The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-03-12
"HnmIet,, and Fechter.

A correspondent sends Us the following criti-
cism on Mr.. Fechter's personation of Hamlet"
In the very first year OF the seventeenth century
diana was written in London. The author was
stage manager and proprietor, full OF work. an emf
nently successful and practical man, who had built
himself fortune by his own labor. With the repu-
tatiOn OF being ruined reprobate he had run away
from home to escape Imprisonment before he was
twenty, to commence life as call-boy at theatre at
twenty-five he was shareholder In the same theatre
and an author OF repute the road to fortune; at
thirty-three he purchased handsome house; and
at forty retired from active life to enjoy existence
OF elegant ease with the fame of being capital
business man. as well as the author of about forty of
the best acting dramas OF his time
This Is, in BRIEF the history OF Shakespeare, and
yet by some strange freak one OF his most success
ful tragedies has been separated from the rest to
serve as a mere intellectual problem. Hamlet is
read line by line, and scanned syllable by syllable,
until every word becomes a text 80 preg1iant with
meaning that it is in danger OF meaning nothing at
all, and the hero must lose ali individuality in order
to become problem in metaphysics
In fact the play was written by an active mana
ger OF theatre to suit the demands OF his audience,
and in the steady pursuit Of so practical an aim
great and good man wrote glorious drama, just as
plain printer In after times undertook 'model
letterwrter which turned into the first novel, and
an antiquary putting his information into market
able shape found 1t grow into the Waverley Novels.
something more, let 1t oe carefully studied as an
entirety but not 80 treated that it is debased into
audiense alike bewider their brains
Now, Mr.. Feehter may not be the "Hamlet," or
even good "Hamlet, but at one dash he destroys
the tragedy as II 1t was new drama written but
yesterday and as If no had studied 1t before
AS If he had purchased it for himself, and had
bought the undisputed right to read 1t according to
his own understanding
Never for one moment does the auditor stop to
wonder which Of the eight readings of "there are
more things in heaven and EARTH" ETC., the artist
will choose, or what he will do with "to be or not to
be-"
The standard stage student, who doubts every.
thing and then doubts his doubts, never appears
| there s not even glimpse OF his note book. Mr..
Fechter has imagined the hero to be poetic youth,
averse to action, yet urged to it against his will
The artist in his minds eye, sees man mlrrored.
This man may not be Shakespeare's "Hamet >
he certainly is not the conventional "Ham-
let" but he Is man consistent In
| every thought and deed, and no mere
bundle OF aphorisms: The actor has thought his
way straight through all the perplexities he be-
heves that the play has one simple, obvious mean
ing, and, strangely enough the words, obedient to
his power do mean upon his tongue just what he In
tends them to- Although not quite ready to accept
his version OF the play, yet while under his persona
influence and presence the auditor feels as II by
some magic chance he had been permitted to see
the "origmai" text unblemished with marginal
| references and unconfused by footnotes, and the
memory afterwards does not rest admiringly upo1
| "points," but recalls harmonious and effective
| whole.