New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-03-30
MORE sBAKEsPEARIAN CRITICISM
,. "A. EDITOR Of The rriou

.. "A. EDITOR Of The Tribune
Gu. Mr. Richard Grant White, in his article
IN the April GaaTy entitled "Ihe case Vi "n'' -,
Youngcr" supposes Hamlets age TO De- al inc ''"o
ms fathers DEATH trey years, and he also s'aics t'
uou, NJ his own death thirty years OF age Ihese
are Mr. Whites words at page tSG OF INC u"'aSg AZ
,,is ,,ro Hamlet was n student at college. HIS
e,oc ace Is not known but could not have been more
than ,r.uiy Years" At pages J35ii he says,n speak
,nc Of amiers death Cut OF thus, IN the early prime
NJ his manhood-for by this time he had come 10 pe
thiriy years old-he yet felt that TO sec NE laue
auav was happiness" Thus, according to Mr.. Wine,
ten years earscd between the deaths of the elder ana
The younger Hamlet. cannot find anything In Snakes
peares play TO support this opinion. In the pay
scene" OF Act g. Ophelia in answer 10 HAMMERS "oi"
nv father died within these two hours OK
claims may. tits tictee ftoo months my lord lhe py
commences and soon after its sudden teIhlha'on w.
Rosencrantz and Gmdenstern, sent by the Vueo" ~
Hamlet Ros ''she desires 70 speak with you I'D
her closet ere you 40 10 bed" Ham. we So" oO'y'
and the act ends with the interview between
Hamlet and his mother, which occurs De IL reuhoin
bered on the night OF the play mus lar ohly ''"
pnonhs have elapsed. Scene OF Ae' opeus oh we '
n,nt Tho Queen replies to the Kings question where
a, our son % "Ah my good lord, what have seen TO-
,,,Itr, King" What Gortrudci How does Hamle:f'
She then describes the interview in the lines COM
nencpc Mad as the UiAd,' etc. Further on
in this scene the King says Of Hamlet, The sun no
sooner shall the mountains touch, Dnt VIC VIII snip MN
hence and lie then bids Rosencrantz and Guldensern
"seek him out" In they bring him hcfore the
King who tells him that he must embark for England
aud commands Rosencrantz and Guildenstcrn to
Follow bin at foot; temri him Tith speed aboard;
Delay it not III have him heaoe oHiyaL"
In scene comes Hamlets letter to HOlatio, from
which quote, SIRE We tioo days od al seo' a
nitrate gave us chase" Hamlet alone was taken
prisoner by the pirates and by them brought Dack 10
Denmark in short time, judging from his lcter 10 inc
King in scene 7: 81 am set naked i'll our klnGdom
Tomorrow shall beg leave TO see your hihgy {! 70
when shall go recount the occasion of my sudden
and more strange return" Then follows the pot
against the life OF Hamlet, arranged by inc
King and Laertes, and the death Of Opheha' "hleh
sloses the seventh and last scene OF the fourth ACT Ae
Hamlet appears at the burial OF Opheha winch tooA
pace the merit day. proved by the Kings remark 10 L"e
les at her grave, near the close Of scene l. hmg-
Strengthen your patience in our last nights speech TO
IaertesI "We' put the matter the present push
meaning Of course that he would hasten the fencing
match between Hamlet and Laertes. Not much time
could have passed between this and the second scene NJ
the opening Of which find Hamlet relating his adyen-
turcs to orato (Which he would naturally do at the first
pppouuify) and expressing his regret that To Laertes
he forgot himself" Then enter Oric, with the words:
~Your lordship Is right welcome back 10 Denmark
Hamlet accepts the challenge and the fencing match, re-
sultiDg ia his death, follows immediately Allowing
SIMPLE time for the Of Laertes from France ana
for the King OF England TO send an ambassador TO the
Court Of Denmark, announcing the deaths OF Rosen'
erantz and Guildenstern, cannot account Tor more
than SIR months, instead Of 10 years That Hamlet was
DO years OF age Is known from his conversation with the
yravedggcr in Act Scene but there no proof that
he was his fathers DEATH at the commencement
OF the play months after that event different
opinion Of Hamlets at this time is expressed by DIT
Geryinus IN his "shakespeare Commentaries" trans
lated by F. I. Burnett, vol D. page 1870, who says OF
Hamlet that in Gdrdnced ycarShe was stl at the Uni
yerstv" object TO Mr. Whites confusion Of Shake
speares Hamlet with the "HysiOre OF Hambet," which
very different story. one of his reasons for DeueN
M in IIaules youth that che Is spoken Of the
young AdOnis Of the North (GddJy page $685. perhaps
he In the old "HystOre," ia SdXs GfaInmdtleus,
but certainly not III Shakespeare.
NciC York, March o. 1870. a SCBSCRIDER's' WIFE