The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1860-02-22

lp, even in bis darkest hours Of SORROW

up, even in bis darkest hours of sorrow
was victim of dark and strange prssen-
timents, peopling bis imagination with
unheard of fanciss, and torturing his soul
with dark forebodings of some fearful evil,
so plainly shown in his exclamation in the
Ghost scene,
"Oh my prophetic soul my uncle"
Life is not made up Of a series Of illus
trations, or great actions. Tho most of
mems time passes in compliance with ne
cessities, in the perform ance of our daily
duties; removing small inconvenience,
and procuring petty pleasures, and we
are well or i'll at ease, rs the main stream
of life glidos on smoothly or meets obsta-
cles and Interruptions.
Not so with Hamlet. Nature had been
prodigal with her gifts to him.. As for
gaining the necessities of life he knew
nothing. He had all the elements of
greatness. He saw in tho face of Nature
all that is beautiful, yet earth was to..him
hell. The very fancies in which he rev.
elled were but refuge from fearful
vacuum, and substitution of the more
consciousness of existence, for tho deeds
and actions which to other men make up
life. He imagined the form of the house
and the greatness of the builder--the
paintings, tho imagery, and the music
within, but he never became the occu-
pant.
In all Hamlet's life the handspring of
his action seems to have been, to revenge
the murder of his father, and yet he SEEM
ed un able to execute his designs whenev-
err opportunities were Mt hand. His tickle
mind, and inability to accomplish his de-
sired objects. were the most unfortunate
elements Of l{amlet's character. He dis
closes too !'la My his fckleuess, when find
ing lis Uncle at prayer, he wishes to shay
him, but Finally gives it up, and says in
words that show the burning bate within
his soul,
up sword and know thou more horrid
hent;
When lie is drunk asleep or in his rnge;
Or in the ncestuoue pleasures of his bed
AT gaming, swearing or about some act
That has no relish of salvation int
Then trip him. that his heels may kick at
heaven, -.t, ........
And that his soul may be as damned and black
As hell wlereto it goes
Hamlet is ever varying in his moods.
eat one time, tender, atfabls, courteous,
graceful contemplative; at another time,
animated with the keenest feelings, full of
thought about all around him, yet always
conscious of its bearing upon his own in
dividuality; and, above all, continually
nursing in his mind his ideal of Heaven
and Humanity. Resentment, revenge,
Indignation stir him one moment, at the
next, come the unbending and rocoil of
passion" How when bis nature is ex-
hausted, and his life worn ont, by the
ceasele.s sarging of his thong hts with
in, mad dened and saddensd that he can
not act rs he can Mink-that he is I'M
true to his own soul-that ho is unable
to accomplish what he conceives should
be done; passive in everything except
thinking, he burs. forth in that immortal
soliloquy,
$50 be, or moi to be, that is the question"
Hamlet, like many other of the worlds
greatest minds, was unfortunate in his
circumstances. With q heart filled with
the love of bumanity-with mind swell
ing with great thoughts, tortured with
terrible apprehensions; racked with un-
earthly disclosures. and ghostly revela-
tions-his imagination teeming with hid
eous fancies-he numbered his days in
cherishing the thoughts that made his life
wrotched, and died victim to his Tn
cls's villainy, and sacrifice upon the al
tar of his own greatness.