The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1873-03-06
SHAKESPEARE.
IN EVENING WITH TEE GREAT POET

| OllAAIOl IA1GU.
IN EVENING WITH THE GREAT POET
Lecture by Professor j. w. Miles ON
"The Clowns OF Shakespeare"
The first OF the series of lectures which Pro.
fessor J. W. Miles has consented to deliver at
the Confederate Home was given last evening,
and proved source of unusual pleasure to
the large and refined audience that had been
attracted by It's announcement. The specific
subject of last evenings lecture was "The
Clowns of Shakespeare" but the lecturer took
occasion in the outset to present an analysis
of the genius of Shakespeare, with a sketch
of the literary characteristics Of the age In
which he lived, and comparison of his artistic
and constructive skill with that OF the other
great poets of ancient and modern times, as a
general Introduction to the lectures which are
to follow, and which will treat principally of the
dramatic works of Shakespeare. This intro
duction was almost a panegyric, the warmth of
the lecturers admiration being tempered only
by the sorupulous care With which the cause
for admiration In each case was pointed OUT
and illustrated. The various schools OF Shakes
pearIan students and critics were described,
and the credit of the most accurate and genu-
Inc criticism was awarded TO ColerIdge and
schlegel. The flppant criticism that 1t was
the development Of literary advantages and
opportunities in the Ezabethan age that had
produced a Shakespeare, was combated as
a scarcely respectable sophlsm; the genius
of Shakespeare was innate and was not the
product OF the age. It was admitted that
without the advancement OF the history OF
the world up to that age the writings OF
Shakespeare would have been an imposslblli-
ty for lack of the abundant material which
lay under his hand, but 1t was shown that as
Cbaucer had been the greatest OF English
poets In the days of King Edward III, sur
passing all predecessors and contemporaries to
that time, 30 Shakespeare In his age, had
seized, compacted and crystalzed In his verse
all of the progress of the world up to the age IN
which he lived. The charm of the Shakes:
pearlan dlcL,on was shown to have been pro-
duced not by copiousness OF vocabulary, but
by consummate skill In selection aud arrange
ment; for while In the whole writings OF
Shakespeare there were but fifteen thousand
words employed, the works of Hooker and
other coRtemporaneous writer's contained
twice or thrice that number, and 1t was prob
able that the authorized vocabulary OF that
day would Include some ffty thousand words.
In the effort to compare the works of Shakes
peare with that OF other poets, the lecturer
had found but few with whom comparison
was possible, and of these he named, among
the ancIents, Sophocles, and among the mod
ern writer's Schiller and Goethe. He cited
the remark of distinguished critic that
Shakespeare had delighted In portraying In
different works the conlrasted action OF hu-
man passions In different human beings, as, for
example, he had illustrated In OLhello the tragic
aide ofjealousy, and In the Merry Wives OF
Windsor It's comic features; but he combated
this suggestion and believed that each sepa-
rate work was the separate, spontaneous en-
anatlon of his teeming brain, and that the
simple reason why the contrasts were ex-
hibited In the several werks was that the
contrasts existed In nature and were caught,
fixed and presented as they existed.
The lecturer then arrived at the specific
subject of the evenings lecture, and iliustra-
ted the versatility OF the authors genius oy
analysis OF the characteriz alton displayed In
the various clowns to be met with Ia his
dramas. OF these there we're fourteen or
fifteen, and while no two were alike-no two
could be taken for the same character under
diverse clrcumstances-they were capable OF
arrangement Into classes, of which the more
prominent were, first. the merry and simple
hearted fools, whose Wits were mol
unsettled; second, the cunning vagrants,
With acute but unsettled mind, and
third, the poor good-for-naughts OF
low intellect, confused and muddled, but not
crazy. These different phases of more OF
less nebulous intellect were amusingly Illus
trated BY the lecturer by readings from the
texts OF several comedies, the extracts being
most happily selected to illustrate the partiou'
lar species Of clown intended, and the readings
being accompanied by fascinating strain Of
running comment. The first illustration
given was the sc!lloquy ofLaunce In "The Two
Gentlemen OF Verona" (act. 2. scene 81 In
which that incorriglble scatter brain is berat-
Ing his dog Crab for his hard-headed stolclsm
upon the departure OF his master, like the
"prodlglous son' Next, Bottom was present.
ed with bis transferable but Irresistible ego
tism In the arrsgements for the play, in which
be was ambitious to perform the lions part,
and would "roar you as gently as auy sucking
doye.n Touchstone, in "As You Like It."
was presented as a gentlemanly fool, and
bis brusque love.making with Audrey and
hIs trsnscendent Impudence to all corners,
including the exlled duke, to whom ne e1'
pla,ped the nicetes OF the code duello from
the retort courteous to the lie direct, were
read to the manifest delight Of the audience.
The clown In "All's Well Th at Ends weli
waa descr,bed AZ an official fool, and depleted