New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-04-05
MR.. EDWIN FORREST As JACE CADE.

It was one of the eccentric opinions Of ne late
Edgar A. Poe, az least one that h. often gave ~
terrace to- that the chief cause Of the deterioration Of
the modern dr1ms was Slskspsre. shskspsre, a.
cording to Poe, weighed like an in,u1us on the ge-
MUS of modern writer's and prevented them from
soaring TO the sublime highs of passion and poetry
which he lad reached in his immortal dramas Blu;
this paradoxical idea wss like many other Of Poes
strange whosies II mad no basis in truth. II w-,ike
saying that the purity and exalted character of Chris
tsDiiy prevented its foo1ers from becoming good
Christians. Shaksperes unapproschable models have
indeed given life and vvacty and sentiment AMI
sweetness, 10 msDy dramatic compositions which
would o.herwise have been dry, sterile, aud sprtesS
la trying to write Ike Shakspere our modem poets
have done better than they would without his
glorious examples before them. But in sense
he may well be said TO be incubus tho genius of
modern dramatiss, for all their productions fail
in measursbIy short Of his sublime works that they
are dwsrfed and extinguished i, his presencs OF all
the forms in which human genius has embodied its
conceptions, thee is none in which excellence has
been rarely tanned "a IN the drama. The great
trsgedans may he counted UPON the hngers-Eschy
lus Euipides, Sophocles, Shasspere Corneille, Ra-
cine. There is a multitude OF Lesser hghts, " VIII
their glorious course round Shakespeare godsn
" sun, but none that deserve to be MENTIONED With
III, elder Of song; yet there is scarcely poet
Of renowp Of any ago OF any country, wis has not
tried bis hand at tragedy Dryden-glorious john
wrote more than two score bus not has kept it,
place upon the stage aud the gros, tribe Of
Elizabethsn craus,i-'s have all been placed
upon the sbelf. II hss almost ceased
TO be the fashion TOR poets to attempt tragedy. They
give IL up usceEs aud only the third and fourth
rate men, who cOn.eut TO be servis Hita'ors like
She ridan Knowles meo-jramatists ike Bulvor
or play virgins ike some of our dramatic au
tbors peril their regulations by aiming at success
in dramatic composition. 1t il no reprosch TO the
genus OF this country that none of our authors have
yet succeeded ths most difficult a't Ii tbe -plFt
Of The age demanded dramas, we should prolues
them iust rs We produce shps and stump ORD
tore But the rewards of the stage not sufficient
to temp, the genius Of people; plays are rot aow
enacted for the masses they in the days Of
the Greek and the Elizsbe.hsn drama; We have no
history to put upon the stage traditions coanected
with our national origin that furnish suitable th7nee
for our poets and il we had, the religious sent
ime mt Of the masses and the refined tases
Of the higher classes, keep them from the thea'er,
which is mainly frequented by the idls and the seek
or after Amusement L. it reasonable, then, 10 ex-
pect that an Aperc tragedy should possess the grea.
elements Of fascination, the power Of absorbing the
attention, of sotening the heart, of elevating the
feelings, aud rousng the passions Of an audience,
which were possessed by the great msster-poems OF
antiquity and the dramas of the Eizlbethan period
If modern tragedy furnish opportunities for the
star Of an evening to exhibit bis salient points, is
all that we have right to expect, or that we shall
h. etv End do not no 90 ~ q
alter to bear play but to see player the drama
is nought but the actor il al. This is reversing the
design Of the stage, and the consequence Is that we
have better actors but worse plays than they had
in the days Of Queen Elizabeth, 1t must be renem-
bered that when Hamlet first put upon the
stage the pay could Lot begin uutil Opbe-
liza had been shaved. Among the original
PLAYS in the repertoire OF Mr. Forrest Jack Csde IS
the only one which not written for him and htied
to his capacities, as his clothes are by the stage
tailor. 1t was originally written by Judge Con
rad the present Mayor of Pnilsdelpha, for
a young actor named Adams, arts. OF superior
talents and great promise, who fell victim to love
of strong drink it was aiterwsrd adapted 20 the For
res.ian measure ard hss remained OF his fsvorte
parts As the piece has never been printed, we are
unabls to Judge of lie literary merits bu. We know
tn6t JUICE NOnrbu, N-S'NA N~"~f-
per writer and good Mayor is not great poet, and
that as noIe but tie greatest poets haze ever writ
ten even tolerable Tragedies we do not imagine that
literature has lost much by Jack Csde being locked
I'D in the possession OF Mr.. Forrest. Our national
laws do lot recognize the existence OF such small
deer as dramatic authors, and they have no more e-
gal nigh. 10 the control Of their productions than
Virgins pt gro has to his own child The owner o;
good acting play is denied, therefore, the privilege
Of publishing it if 10 desire TO enjoy the monopoly q
It's representation.
Jack CsGe is Shsksperesn character; but the
Jack Cace Of Judge Conrad's creation, and Mr.. For
rests impersonaton is neither Shaksperean in spirit
nor int nded TO resemble the jack Csde which shaks
pe1e ard history have preserved. Shahpere IVES too
sensible man and too great poe, to quarrel with
bis own bread and butter. Whatever his sympa.hies
may have been, or bis prescience Of Whist might be
or should be in the sges TO come, we well know that
be did moi live in an age that eminent Tor it. demo-
cratic tendencies and be preferred living quietly in
Strs,ford by The side Of the smooth gliding Avon, 10
imprisoumeri in the Tower, going to his srsys
without bis head. In presenting Jack Cade, there
fore 10 The audiences Of the Globe Taeaer be did
violence TO the prejadces Of his royal master Of
hi, noble pstrops TIE rebels aniecedents are very
.nusing,y given in the dialogue between Csis and