The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1873-03-17
SHAKESPEARE'S HAMLET.
SECOND LECTURE By PROFESSOR
MILES.
An Analysis of the Character OF the
Melancholy Prince Of Denmark.

An Analysis of the Character or the
Melancholy Prince Of Denmark.
The second of the course OF lectures by Pro-
fessor J. W. Miles on the dramas of Shakes
peare was delivered last Saturday evening at
the Confederate Home, and attracted another
refined and appreciative audience. The SUBJ
jecs.of the evening was Hamlet, and the lee
turer began by remarklng the rare versatility
of Shakespeare's genius as displayed in his
leading characterizations. each of which was
distinct and dissimilar from ell the rest, but
was, at The same time, finished and complete,
with every shade of taste and temperament
mlnutely portrayed, and every phase of the
character presented, although sometimes with
but single touch. To the reader of
Shakespeare, who makes study of one
of his leading characters, aud becomes
aware Of the strength and beauty Of the por-
traiture, and then, turning to another and
totally different character, finds 1t portrayed
with equal power and delcacy, the effect is
similar to that that would be produced upon
one who had been long familiar with the beau
ty of his own country, and Ignorant of the ex-
,steHce ofany other, If he should afterwards
be introduced to other lands and find, after
careful and perhaps sceptical exploration,
that each was as beautiful as the one he had
left, and which he had believed to constitute
the whole world. The lecturer also pointed
out higher value In the dramas of Shake
speare than their fund of pleasure and amuse-
ment. They were, be said, among those works
which constitute what had been happily term
ed the "volumes paramount" of their tongue.
These were the works which, rising like
monuments above the other literature of the
language, illustrated the epoch Of literary
progress, preserved the purity of The tongue,
and reflected tne character OF the nation,
while they discouraged vice and stimulated
virtue In all coming generations. OF these
s'voumes paramount" the English tongue
possessed Spencer, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Mil
ton, and the English translation of the Scrip
tures There were, however, soma little wise
fools, who could understand nothing OF all
this, and who would cay, If questioned as to
their opinion of the great lights which had
from time 70 time illuminated the literary his.
tory of the world, "Oh, cannot see why Ro-
mer should have got such great reputation
as he has, and Milton, for all that he wrote 30
many thousand lines. he didn't prove any.
thing, and if Bacon dtd write 'Shakespeare"
I don't think 1t Is much to his credit, 1t is Of
tentimes obscure, always tedious, and, on the
whole, very coarse and vulgar. As to The OBJ
security of Shakespeare the lecturer replied, in
the language OF C,eridge, that we should first
ha hot III
thor's understanding before we pretend to un-
derstand his ignorance. AS to the charge OF
coarseness or vulgariry, 1t was admitted that
Shakespeare had employed terms. current In
his age, which were recognized as indelicate
or Indecent now, but he was never vicious
In bis teachings, and, on the contrary, he
exalted virtue and made vice, By stripping
1t of Its tinsel, despcable and abhorrent.
Coming to the Immediate subject of the lee
ture, he said that the character Of Hamlet
was chiefly notable tor the subtle psychologl-
cal analysis which 1t exhibited. He described
the character as that of high.mipded. hon.
orable youth, never devoid Of physical cour-
age, and not wanting In other attributes OF a
gentleman, bnt With strongly reflective or
interpretive cast of mind which, especially
under the pressure of terribly diflcnlt duty,
caused him to be, In action, irresolute and
apparently weak. Taking up the play at the
scene where the ghost of Hamlets father has
Just related to his son the horrible method of
his murder, he described the conflict
Of emotions which agitated Hamlet in
the brief interval between the dis
appearance Of the spectre and The
entrance of his friends, Horalio and Mar
cellus. Horror at the foul and most unnat-
ural MURDER" detestation of his uncle who
had committed it, and fisl and loyal love for
his murdered father, all urged him to the full
hlment of his oalhs of revenge BY the most
speedy and efectual means; but there arose,
too, lingering doubt Of the authenticity oil
the ghostly revelation, and his rapid but be-
wildered thought had brought him no farther
than the perception that, in the terrible task
he would be called Oh to fulfil, he must re-
quIre some dissimulation, when his friends re-
turned. Therefore, be pledges them never to
tell or hint of that nights visit from The other
world, nor TO pretend that they knew aught
of him, show strange or odd so'er bear my
selfn and he even begins his dissimula-
ton then and there when he hears the
ghostly voice commanding them to swear
and speak of the spparition as "this fellow in
the cellarage, ""old mole," and "truepenny.'
Coming to the heroine of the drama, the
lecturer described the pressure brought to
bear upon Ophella by her worldly-wise brother
and father, Laertes and Polonlus, to compel
her to give up her love for Hamlet, and be
described the character of Polonius as that of
man in whom o too keen knowledge of the
world had blunted all knowledge of the heart,
and The courtier had consumed the man.
Ophelia having promised all her father wished,
and treachery having Intercepted all her low
er's mlsslves, he suddenly appears before her
and, perhaps In despair at her supposed faith
lessness, perhaps in pursuance of settled
plan, he has the manner OF ma6man.
She, frightened, tells her father, and
this wise old fool finds out that Ham,
let ls "mad for love-" and rushes to
the king with his discovery. Then comes the
arllul plans devised to test his madness, Rosen-
crantz, Guildenstern, Polonius and Ophella
being sent to him as spies TO draw him cut.
and ending by being myst'ded more than ever,
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