Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1860-12-03
Edwin Booth asHamlet.

Mr.. Booths performance of Hamlet at the
Winter Garden last evening was triumph
Tor himself, and cause OF just pride to his
many friends, whose unswerving faith in him
Is now FULLY justified.
That there should ut this day be render
ing OF Hamlet that should be consistently
original throughout, is not to be expected or
desired But that every actor OF trass genius
who undertakes the character will deyelop
other and new beauties, OF give the old a new
significance, Is doubtless true. Mr. Booths
Hamlet Is. all things considered, by far the
oest Tor many years. Nature has bestowed
on BIN peculiar graees. His eye is a mira
Gle OF expression and beauty; his figure is
Shght and hthe; his carriage almost always
graceful, and his voice is one of singularIv
XquI-lte tone aud wondrous capabilities of
inudulation, and he is thoroughly master of
all S hexIle possibilities, 1t is of great
volume and pow er when The requirements OF
he occasion test those qualities, and in other
passages IL has sweet, melancholy tender
| uess peculiarly il own. and which we have
never head matched. His readings are de-
old OF oil straining Tor startling originality;
| no passages are wrenched from their .accns-
| toned significance, aud no words are violent
| ly twisted from their natural meanings. bu1
all is smooth, elegant and sensible His de-
livery OF the s9lIlOquies is the work of a
naslerly eiocutlonlst, grated on the appre-
ciatIve enthusiasm OF an earnest student.
In the sccues known as the closet scene
and the graveyard scene with Laertes. his
rendering l. singularIy and indie d unexpect-
idly quiet But with Mr. Booth quiet is not
lack of intensity.
de Is the nrsl Hamlet for many a day who.
in the closet scene, does not consider il nee
essary to rave and rant at the Queen like
druken short-boy-he is the first Hamlet for
many day whose conduct in the same
scene would not justify the interference of
thlrd parties, on the snpposition that he in-
tended TO commits an assault and battery on
bis moIher-he is the first Prince of Denmark
Tor many year who had dared, In this same
scene, to conduct himself like gentleman
and not blackguard. For all which Mr.
Booth has our earnest thanks, our enthusj-
asiic admiration, and our hopes that he NAV
do in other things equally well.
There are blemlshes ia his personation.
chief among which is tendency al times 10
attitudinize, but these are faults so slight as
to act but as fails to make the Performance as
a whole, only show TO better advantage.
Tue audience last night was an apprecia-
tive one, and testified their appreciation OF
the artist act only by applaudlng heartily
IN the right place, ~ bat by calling him sew
| erai times before the curtain.
GOOD as was bis Hamlet, we predict sill
greater triumpas Tor him when bis Richard
| Ill. and his Richeileu are produeed ard
snen, We doub not, be will fully yindicat..
his claim to the honor be has 40 we'll won AZ
oelng now The finest tragedlan thai Americ.
numbers among her young men. aud of
cYmbining IN bis proper person all the gins
and qualifications feqlielte 10 traazmate Ed
III both, by the aid of earnest work. int,
be best tragedIaa that America has vet pro-