio I which really ivpr in i > ibe "revised” edi lion el lho I i I lay . I la- .|i.arlo •do ion prim I In* : iw, id “toui " (pl.ilo op by). i lice j | ‘<|u; ll : i” editions ol Sliakesp; are’s j | plavs i.- the nane* v.iwii to the plays I i 111 i. ll . .I singly, pursuant, to liien-e to | : p: ini pram d lit Vl.e Siaii-mevs < oiu- i I pony. ( Oiltl a ■ Led it il It this i- the folio I I editions. He- whole body ..: the play- | • collected into one volume. Turning to! I tii, } J-.,:, (lib! ■. v.e might sav similarly ! | : t ibe Old 'Testament is the fob" j j edition, be: ai we leav;: there tunny j | ’•ooks” bound a- one volume. . ■ ! is mu up to date, and point mu t<> ! : ihe la. I 1b..; I: •do .1 A 1 !') years ago. ; | pen Im i- vorv mue!i alive! And to I r, M • i hi- nlavs you would think ihey j were ye-ttrday. | Ui | iih* la* says : - I •*ilappy thou are not : t*or v.bai i bon hast not. still thou si l it '-l to gel, j And what thou hast, forgel'sl. j Measure for Measure. And A ■-('• 1 * | iTin* above quotation is li'*.’ loundii- ! i ion of all pi ogress.) j "t) in* lotah ol nature makes in * Tim; all. with m e consent, prai-'e j | new-born gawd-. | Tiiongb they are made and moulded of tilings past ; 1 Aid give to dust tieii is a little gilt. Mot-*.* 1a.1.1 than gill o'er-dusted.” ! Tvoilus and Cres-ider. Act A. se. .!. I am etc.. HOHATIO EDWIN HANWEi.L. ! Wellington, 2.lst April, I!'2A.