SHAKESPEARE.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1995, 27 May 1875, Page 2

SHAKESPEARE.

" The play's the thing." • A yj^ It Las been often said, and isnow, *» ■ - beliere, generally allowed that the "plot«j\ \ of Shakespearo's plays were seldom,"if ! eTer, the result of his .own unaided imagination, but- were founded either on some known chapter in history or fashioned out of the current stories of the time* and altered to suit the fancy of the writer or whims of his intended audience, at Shakespeare evidently knew—as well as somn of those who hare lately been here— that there are times when it is well to "play to the gallery." Thus Hamlet, the last play produced here by Mr Darrell, and whose conception of the character was better worth seeing (so said the gentleman, and he ought to know) than listening to comic songi, forms no exception to this rule. Do not misunderstand us, we do not - for one moment wish to accuse Shakespeare of want of originality, or to say anything to disparage his powers. On .the contrary, one great point in which Shakespeare '- shows himself so eminently superior to most, if not all other play writers, ia "that he yery seldom relied on the "plot. for the success of his piece; he chose rather, as we hare said, to take some well-known story of the times, or some scene in history with which hia audience would, he thought, be well acquainted, and, hj - slightly altering the incidents and some-. times the names of the principal acfora; ~ converted the "real" into the ideal; jukl, though yielding now and then to the coarseness and vulgarity of the.timea, yet, by placing in the mouths of hia actors language and sentiments which have no equal in any uninspired writings, he produced plays which are indeed— " Not for an age, but for all time." Hence in Shakespeare's plays th« auccess or non-succes»;of the piece never depends on the ability of some one 1 actor to take" a sensation leap from the top "of, "Notre "- Dame," or any such improbable " situations " as are now looked for, and seen in such' plays as " Lost in London,'* "Plot and Paision,"j|j«yhe Colleen Bawn," et hoc. omne genus ; but Shakespeare's plays may even now, after 300 years, afford as much pleasure to the " reader " as can the plays of almost any other writer, even when seen with all the advantages of dresß and- scenic.-effects* Many still believe that, •' Hamlet" ai a character simply existed in the "mind's eye " of Shakespeare, and had no place in histpry. This is not so. The character of the Princo may have been an imaginary one, but that there was a Prince o<* .Denmark corresponding to Shakespeare's Hamlet, we cannot posiibly doubt. The original story is found in a Danish history by one " Saxo Grammaticus " of which book there is a very excellent translation in tho British Museum. No one has doubted the authenticity of the work, and but few, we believe, have not agreed that the tale ia the one followed by Shakespeare,/ The following is the Danish historian's account: — Fengo (called:by Shakespeare Claudius) kills his brother and becomes King of Denmark, and marries his brother's wife Gerutha (the Gertrudeof the play), greatly to the disgust of the jouDg Prince Amlethus (Hamlet), who, however, bides his time and feigns idiotcy. In the history, however, he has no need of the " ghost" of his: father to appear and acquaint him- with- tk« name of hia murderer, for King Fengo makes a boast of his deed alleging that it was a good action inasmuch a's it saved Gerutha from tke brutality she suffered from her husband, which story it seems found favour with the Danes. , The,. idiotcy of Amlethus, however, did not disarm the apprehension of the king, and by the advice of a courtier, Corambis (Polonius),' Amlethus is invited to a private inter-. * ■■ view with his mother in order that she may see whether his madness is real or pretended. Corambis conceals himself behind the arras, is found and killed by. Aralethus, and (hen ensues tho.famous "oloset soeue, as related by Shakespeare in the play. Amlethus is sent to England with two sailors, who have private, instructions to kill him. He, of course, suspects this, and (of course) outwits them. .His adventures in England partake too much of the character of Hans. Andersen's fairy tales to be worthy of much credence, and of these Shakespeare says nothing. It may, however, be ai well to mention one, if only iq shq^"' wfyat tales crept into {he histories' of flioie titxies^ which are doubtless otherwise veracious. It is the manner in which he oufc-wittcd the two sailors, when they informed him that they had orders to kill him. Like the ° Little; Billie " sung of by Thackeray,, l^o req^este^ p^mia's^- -• . tp kne.e.l dQran. to say-^ot his catechism" :\ c ~ —but his prayers. They were to remain ready to fire, one on each side ..of him, as \ soon as ho gave the signal and jumped up; this they agreed to, and, adds the his- •

torian, with -oharmingV .-credulity, ho gave the signal, but did,not jump up, so they blew out each other's brains ! Credat Judceus—Atnlethas then returns to court with a great amount of riches, amassed, of course, at the English Court—that "Caledonian" of the middle ages—andfinds the realm of Denmark celebrating his funeral obsequies (it being given out that he was dead), to the great joy and contentment of King,Fengo, who, however, for the uake of decency is obliged, to change the feast of sorrow to one of joy &'« Amlethtis' return; this exactly suits tbo former, who makes the courtiers drunk, fastens them in curtains and sets fire-to tho banqueting hall, while Laving changed tho sword of tho sleeping king for a useless one, he awakes Fcngo and kills him. Thus ends all that the historian has to do with the dramatised version of Hamlefe. Ophelia as well as her fiery broi her Laertes, seem to be adjuncts put in by Shakespeare, being he would call merely tho " coinage of his brain," though it is probable; or rathertflOif improbable thai mention made by the historian of some woman set on to make love to Hamlet, may have first suggested to Shakespeare's mind to delineate the purer character of Ophelia. So much for Hamlet. As a masterpiece of ; beautiful language ; and occasional beautiful thoughts it has no equal; as a piece -which faxes the actors powers, itjs probably the most difficult, necessitating as it does, an actor tpSrender the part of another Who is himself acting a part. ; "Quot homines tot sententise." " There are as many opinions as men ; " and probably every actor from defter ton-down to Mr Darrell has formed lome different idea of what Hamlet should be; and each arid, all felt sure that his conception was Shakespeare's ideal ■when he wrote it. , . ' :

POETCE A-M.A.TOE.