The southern aegis, and Harford County intelligencer. (Bel Air, Md.) 1862-1864, 1863-11-13
For the Southern EMS
SHAKESPEARE.

read Shakspeare's plays, and to add our
hdmble tribute to their incontestible WORTH 4
We come, not as the critic, to take piece
by piece, aud arrogate to ourself the right
of telling the reader he must admire this
aud condemn that; but we come, to. lay,
an Offering Of love and admiration upon
that altar which the opinion of the world
has erected to the memory of Shakespeare.
We know full well that so long as the
English language exists, that so long as
"0ne touch Of nature makes the whole
world kia, that, so long shall the name
Of Shakespeare be q hauSeheld word, and
his works have the first place. ipr our il
braEieSi9 =, aay, hire -s,oiyp,i agqb nj bstyih
t"Thes Merchant of Venice, us, i've
think, ltakep gas q, whole, the most beauti-
fpl of Shakfpfareis ,PfySodWe are not
fond pf indplggipg tbe, emotions that the
rqsdPg Of, Macbeth and Hamlet excite.
Bloody dqggers --remorse-the ghosts OF
the departed---7pay ubei Indispensable to-
trpsadN but are not the. objects upon
which we love to rest our mental vision,
"sThe Merchant Of Venice inspires only
agreeable SENSATIONS. ganShyleck = tits
true; personifes the villain whose lavc. of
g9ld is only SECOND 70 bis love Of revenge
Yet, Shakespeare, in making "Sbylock'' "a
Jew, has, in a measure removed him nut
OF. the range of our Indignation. I'VE
could only anticipate, from, Jewish char
acter,ta misery creature, too mean to be
worthy even Of our contempt But who
can read that appeal for mercy which fell
from Portals" Hips. without the glisten-
ing tear attestipglto the great Dramatist'sI
genius Who gan dwell upon that moon
lit scene when the lovers, sitting upon
grassy bank, ,''let the sound of music creep
Into their ears, I without coming to, the
CONCLUSION that ,itnq]J ylpi Yos,G srG ia aid
yfb IT, soft Stiffness, and the night, :. d. d
,'9ii, Become the touches Of sweet harmony"
b"RiGliard the Third stan Is nextito the
sMerchant off Fenee,''iin our estimation.
True, Richard is n saoupdrel of the dark.
est dye; but herrxcitesa certain sympa-t
thy, by giving us the reasons by which
he excuses to himself his premeditated
crimes A prince-celebrated fjr his
deeds of warlike valor-yct, I'd
''cheated Of feature by assembling nature, v
DeformedEcQu .Jj2p A .n"- ~ = '."H
That dogs bark at nae as / halt by them" i i
The character of the neglected wife Of
Henry the Eighth is very beautifully de.
picted and few Of Shakspeare's lines are
so touching as that injunction of the de!
serted Queen, left to die. far from her
kindred and her native land: ''-'
''When am dead, good wench, n
me be used with honor strew me over %
With maiden flowers, that all the world may
know .4e s.l H'-"E1 4
was chaste wife to my grave. Embalm me,
Then lay me forth; although un-queen' d, yet like
A Queen, and daughter of King, inter me-"
Where shall We find painted in more
vivid colors the oft-repeated story of mans
ambition working mans destruction. than
in the admirable portrait of Cardinal VOL
sey? Where shall we see better repre-:
seulation OF a father S misplaced Judgment,
than in the pathetic pages Of King Lear ?
Where, shall we fud Jealousy which
builds upon @ a.a. a...
,r. ''Trihes light as air. aaal. so
better illustrated than in the character Of
H0thello?" When we would contemplate
a picture Of perfect Friendship, we. open
the pages Of the 1.-Two Gentlemen Of Ve-'
roaaj" and read1of "Valchtine !" and
there, TOO, We behold the oft-told tale, of
Y friendship "wounded in the house IF It's
4 friends aGGt" Tp'21l,"J obi sla- dt)''
+ In the character Of the clean and hun
gryIlooking Cassius,' hwe have the per-
soui6cation of the human tempter, who
stands sehtihel at eidgoro OF the heart of
nobler men leading them into the COM
initial of actions which their unshackled
sense of honor wouldihave taug bt them to
shuh!b Who does not thrill at 2these
owords ofthe lercenspirator; "Brdtus,"
ii*he, rebukihg "Cassius" farlpr6posing an
oath as apledge Of Itheirfollowers' loyalty,
exelaiins. az ~ 9ot'@nt 1'' - Oh ftf
/ 'sg4--."swear priests, ana towards, nr ''1.tl
old feeble cartoons, and such suffering souls ~
1fThst welcome wrongs Unto bad causes swear 10
suEc|h. Creatures " men Doubt 1uo7 10 a1l
| iButGspauey and some slight considera-
ton for the patience iof our reader, foibias
| itlieDlmges iraui4tmugq Of hhe' pleasure we
laxpBrisucein sdS sllinylupon ''thosei char
4 actens which most Einterest JUS in aShak-
! speave's oplaysj These portraits are not
4 statiouaryi figures iupon the acaavass, but
4 ,are igisena lifeslike motiony BY some in.
ddescribable touch ofnbe artists pencil, das
] Thepiays ofbShakspears areimostfaith.