The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-01-28
SONE NEW HOOkS.
Wa. Shakespeare snobt The Great Poet
Criticised from an American Standpoint.

trittciscd from an American STANDPOINT.
when people wrote Of Shakespeare in the
last century they doalt with him as a man. and
not ~ u fotch. Dryden and Johnson were able
g. stand alone. and did not feel Themselves con
.trniucd to bslcck AN idol in order to accrcdt II
priesthood. But scarcely any reputation mas
come down to VIZ in II state Of tocrahc robust
ness which has not been mudc to furnish meat
and LODGING b. one bookmakcr or another, and
such Il volume Of parasitic literature has accu
mulatrd about the author Cf - llaml" that the
name Of a Shak Hsp"arcan mmcntary issynun-
ymous with insult rallc boredom. The lust
If the bard Ot Avon il fairly ny
blown with those satellites. II anything
fresh aud fruitful remains 10 be- said
al him. he must toe approa he'd from an entire
ly new standpoint, and in the rurpoe" of UNI
nnching truth-tclling. without the smallest re-
gard 10 moro opinion unsupported by solid
facts. A cold. som what cynical. Analysis Of the
poets personal character as betrayed by his
plays. and Of the precise ethical worth belong
Ing to his tra .hingS would. at all events, have
Lir and promise in ii. and lust this has been
undertaken 10y Mr.. GEORGE WILKES in the book
iarur. lA Shakespeare JrOnt an iWey'cdn IOud
~ Ju,r Iendon. sampson. Low * Mar-tpnl
No attempt is horc made tn impeach the con-
tummut merits Of the art hut W" are asked
b. consider Shakespeare. tn man, and to draw
Tor ourselves tAc inference how far he may safe
Is d. trusted as roune 'llor and an oracle.
THIS volume s'oms b. have been prompted 10y
a " IN to in,e-iigai' the so-eailnd Bacon
theory g- 20 the authorship ol Shakes carc's
t.y--a theory which never had much sub
stance. and which. We may not' IN passing. Is
eff tuali, demolished ~ NJ. wilkes. But thu
marrow and perhaps somewhat trivial inquiry
soon wid III into % suggestive and important
7'"N' i' d. w." 49, 'N'''''' ''' so" ''"l'"
w 90 - Ian ~ 'i'' "hh MS at '"'' ,'""'"
u.'' ~ 20 4'' ''.'' i'''''"' J." VI N"N7 ""in
a. ''' ~, ""S "" ,' "'''' - '"" w. ",','
rNi u" .9"" "n' -Nnl'i Guns "'' ln"'"t'u
ui''t ''' - wiz 0'''" '"r' " i''hu "'
ul' j. "l'"' 'r WIS n' I" h'"i' " ''U'''r sF'"-
p''n'' ~H''' ms "ri"ih'N u p'tth'h'
u" ~ H. II "iS phys H' - I"hN h'M 'i'
h'hi' "h"h- ln' nous MOI" monitors oi COM
mvn"'".th. Now Mr.. Ni'kcA proposes 10 snow
iivin Inc s'im"hy oi inc pays lh"' I" the
rui hS cl"s~' "i ur'"t brthih Shak'sl'"re
Il not only the poet. but the patron
OF th'lr oii"r' anu also the urr''ss IN '"l'A'"r
O. tl"sr lof'ils ~ popular ols'puioush"ss Whlch
Iohs nave been ihe marvel oi Ia" CIVILIZED
Yrrih under the almost purely personal form OF
English patriotism. The author of the Shakes
ro're plays has been IN ms way the unseen unseen
t' H., -. =,
,... r''.,t, .,..'',','. a..
-, ~ .,,t ,t M IL, ,,,,i -,
80. a. v,,i, MI ,l, ,t,,,iit,,
- . -, n - ~. -. 80 h.
-, -. =, -
W. -. ,'r gu ~ -. '''
,,. ,,iiI.. i, IL, ,., ,,,,,,tt, 80, ,,
t.1 is,,',, tr,,.,.t .',, ,i,,,
-, 81, ~, 49,. ,., . A., - - .
-
L q.
mats tha' the unvnrylng inclination which
Shakespeare shows To speak with contempt oil
inc l"h"rils cHss spiahg from some hoton
IN inc poet hlhhth"' u" was gentleman NM
s'li. inns luea mus support III inc la'' thdt ne
rouiu trace MS name on Vh' sue 10 'ne oa'ie Oh
hus' ana mr. az, 's'"'s ON '"'" s'u's 10 inc
uat'i' Oh bosW'fth fieId hut more usthfy IN
go ,, ,, H., ,r'
-, - 49,, , . 80. a., a., ~ ,,t'.
,,"s - T,i ..'''. -. =, 49,,
-, -, H., ,. ~ - ~, a.
s,n,''S,'ra ,ha, 81, ,nt1 h",', ,l.'.D,',
ne ,.,,,. haI m 81 Sho,.'s,,,.,,a
w ", - ,,'. 80. ~.
',t,h - ,t ..,.,''t. ,, M
- 49,, ,'.,. .'',', =. ,.'.,, -,
so', ~ ai,.n 49, -, '"n
,y'i,I 6dition 81 MS always being too
bitterly derisive OF greasy mechanics. -
wooden slaves. and peasants as he terms
The masses from whom he sprang. Mr.. Wilkes
follows the poet step by step through his
Uranus and demonstrates that. with the excep-
tion of two instances, he never alludes to people
below the nominal rank Of gentlemen in any
other tone than that OF contempt 1t is, how
ever shaktspeare's perverson Of the great pop
ular upheaval known A. Jack Cades Rebellion.
t. which W. would direct attention. " However
much, says our author. W. may have been
disposed t. humor other portions Of his text.
AMI tread iastidiousy when charging him with
want OF sympathy for the poorer Glasses. il is
obvious that ther" can he no two opinions about
his treatment of Cadc. and We resign ourselves
without further struggle 70 the feeling OF pain
and disappoI ntnent which must afiiia every
hdnlrer of Shak'sprare's genius at his deici-
cncS of better nature"
Mr.. Wilkes points ont that thore IL no ,ynv n,
conceiviny AN excuse which can he craIitahl Il,
the poet for his MISREPRESENTATION of fine K,nt-
ish patriot. There WAS no uncertainty uhout
the source. OF his information #. hal III.
truth lnid before him hy thesnne chroni,l..rs
whom IA, had taken as his guides in his nr..