The Sun.
London, England, 1858-01-13 00:00:00

( From Cle Times.)

Up to last night two years had elapsed since Mr.
Charles Kean's performance of the Shalesperian cha-
racter with which, ire spite of more modern imper-
sonations, he is chiefly identified' in the minds of all
who have followed hun throughout his professional
career. When, after a long absence, he appeared as
Hamlet at Drury-lane Theatre, on the 3d Jan., 1838,
be commenced the course which has led to his present
high position ; for what he did previously to that date
merely constituted a series of juvenile efforts, leading
to no permanent result as far as this metropolis is con-
cerned. Nor is this all. For many years subsequently to
1838 his Hamlet remained distinguished from his other
characters by the great care and elaboration bestowed
upon it. Twenty years ago Mr. Charles Kean was not
the consummate artist he is now. Then he rather startled
by "points" than worked out a character in its details,
but now be does not undertake a part which he dees not
study in all its bearings, so that every accent, every in
venation, every gesture, may contribute to its signifi•
canoe. But even years ago Hamlet Btqud apart by the
careful finish bestowed upon it, and might ha consi-
dered rather as an anticipation of that better school
of art, at once genial, conscientious, and indus.rions,
of which Mr. Kean is the present type, than of
that opposite school which seeks rather to surprise
than to sustain, and which he represereed in the
earlier part cf his career. Nor, his other characters
are as highly finished as his Hamlet ; but still a certain
distinguishing reputatton will always cling to the work
that tee artist has first perfected, and if we add to this
consideration the importance of the part, we shall have
uo difficulty in understanding the Excitement that pre
vailed at the Princess's Theatre when " Hamlet" was
revived last night. The vety circumstance that the
revival hadbeen first announced for last Moileay week,
but bad been deferred on account of Mr. Kean'a indis-
pos'tion, came is as an extra stimulant where no stimu-
lant was wanting.

Never did we witness a more thoroughly triumphant
performance. From the moment Mr. Kean began the
speech—
" Oh that this too, too solid flesh would melt 1"

he had the audience completely in his grasp, and carried
theta at will through the whole ceuree of the play.
While the King and the Court were present, and the
weight of their presence sat be ivily on the mourning
prince, his long silence and hi; brief replies rather
fostered than satisfied curiosity, but no soontr was be
alone than the sense of freedom with which he rushed
into the soliloquy electrified every spectator. For '
the first few minutes Hamlet was an enigma, an un-
fathomable sometbiog scarcely endowed with the power
of sposch. With the soliloquy he at once became the
being of deep sorrows and strong affections, delighted
to call forth every thouAt from the inuerinoet recesses
of his heart, and the audience were well pleased to
become his canfidauts during the five long acts of the
stupendous tragedy.
The great characteristic of Mr. Charles Kean's Ham-
let is its completeness as a deliberately executed work of
art, coupled with its warm life and its individual reality.
We read of eminent actors of the past, who each took
hold of Hamlet by some particular attribute, end made
that the keynote of the whole complex character. Thus,
fur instance, one acceuted the melancholy of the be-
reaved son ; another dwelt on the courtly qualities of
the prince ; a third regarded Hamlet as a scholar,
on the assumption, no doubt, that he had gained a
" double first" at Wittenberg ; a fourth looked upon
hint as a metaphysici,n, because he reflects upon life
and death, with a hint or two at immortality. Now, it
ie the great merit of Mr. Kean that you cannot dispose
of his Hamlet by some convenient term that will serve
as a ticket to his whole interpretation, and allow an utter-
ance of an empty nothing to pass for an oracular
decision. As to make an acquaintance with a real
individual you must watch him through part of his
career, and not be satisfied with some vague attribute
that he may possess in common with hundreds of his
species, so, to become acquainted with Mr. Kean's
Hamlet you must follow him through his mimic
life, and see how he deports himself in every
situation. In other words, Mr. Kean has seized
upon Hamlet, not as an abstraction, but as a
concrete specimen of humanity, and has reflected
how this specimen is to be represented under
the variety of influences that operate upon it through-
out the story. Hamlet as a prince, not referable to any
really historical period, may be regarded as the Eliz t•
bethan ideal of a gentleman ; consequently all his move•
meats are marked by the most studied elegance, and his
fencing is of the highest order. Again Mr. Kean is most
careful that the affectionate side of Hamlet's character
shall not be overshaded by the tendency to reflection or
the necessity of dissimulation. His Hamlet has a large
heart that is always longing to express itself, even when
policy commands it to be silent. A wail of grief, beau-
tiful in its intensity, bursts through his reproaches to
Ophelia, and once nearly terminates them altogether ;
his welcome to Horatio is that of an affectionate nature
hungering for sympathy ; his detection and exposure of
the hypocrisy of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are not
without the strong indication of a sad regret that these
paltry spies are not his friends ; his solemn censure of
his mother is tempered by respect and gentleness ; even
the awe inspired by the Ghost is visibly qualified by the
thought that it is his father's spirit that addresses him.
For the manner in which Mr. Charles Kean has appre-
hended the reflective side of Hamlet's character we must
look to the careful elocution with which he delivers the
calmer speeches, the solemn deliberation of the soliloquy

" To be or not to be," the poetic enthusiasm which per
vades his admiration of " the piece of work" called
" man." Nor let it be imagined that by thus regarding
the gentler and more tranquil elements in Hamlet's
nature he softens him down too much. The ferocious
curiosity with which he watches the countenance of
the King during the play scene, the force with which
he hurls forth those speeches that belong to the
more violent explosions of passion, could not be sur-
passed ; and there is this remarkable excAlence in Mr.
Kean's more violent displays of emotion, that they seem
to rise naturally out of the preceding part of the dia-
logue, and are totally from that isolated rant which is
often used as a clap-trap. Indeed, throughout the
whole of this extremely fine performance we rufay notice
an undeviating attention to detail that secures a consis-
tency to the character in all its utterances. The slight
mental effort, for instance, with which Hamlet endea-
vours to recall the words of the forgotten speech about
Hecuba is indicated with a natural truthfulness that
could bave only been obtained by a deep study of facial
expression.
The Hamlet of Mr. Kean ie, in short, a gem of his-
trionic art, and so it was thought by the audience last
night, who summoned him before the curtain with the
most enthusiastic cheers.

An inquest was held yesterday at the WeAminster
Hospital on the body of a man named Clementson. The
jury were of opinion that the deceased died through con-
gestion of the brain, but that he had been greatly
neglected by Mr. Greig, the parish surgeon.
THE HAVELOCK BARONETCY.—We understand that it
is probable that her Majesty will be recommended by
Lord Palm i
erston, n order to place the validity of the
patent of crt ation beyond doubt or dispute, to back-date
the baronetcy conferred in November last on General
Havelock, so as to make it bear date from the day in the
previous month on which he so gallantly relieved the
garrison of Lucknow.