Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-10-08


GAERIcK who succeeded so emiuently in Othello
and King Lear, never inside himself popular in
Hamlet MAoREADY has been admired for the ex
qasits discrimination which he exhibits in the rem
dering of that character, but while the crowd ap>
plaud in imitation of the critics, they are really
more impressed with the strut and splsndor Of the
King aud the gittering tipsel of the royal eOrtge
than With the church-yard scene or the sOlilOquy.
FoREsr's extravaganza and ran are entirely IN
suited to the character Of the reserved and meanT
choy Prince. and even " the groundiDgs of the
pit" perceive the ineongruity.
The fact is, the character of Hamlet, as Shak>
spesre conceived IT, is united for the stage.
perfect representation Of it, if not impossible, would
certainly be regarded as tame and uninterestng BY
the larger portion Of the audience Romantic chs
vsry impetuosty and daring, the qualities mos
admired BY the multitude. Hamlet was not hero
The reckless courage, the f6ndness for enterprise
and action the thirst for Karlike glory and disre-
gard Of moral restraints which enter into the vul
gar idea Of the heroic formed part Of bis char
acier he was by nature shy, meditatiVe, and re-
firing he turned away with disgust from che de-
blueberies Of the Danish Court, to find more con-
genial pursuits and companions in the cloisters Of
the College. He returned to witness his fathers
funeral and his mothers marriage, and his proud,
sensitive spirit was driven to neutrality-suspicious.
to maduess-by the injustice he had suffered The
! fountain of his feelings had bsen poisoned by
wrong His affection for his mother changed
into bitterness and the love that had bloomed his
heart, like rose, was blighted into brsmble that
tore and tortured his very soul sense of duty
and the ipjuneons Of his fathers ghost in addition
to the promptngs of his nature, stimulated him to
revenge. We have here the finest picture ever pre-
scented, Of the struggle of great mind to
its instructive horror Of murder and its natural
puguance to the shedding of blood Even suicide
is contemplated by the unhappy Prince, who could
not endure his shame and shrunk from the crime of
msnslaughter
These emotions and feelings are not such as can
be conveyed by any of the usual tricks of the stage
The rolling Of the eye the knitting of the brow, the
passionate gesture and the tragic Stride the
/ exponents Of those fine and delicate shades of
thought and feeling which pass through the mind of
the injured and outraged Hamlet. The best parts of
the character are mere conferences between his in
stincts and his resson-cOn1cts between the spirit
of vengeance and the spirit of mercy, that abide
within him The actor, in properly expressing these
emotions is forced to discard all those arts which are
most successful on the stage. He must make his
voice the echo of the in ward voice of his soul He
must forget that there is any to hear him any
! eye to trace his movements. His ne lect must be
capable Of the high thoughts and feelings which he
utters He musthave all the tenderness, refinement,
sensibiliy and Intellectual elevation which Hamlet
possessed and must be able ina CINE al rbecircum-
stances to exist, by wlioh he was surrounded. This
combination Of qualities never existed 10 any mind,
save that which conceived the character and present
ed it to an admiriDg world. We cons, quenly do not
expect to see ShaksPeqrs's Hamlet on the stage
MuTdOcFs Hamlet is as near to the character which
Shakespeare presented it be, to be successful.
Mr.. MURDoCH has just appreciation of the tas of
his aud ence, and he adapts himself their taste.
He does attempt penetrate into the mysterious
chambers Of the soul, and drag its secrets 10 the
/ light He represen al those strong emotions that
swell up from the depths and upon the surface,
and he represents them with judgment and discrim-
iuaton He seizes upon those passions that just reach
the level Of general appreciation and impresses them
upon his audience with power which we have rare
/ ly seen equslled He subdues his tone and softeDs
bis manner TO suit the spiritual and refined chsrac-
ter which ne is repTes out is not guilty. OF the
folly of attempting to reproduce all the subtle and
delicate phases of that character Heis wise enough
to attempt only what he cen d" well.
There is no violation of 90 taste in AL of Mr..
MURDoCH's rendering of the character of Hamlet.
His voice and manner and gesture are all adapted
to the sentiments which he expresses. Heis animal
ed without extravaganza, emerge ic without rant.
He does not resort to any article trick to elicit
! applause His deep, sOnOrous voice and his fine
/ play of features furnish him the only medium
through which be desires reach the popular heart
or understanding These exceuencies are displayed
with great effect in his interviews with Ophelia and
his mother Even while he speaks bitter, cruel
words to the gentle girl there is lendermodulaliOn
of The voice and geutleness of manner which con-
vince the nearer that his declaration - loved you
not" was not the echo of his feelings; and some
trace of ia love and veneraton may be detected in
his treatment of his mother in spite of the harsh
ness Of his demesnor Mr.. MURDOCH has great
cause to congratulate himself on his success in this
d ffcult and splendid character. The unanimous
verdict Of those who have seen him is he is the best
Hamlet now living. We hope he will repeat his re
presentation of the character before he leaves our
ctv