The Placer herald., 1860-12-15
Edwin Forrest as Hamlet.

modest to give his name, sends to New
York paper the following remarkable bit o
criticism on "the great tragedan's" Hamlet.
1t is powerful specimen of ornamental
literature, and will do to keep on the ice:
FoRRIsr's HAMLIK.
They is some actors who is lucky, like
wise some which is unlucky and the former
is Edwin Forrist, of Philadelphia. Thisman
has been fortunate from infancy, and is ac-
counted great in mouths of wisest century;
but is not the actor which can play Hamlik.
Shaks meant to make the Prince Of Den.
mark philosopher and a scholar. Forrist
makes him a roarn' lion seekin' which he
may devour.
In the first part of the first Ack, Mr.. For
rist is heavy on his legs, and reminds me of
Keenan, When he sees the spirit of the
dead Pa, he is at first respectable in his de
meanor; but as the scene goes on, he gets to
speakin' from the bottom of his stumik, and
is like roarin liol seekn' which he may
devour.
In Ack thu two the tragedan is more like
HamHk and reminds one forsaby of poor
Kirby-only he turns in his toes. 1t is
pleasant to see him stand by the sweet
Ophely, like the fat boy 10y the woman with
long hair at Barnum's But then he cant
be quiet long, and soon gets cussin' and
swearin' and stompin' abb ut like roarin'
lion seekin' which he may devour.
In the scene with the players Mr.. Forrist
is good and does as well as Kean or Macrea-
dy or Barney Williams; but when the part
comes where he says:
'Why let the strychnine dear 60 weep,
The heart ungalled play;
For some must dust while some must sweep.
And some 90 on bust when some may sleep
So rolls the world away"
burst out larlin, and hit my frien' such a
watch Jumped clean out of his pocket 1t
was for all the world like roarn' lion seek.
in which he may devour.
This actor is not man which can read
HomHk's soliloques with as much judgment
as Kirby. One would think, to hear him
doing them, that they gave him great pain
in the stumk, and was awful hard to CO.
Shaks never wr"te them to be spoken in such
agnv; and if Forrist don't know this, he
ought to stick to SpartihuS and Metamoras,
and leave the bird Of Avon alone.
But it's when Forrists HamHk comes to
die that you see phsikle developments of
loud and sagacious charkter. I've seen horses
die several times; and once lost twenty shi
lings by having gray mare of mine die on
her way up hill; but rever see anything like
Forrist in the last throws You can see him
from any part of the house, for he dies all
over everything, anil reminds person of an
accomplished Zouave in his last agony 1t
is the death of a roar;n' lion seekin' which
he may devour.
One word and | am done. This great
,ragedian, this popular artik, onght to have
heard John Philip Kemble get off that ad-
dress to the skull:
A fellow of infinite vest, Horatio," &c
'Alas! pure Yorck! knew him we'll
Now. Kimbe always sneezed when he came
to "IIorato," hecau.e he said that in the
DAYS of the bird of Avon, Ho.ra shee go
meant a sneeze, and Shaks put the word there
as a stage direction. It's SO in Colyer's edition
of the great dramytist, emended by Colyer
and the bird himself Mr.. Forrst needn't
be ashamed to take hint from the Kimblcs,
for they was infinitely superior to him
The actor which would play Hamhk in intel
Iektual style, should initiate the philosophi
cal OK, rather than the roarin lion seekin'
which he may devour.