The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1877-12-27
.EM6ltShEEt FERA TuRE:
Lectures Delivered BE.
fore a Glass in.English
=. Literature, at Nor /
q thington, BY the Il.
= Editor Of the; IL
7" Advance. - - 12:s

~ Su1NSIOU, ~ TITO
q Editor Of the;
Advance. .
1UCTURI ~.
.-- SHAKESPEARE.
VIM. Shakespeare was born in STRAIT
ford, in the month of April, 1864. His
father was dealer in wool and gave
the young Shakespeare a limited edaca-
ton. At nineteen Shakespeare was
to Anne Hathaway, who. was
seven years his senior. A number: Of
writers relate the. story that he was
guilty of violating the English game
laws, in killing deer and COMES, and
that Sir Thomas Lucy had him runis!:-
ed, even to whipping and imprison-
ment. Shaw rejects the whole story as
false. but does not tell why Shakespeare
left Stratford, as he did at the age of
%. The probability is that he had fall
en- into disgrace at home and fled
to London to escape and to seek his
fortune. For it is true that misfor-
tunes hound the gifted and that great
and sore troubles drive them to immor-
ttlity and to Heaven. If il were not
for the scriptural explanation of these
things, we should think that the gods
were envious of men of genius and
must mann, cripple, disgrace, or dis
tress them, to keep them down. But
we see that it becomes the means of
lifting them up. Joseph, Moses, Bum
yam, Bacon, Spencer, Shakespeare are
all examples of this. Byron and Scott
were lame, Homer, Milton and Betho-
ven were blind. Arrived at London,
Shakespeare, IL seems, was drawn to the
theatre through his acquaintance with
several actors. It is said that his first
employment was holding horses for
those who came in carriages, but Shaw
rejects this story also. He soon be-
came actor and proprietor in two of
the London theatres, and thus put his
own plays on the stage. lie rose rapid
ly into favor and fortune. His proper
ty IN the theatre was worth about 7 600
pounds. equal to about $35, 600 of our
money. The Earl of Southampton
made him Il present of what would be
equal to 5000 pounds, or $25,0OO, and
he had a regular income Of about 1900
pounds, or over 81 900 year. Thus it
will be seen that poetry pays some
times and that Shakespeare grew rich
by turning his own into money. He
returned to Stratford rich man, and
died four years after at the age of 50,
leaving his mighty works to others,
with either most sublime indifference
to fame or a most singular under-esti-
mate of his own powers. Seven years
afterwards, his plays were published in
a shockingly incorrect form, and schol.
ars and critics ever since have beer,
contending for the honor of restoring
and calculating his works. For nearly
a hundred years, he remained unappre.
GATED by his own country, unit Schle.
gel, the acute German critic, told the
English that they had produced the
greatest lramatist of the world, and
from that day to this, England has
idoljZed Shakespeare.
Asto his character, all authentic &C
| counts agree that he was noble, gener
Gus and gentle to the last degree. Ber
Johnson, who was his friend and com
panion, said: "Iloved the man, ant
20 honor his memory, on this side idol
! airy" His famous sonnet he address
ed to- his beloved master, VIM. Slaks
peare, and calls him tl,e''gentle Shaks
peare" and the ''SWeet Swan Of Avon. ,
| lie died humble believer in Christ a:
the Savior of the world, as all his writ
lngS show that he was, and lefta name
which grows mightier and mightieJ
with every generation.
AS to his genius, expression has al
most exhausted itself in entleavoring t.
reach it. Dryden says that ':Shaks
peare was the man, who. of all mOderl
and perhaps ancient poets, had the larg
est and most comprehensive soul.
Lowell says that ''Shakspeare had tn,
most robust mind of any member O.
the human race" He has been called
Natures Child, as though he were thu
only boy Nature ever had. Certain i
is, that he was the choicest and rares
child that Mother Nature has produc
ed, and in him she has found 4 fulle
expression and representative than il
any Of the millions of her children.
PLAYS.
The plays which are ger orally admit
ted to be Shakspeare's, number 81. di
yided into eleven Tragedies, two Trigi
Comedies, ten Historical plays, ant
fourteen Comedies. The classiicatio,
IS different by different editors. Som.
dIvlde them into, J. Tragedies: 2
Histories. 8: Comedies. Shaw's di
vision seems to be the most compre
hensive: He divides them into play!
founded upon, l. History. 2. Fic
ton. The historical plays, then, di
vide into Legendary and Authentic
VI the fictions, 4 are tragedies, the resi-
comedies. -:
| CHARACTERS.
| There are so many ways of consider
Ing Shakspeare's, works that I find il
difficult to settle upon 4 method. Tt
do him anything like justice, we ought
to devote an evening at least to each o
the Leading plays. In course like this
we can only touch the tops of the great
| authors and their works. One. most
profitable and interesting method. is tt
group the characters and study ant
compare them as such. Thus ",
might take,
KINGS.
| l. The Kings. and study them as
Kings. 1t has been said that Shaks
peare taught kings royalty, that he
taught them how to speak and act
How majestic they are!. What noble
thoughts and language, what passion
and anguish he puts into these splen
did and kingly creations w nat NIGH
ty~refections are thrown in here and
there concerning the :unsatisfactor,
life of kings and the uncertainty Of al
human power! At the head of: these
,kingly characters we might place Lear
every inch king" as the great poe,