The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-01-24

A c~crresponde3t Of the National lnteLi-
asncer wiring over the signeture Of Eras-
mus. hes the following Interesting remarks
on the Ham'es OF The elder Booth:
The Hamlet 81 the elder B0oth was, from
/ frat u last. a thing Of ne, Of life spiritual,
I intellectual, and physical. He presented
the vanug Dane az q sueer- 2 al the mocke-
res of tbs usurped court by which he was
/ surrounded: with a Byrouic hate and DIS
trust OF his unlocking; snd with a cold re-
! srect end constrained, hating love, yer n
Z repressible, for his mother. his melan
( eboGy veined with the clement OF sections
Q evea In its dawn; hut SITTER his interview
with the Ghost, action stirred the entlre
picture-dreadiul, restrained, soul aetion
aud purpose, written ia every feature ana
I motion thai swept him alOng, yeerlng, 10 be
sure, Lac a ship lacking under skiIoi aue
strong hauds. but slwsys tull OF power, ana
pending D. the force OF his passions 10 the
main object OF his lie. All that stood
IN the way Of the 0s5tctsre point Of
Boh's Hamlet was swept ASIDE
with IRONY and deris 90, or by courtly d.
utouacv. these out OF the way, then csme
! The never sleeping purpose, as full Of threat
eeIng and FIRE Is the deceittul tropical
cloud. He played with Eolonius, ana
squeezed the old ministers points out oil
him as il he had been 9 sponge. de IN
] twisted the EuAlG AlA4 " AaAA - 4R 80
Iege-fellows with q degree Of contempt for
their patfv surrender 10 the tricks Of the
King and Queen that rose into hardly sup
nressgd hate. His earnest love tor Opheiia
.eamed converted into an cement to terriiy
her into some disclosure, if haply be pos
sessed the knowledge. that might confirm
his parson-l conviction OF the ruth OF the
story Of the Ghost. The u~ucOnquerabie
love that he bears his mother appeared IN
The famous closet SCENE as II wholly reflected
from the msmory Of has deceased father,
and as if its tenderness was consuming
in the heat OF reprOach that be ialrly
hurled upon her with mastery eloquence,
until the nterpositi0n of the shade 70 whose
rsvenge he was dedicated, and whose behests
alone .sof.ened him into kindness. The
tenderness Of Booths Hamlet was more IN
the pathos of its fzcts than in any sentl-
mental action that lie gave 1t. HIS sensi-
tive conscience seemed appeased, and MS
higa moral being stimulated, the nearer
that he approached his opportunity 10 I'M
mola5e the hlng. in all his s~oliloquies and
philosophical ESSAYS, the dramatic action 81
Hamlet progressed in Booths painting, If,
perhaps, we except the episode IN the
churcpVard; and even here the lnry OF ms
ecstasy. when he raved over Ophelia's grave
Iookad like fire reflected from his hatred OF
-. The King. and converted BY has double
griaf mo monetary insanity. The
, :, mo,s ..Vo he or not l. be- was rendered
; q If Hamlet was weighing the conse-
ouepce OF Saicidc 70 T0ioto AP0A ne
> dseth of the King at his hands Tor there
was rather bitterness than melancholy, OF
mere abstract speculation IN us tone. Inc
kew TO his Hamiet Is expressed IN has
pi-loe made 10 the Ghost that be would
erase from the tablet OF has memory al
e OF Their records but tine one then and there
:, written on his soul by the supernatural rev.
~elation. Hamlet, in his hands, was not Tbs
cold perfect grt-picture Of Macteady, no.
the often Oyer-vigOrOus portraiture Of tof'
rest. nor the elaborate aud pouder0ns and
shle lecture OF Murdoch. nor the lovelN
poam. as We regarded Edwin Booth
4 Hamlet when We saw il some years ago
But in the execution OF the eide.
Booth. Hamlet was genius guided j..
veneeanee, scattering its rich pho %
phical distractions ana may m~etaphysic
- the restless engine throws OF its spark
while rushing loa p~rsct!cal goal The lums,
h.. Wu.tration Just used BY us perhaps convey
gell enough our idea, winch -, that OF
: great and noble mind. full OF love and ma
iesiy. Of peace and OF religion, OF sentlnen
- and philanthropy and unlyecssl aims SUD
. DENLY warped firm its native 1ent ana de
voted TO d single q eadiul and bl"ody pun
~ rose. such 3 ntu1s ~ hlrh90As =
> terrible end, would not laa 70 throw oil b.
= ,he way. IN rs r hect,Ve moods, the eyi
aencrs OF its high nature and bright en-
. d,wmsnts. So Booth treated Hamlet IS
Ioving to lingsr with the great things c
humanity, ana yet sternly nhexible 70 "a
4, rrihce every hing IN love, philosophy, an.
J., sentiment 20 the paramount duty Of h!
70 lie, whose achievement was certain 90 lur
- .himtoruia. What We have written perhap
hesL conveys our cOnceit Of the Hamlet ,
Booth 10 has best days. Ia many years pre-
: viops 10 his demise his Hamlet was a differ
d. pnt and q lar ieebler thing. We do not So
a that Bo0.h-s rendering wss the best smpn
,f his rivals, or that It was, critically, Il
& Hamlet OF Shakespeare. Bat u was q pee
v of acting that moved right ont was ~
:, in its ga ck nervous step, life in feature
IA that dssbel with suppressed emotion, li
"A that gave fearful u~ttsrsnces in his hurre
+ and arslessIv-dcciasHsd but magnihceuty
delivered s~olAoauie-, that, irons other lip
are at most distractions LIE rushing with.
n the .'calm Hamlet, like the undercur'eI
"a OF the treacherous ocean. No one would &
n TO sleep and but few would rise from fhei
A. seat, uader Booths Hamlet, and yet ther
YVES nothing forced or Outys in a single seen
Gift. II was an unbroksn pisce Of work, d
consistent T. its end as Is the smiling, Oh
8iyerging river from it's source to itS Eoutt