New-York daily tribune., 1845-02-19
we EUpsoN,s LECTURE on HAMLET.

e,ce for his first lecture good in every sense, both
:. ;rc,pd;or sufficient range OF minds and some OF
49,. hos, minds. We believe the audience were
,.er, f,vorsbly impressed. Indeed, no one could
refuse sympathy 10 the Straightforward manner oi
the address. There was no phrasing, no Preten-
sion. no persuasion, but Just what the lecturer had
N eav stated without circumIocu;ion. And, strange
10 cav, this is rare merit. Though any person, OF
native tact and shrewdness, must see that man
ner of the greatest simplicity and directness, wheth-
er that manner be vulgar or refned clumsy or beau
u, IS the only one that can succeed, d,yet theIe are
! fe who are not too weak or vsinto act upon this
! knowledge. Their minds stammer, and their lips
weave phrases in the face OF multitude; lhey
| dread lis censure more than their own Mr- huo-
son faces his audience like man; ne Is Wiling
thew should take him as he Is, fer better or Tor
worse.
Though his manner is, in itself, very bad, yet Ii
is well calculated 10 set of his own best things He
brings down every sentence with a knock at the
end as if he was mailing down shinge after shingle,
and when he makes good hit, the effect IS excel
| lent. His general appearance Is merely that OF
Yankee pedlar, shrcwd and knowing, but his eye
has an unusual briliancy, and when kindled by
thought or feeling, gives forth sparks that DO notdl
TO kinde the spectator likewise. They bespeak an
intellect ardent but also genial and which has the
dignity of earnestness.
We liked the lecturer better than his lecture, and
expect more satisfaction from that on Macbeth,
which we shall attend next Friday evening. The
view CT Hamlet was not unworthy, but this ls
theme where we are as fastidious as we can be
with regard to any production of human genius
To speak of Hamlet is speak OF the whole caPa-
ctv Of man. The view which is taken oi 1t by any
one mind seems poor and partial TO another, who,
Derhaps could not succeed well IN rejecting the
desired image This revelation as TO our nrnost ma
,pre seems TO have been given as one OF the few
things great enough to be our companions and In
srnctors through Life: we may daily learn and draw
illustrations from it, but the attempt 10 survey 1t
from any one point is useless; we must first COM
a olete the circle OF our own development.
Some excellent things were said in speaking of
D Ophelia. We will not assail as TO others where we
are not pleased, since the character seems the idol
of the lecturers imagination. We liked the ener
gy of his feeling and expression about 1t, even
when we were tired by his prollxity as to details.
We should have many exceptions TO take as TO
the sketch of Polonius. Shakespeare never painted
men in that one-sdcd way. Polonius is as poor
| and mean, as DdQ ds ltliCSSHS> p"'
also better. The noble sentence,
So thine own self be true
Thou cans, not then be false TO any man.,
was represented by the polite old courier, because
that which had no root IN his lie found an echo In
the chambers of his brain.
l Such seeming contradictions on every
a side ay! here in New-York, in the next street
thou mayst see them. The most selfish and world
" ~ man will admire a grand sentiment TIL he is
made to understand the COS, of putting it into prac-
tice.
Mr. Hudson's style is worse than his elocution
it is overloaded too full of antitheses, and duse.
: Il reminds us of several wel-known writers, and
not OF their best qualities Here and there bursts
of simple energy relieve ii, and indicate the power
of forming better style and one more in harmony
], with the mind Of the speaker.
If people in general read Shakespeare, we must
!, say, for ourselves, that we could not recommend
their listening TO these, or any lectures on the sub
ect Shakespeare is not subject for critical essays
but for devoted study, reverence and love. tweie
better 10 Weld ourselves TO be raised by his power
without caring TO take measure OF our impressions
at any one PERIOD for they must vary with our
{ growth. The world at large has Eel, this, and bu,
y little has been written expressly on Shakespeare, and
i of that little the least part by minds really worthy
!. to share his influence Some of these names we
mention with gratitude. OF Schege we do moi
t think as highly as is conormable with the received
: opinion. Schege did not content himself with a
simple statement OF what he received, but tired too
hard to comprehend and make whole therefore
large part of what he has written is without per-
: manent value,
The few sentences which Goethe has given are
worth volumes of Schlegel Goethe never over
states his thought, never pushes ii beyond ltsnatura
limits; whatever he has given us is real eXpe-
Renee, and of inestimable worth. All that Cole
# ridge has said is admirable perhaps the best things
ever written the plays OF Shakespeare are in Cole
It ridges Z" Remains" Some noble and penetrating
remarks, worthy TO he pu, in the same line with
those, may be found in essays not vet published, by
our countryman, Il. H. Dana. Lamb is always cx
cel|ent; what he says may not be perfectly Just in II
SELF but il is the genuine result OF genius upon his
individuality, and valuable as the clear verdict o
: ole mind. Mrs. Jameson sees and feels there is
| always basis of truth in her statements but she
gilds the refined gold, and paints the lily. With hel
, and with Eazlit Mr.. Hudson may well compare.
Those who take pleasure in them may take as
4 much or more IN him for he has the warm sym.
pathes of the lady without her Sentmental,y, and
the briliancy and, sometimes, the point OF Hazllit
, with better moral nature. And thus, 10 the at
/, ten,ion OF the many who as sad experience has
convinced us, are so lost and poor as not TO read
Shakespeare, and 10 those others, many, ii fewer,
Who reading him, delight IN comparison of ex-
periences, cordially commend these lectures.
They are the expressions OF sincere, an ardent,
and vigorous mind, and If they do not meet the
same reception In sister city. OF whose IA
vori,e motions il is 10 load new acquaintance
with garlands, only to give him the cold shoulder
If he is encouraged 10 repeat his visit, perhaps
better grounded and more permanent sympathy
may be expected in an atmos'4sere where more va
nous elements impede the too rapid spread of men,
tai epidemics, *