New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-10-26


spontaneous, passionate tendency of his soui-fer.
in me very FIRST seIf-conmuning passage that he
uters he is found to have been brovnR on the exped
ency Of suicide, and not long afterwards We find HIN
avOwing tbs belief that the powers Of hell have great
control spirits weak and melancholy "a his own
II would be easy-were this either the time the place
for anything than discursSe treatment of subject
at vast and fanilisr-to multiply, hlus
trate, and enforce citations bearing upon this point
hint suffices. The sch Of Hamlet We say.
must be felt to have been-iu original and
condition. before grief shame, and terror arrived to
burden and distract it-ntensey sensitive 70 the ms
that are in this world the fact that It is an
evanescent pageant, passing. thin tissue over what
Shakespeare himself has greatly called the blind
of eternal night !" and all the vague and strange
influences. sometimes beautiful sometimes terrible that
seem waited out of the great unknown Mr. Booth 3
embodiment OF Hamlet thoroughly saturated with
this feeling that very often II 70 be-as indeed
ought to be-mOre a spirit than man.
The statement Of these fecities points AZ Mr.. Booths
natural adaptabity and qualification for the character
Nature has made it, in this actor "a property Of easi
to be poetic and spiritual according TO the mood
in which Hamlet is depicted Hence the ideal OF snake
speare the easily within his grasp, and he stands
abundanty justified tas few other actors nave
BEEN in undertaking to present H. Inc
spritualzed intellect the masculine strength the feini
nine sofneSs the overimaenative reason, the assude
of thought the autumnal gloom, the lovahe tempera
ment the piteous tearfreighed humor. the prineeiy
grace OF condition the brooding melancholy the phoso
phic mind and the deep heart which are eomunseo III
poets conception ind their roots and springs Ill the
being the Mr.. Booth seems 70 live HdhIet rainier
than to act it. His ideal, accordingly, is perfectly
distinct and a. We think, it il entirely Shakes
pe lrean. II presents man whose nature IF
everything lovabe; who placed nfon pm
nace Of earthly greatness; who ID afflicted with
grief that breaks his heart and shock that disorders
his mind who is charged with n solemn and dreadful
duty to the uillment Of which his will is wholly made
quatc who widely and understands 80 little the
nature OF things the universe Of Cod that his sense
OF moral responsibility overwhelmed and his power or
action completely arrested who thinks greatly out 10
no purpose; who wsnders darkly in the Dor
der land setwixt reason and madness, haunted
now with sweet strains and majestic images OF heaven
and now with terrific uncertain shapes Of hell and who
drifts amlessly OF misery into the oblivion OIL
DEATH This man is type of that class OF heins upon
the earth 10 whom life is dream all IFS surroundings
too vast and awful for endurance all its facts sad ACTON
impossible or ntful ard frutess and Of whom II can
never said that they happy TIL the grass grow
ing their graves. This type Mr. Booth displays Win
.ymmetery and grace of method that has long
been the theme Of universal admiration III tuis
country and in an artistic form which harmony itself
H. therefore, 10 true Shakespeare in this vast com
pick and difficult creation ana 10 interpret inc u
with beautiful action is 10 attain TO real greatness IN the
dramatic art then Mr.. Booth is well emitted 70 De
allied great actor "a any person OF whom we nave
record We have always placed high estimate upon his
genius his abilities and his him to
be unmatched III such representative parts ~ HamAf
RchsIeu Laciits Brtl,S. RcbGrd ILL.,. Idgo, and Der
tcco-and it seems proper, this time. in bidding him
welcome back again stage. that should indi-
cate AZ least general the grounds upon which
this estimate is based.
With reference to the action and mechanism Of hr.
Booths performance OF Hamlet many thoughts occur TO
us which space will not here permit 10 he set down His
method in the scenes with the Ghost will bear the SC
vcres examination: and do not think IL would be I'M
lust 20 repeat upon Mr. Booths acting in these sublime
-tations tie tribute that CIbber pays to the Hamlet 0f
etterton These test anC Mr. Booth leaves
his spectators entirely satisfied III the acting of them HIS
personation last night exhibited but little feeDiencss
such as might been expected the natural conse
ouence of his recent accident and suffering He coud
not USE his left arm hut he held himself in mastery con
trol throughout the performance, and while II did not
show all the yerye it showed all the Fepose and glamour
of its best days
Tbe tragedy OF Hamlet set upon Mr.. Days
stage in careful The cast of parts containcn
two excellent featuresthc POiOHVS OF MI Fisher and
the Is, Grare Diqger MI DsvdgeanG three Olerably
comuendahle features the LGeyes of Mr. Barrymore,
the Hora,io Of Mr. Rnggoid and the Oic OF Mr. Parhes
The other performances indifferent or worse.
&. Hamlet " will be four times repeated.