Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-04-07
Romao and Juliet.


offer to our readers a critical examl-
nation of the beautiful work whose
we are to witness to-
night.
Among all the plays of Shakespeare
this one which is perhaps oftener act
ed than any other, and yet none OF
them we think is as generally misun-
derstood as regards its scope and pur-
pose.
The general impression of Romeo
and Juliet is that it is a mere sentl-
mental love story, expressed indeed
in exquisitely poetical language,
but love story pure and simple. only
this and nothing more" Shakes
peare did not SO write, he could not
write so; he could not write without
sounding depths in the mysterious
ocean of human thought and passion
such as only his genius could fathom.
If Romeo and Juliet had ended with
the second act, when the lovers have
been secretly married In Friar Lawren-
ces cell-the point where ordinary love
stories always do terminate, it would
have been indeed a mere love story,
and, according to the ideas of Shakes
pears tine, would have constituted
a comedy of the same type as Twelfth
night" or "All's we'll that ends we'll
But instead of ending there, the true
tragic business only begins after the
marriage.
The first act is pure comedy; not
even the imprisoned sentimental COM
edy of which the two plays above
mentioned are types, but the euphuistic
comedy of happy coneeits and gallant
witticisms of which "Loves's labor
lost consists exclusively. Its theme Is
a society of Lord and Ladies courtly
polished and accomplished with whom
amusementis business, and the favorite
amusement what they call love, but is
more correctly described as gallantry
a love to be talked about in penslve
witticism and to be laughed at in bril-
liant epigrams; Romeo is there love-
of the true pattern satirised by Jac
ques
''sighing like furnace with a woe'ui oai
Made to his mistress eyebrow"
His lady love is not J uliet, whom h
does not even know as yet, but SOM
! young lady named Rosalind, whom h
f has selected to become the object o
l those poetical gallantries which are a
essential ornaments of the fashionabl
youth as his ostrich plume and his sat
in doublet; and he assumes the mel
ancholy madness which time out
mind has been the lovers luxury; h
is mercilessly laughed at by the ga
Mercutio-and rather likes it; and tn
fantastic passion sinks but little deepe
into his soul, than his love for HI
horses, hawks or hounds.
- Juliet is also in this act high Dor
= Young lady, who is rallied about hi
= beaux, and prepared dutifully to ia
: in love with the young gentlema
3 whom his mother has selected. 81
" walks amid the scenes of light al
A gallantry.
u an maiden meditation fancy free"
: But lust at the end of the act, the tV
" predestined lovers meet and are atom
translated from a world of fancy to
world of passion.
90 The second act is very rhapsody
of love. The old Persian mOnodles
- the nightingale and the rose are VIZ
20 ten in this key; and no nightinga
,o ever chanted his passion in sweet
al melody than Romeo, no rose ever
49, hailed the secret of her soul IN pI
20 fume more exquisite than Juliet. b
90 the lovers are secretly married, a
- almost on the instant they aWak
~ from their dream of passion to
- dread realities of life; they find that
90 fate which has brought them togett
is no dream of fowery dalliance,
n destiny as stern asever woven IN I
Furies' web.
Now at last the tragedy begins
earnest in rapid succession follow
Shaving of Tybalt, Juliet's cousin,
her husband Romeo, the banlshm
of Romeo, the urging on Juliet OF
hated. dreaded nuptials with Co'
Paris. not only hated now butte
with a religious terror as mortal
sgainst her previous marriage Vo'
then the device of the friarof pol
to produce temporary death as an
cape; and here the passion rises to
pItch of moral sublimity. Jul
gteeled to the doing ofanything rat
than violate her marriage vows, ga
be ers up her moral forces for the t
the struggle with her fate in a spe
which for heroism and tenderness &C
bined has never been surpassed e
by Shakespeare himself.
in 90 hid. Eae leap, rather than marry p
E~om off the battiementS of yonder 10
at OR walk in thieyish Waysi or 9lQ me
II Where. serpents are chain me Win
tL;o Or hide me nightly in a charnel house
'hiS O'er-covered quite with dead men s fat'
lear bones, -,
With reeky shanks, and yellow ehal
was skulls;
- Or bid me 90 into a new made grave,
inc And hide me with dead man III
tue Things that, to hear them told, have
vice me tremble; -.
And will do it without fear or douDL
Jew To live an unstained wife TO my ;
1ast love-"
fits Then follow the apparent death
awakening in the tomb, the I'm
tout Romeo, who was to rescue her, dea
nan. self-administered poison, and her
ppal death on the bosom of her lord
he husband.
and What phase of womanhood is
ID to untold, from the gay impulsive girl
v TO impassioned woman, the devoted
was the intrepid heroine daring death
His err than dishonor sin or faithlessne
wing the dying victim, breathing on the
than bier which holds them both, a 81
faith and love, faith immortal as
love stronger than death.
week We are told and on good auth