Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-12-22
Artemus Wards Criticism of OthelIO and
Edwin Eorreaf.

a
Artemus Ward thus gives his views of
Edwin Forests acting in Othello:
Presently Old Ed cum out. The play was
Otheller on More of VeRiss. OtheLler was
was writ by VIM. Shakspeer. The scene is
laid in Veniss. Otheller was a likely
man & was a gineral in the Yeniss army.
He eloped with Desdemony. a darter of the
Hon Mister Brabantio, who represented one
of the back districks in the veneshun
legislator. Old Brobantio was as mad as
thunder at this & tore round considerable,
but finally cooled down, tellin Otheler
however, that Desdemony come it over
her Per- & and that he had better look out
or she'd come it over him likewise.
MIR. & Mrs. Otheller git along very COM
Portable like for spell. She is sweet-tem-
pered and luvin--a nice, sensible female,
never goip in for he male conventions, green
cotton umbrellers and picked beats. Othel-
Ter is good provider, and thinks all the
world of bis wife. She has lazy time of it,
the hired girl doin all the cookin and washin.
Desdemony, in fact, don't have to git the
water to wash her own hands with. But
low cuss named Iago who Ibeeve wanted to
git Otheller out of his snug government
birth, now goes to work and upsets the
Othcller family in the most outraius stile.
Iago falls in with branches youth named
Roderigo, and wins all his money at poker.
IaPo alters plays foul.) He thus got money
euuff to carry out his onprincipled skoem.
Mike Cassie, Irishman, is selected as q tool
by lago. Mike was clever feleF & OFFICER
in Otheller's army. He liked his tods too
we'll howsever, & they floored him, as they
have many other promisin young men. Iago
injuces Mike to drink with him, Iago slyly
THROWN his whisky over his shoulder. Mike
gets as drunk as billed owl Il allows that he
can lick yard full Of the Veneshun fancy
before breakfast, without sweatin hair.
He meets Roderigo and proceeds for to
smash him. A feller named Montana un-
dertakes TO slap Cassie, when that infat-
ootated person runs his sword into him.
That miserable man. Iago, pretend7 to be
very sorry 10 sec Mike conduck himself in
this way, & undertakes to smooth the thing
over 10 Othallor, who rushes in with drawn
/ sword & wants to know what's up. Iago
cunniLly tells his story, h Otheller tells
Mike that he thinks good deal Of him, but
he can't train to more in his regiment
Desdemony sympathizes with poor Mike,
ana intercedes for him with Otheller. Iago
makes him bleeve she does this because she
| thinks more of Mike than she does of his
self. Otheller swallers lagos lyin tail, &
| goes to maxim a noosence of hisself ginrally
He worries poor Desdemony terrible by his
vile insinuations, & finally smothers her to
! detA with piller. Mrs. Iago comes in ius
as Otheller has finished the fowl deed ant
give himsits right & left, shown him thl
he has been orfully gnlled by her miserable
cuss OF a husband. Iago Gums in, & his wife
commences rakin him down also, when he
stabs her. 0rheller jaws him a spell & then
cuts a small hole in his stummicE With his
sword. Iago pints to Desdemorys deth.
bed 4 goes orf with sardonic smile onto
his eountenance. Otheller tells the people
that he has dun the State sum service, and
they know it axes them to do so fair thing
as they can for him under the circumstances
and kills hisself with a fsh-knife which i:
the most sensible thing he can do This is O
bIeef skedule of the synopsis of the play.
Edwin Forrest is CRATE acter. / thort
/ saw Otheller before me all the time he wa:
actin l. and when the curtin fell found my
| spectacles was still mistened with salt water
which had run from my eyes while poor
! Desdemony was dyin. Betsy Jane-Betsy
Janel let us pray that our domestic bliss
may never be busted up bya Iago.
Edwin Forrest makes money actin out on
! the stage. He gifts S500a mite & his board
and washin. / wish had such Forres
in my gardingl ARTEMUS WARD.