The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1878-01-24
THE LATEST BIOGRAPHY OF SHY.
L0OK---REVIEWED,

scene as man in the prime of life, while
we believe that he was then an old
| man.
2. They conceive him to have been
| boisterous and arrogant toward the citi-
zens of Venice and the court, while we
hold that, however stormily his passions
may have surged within him, he gener-
ally maintained in public an aspect of
composure, and in court an appearance
of respect for the representatives of the
law.
3. They endeavor to make it seem, the
one by reading, the other by rhetoric,
that he was not prejudiced socially, either
by bis nationality or his faith, while we
maintain the opposite of the proposition.
We claim that our view of the first
proposition is supported by
(o.) The greatest of all authorities on
this subject, and, as we have a right to in
sist, an absolutely conclusive authority,
Shakespeare who expressly, and in sew
eral instances, speaks of Shylock as
being old.
(6.) The presentations said to be given
by nearly all actors, whether celebrated or
| obscure, who assume the role of the uslrer
in the drama under consideration
(c.) What we gather to be the almost
universal opinion among those who have
read and studied the play.
a. The portraits which artists draw
of Shylock.
L. (a.) The testimony of Shylock
himself, Of Salarino, of the Duke and
Portia, the gentleman opposed to us in
this controversy seeks to explain away,
by arguments which We can not fifty
characterize without using language
such as we hesitate to employ. The
term which his legal brethren apply to
similar efforts viii readily occur to the
gentleman's mind ; but inasmuch as we
have not yet the honor to be member of
! his profession, we are not at liberty TO
avail ourselves Of the professional license
OF expression.
Juni thinks Shylock calls himself old,
because he is subtler than Bassanio; and
that Salarino was justified in being
surprised that a man Of fifty could not
control flesh and blood passions" But
in the first chapter of his biographical
sketch he says of the usurer:
| 'tAII this would compel US to place Shylock
| under the age of fifty years How far
under, we are not told. IL ne mad hatredS, age
had not piacated them.
II age had not ''placated" his passions,
why should 1t be surprising" that he
could not Control them? Is it so
| uncommon for us to see manhood in its
prime, swayed by 'sfesh and blood pas
sions, that we are moved to exclamations
of establishment at the sights And if
the emotions do not become manifest at
the period of physical perfection, when
do they assert themselves? Is it prior
to the time of bodily maturity or when
the "hey-dey in the blood is tame p
And ere ye expected to believe to-day,
that Shylock's manner AUST have been
stormy because his passions were strong,
and TOMORROW, 10 believe, no less i'm
| plicitly, that an acaaaiHt.i,iie Who seems
to have known him well, expresses won
derment at the activity of those eharac-
teristic feelings2 Verify, this is laying
no light tax On opf eredaiity.
We are told that in introducing to
Portia the parties to the suit, the Duke
distinguishes Shylock from Antonio
by the term Old" II the court was so
wanting la poBsr Of discernment, as to
| render this precaution necessary, tlat it
might be able to know thereafter which
was plaintiff and which WAS defendant,
we cannot deem it competent to have
1aade such nice legal Determinations as
those with which it has been credited.
Oae might well suppose that race char
acteristics, and distinctive facial features,
and differences in dress and manner,
would hs sufficient to enable person
less acute than :siea4ned judge" TO
| distinguish the parties. We rather
! choose to think, as any fair minded per-
| son must find the fact to be, that the
| Duke Esed the term because Shylock' s
| years made 1t an aprf9priste style OF
| address.
Nor can we accept the s'school- boy
explanation of Portals use of the word.
If she wished to express her adherence
of Shylock, hes fscitity of expression
would readily supply her with less nn-
certain language. The gentleman's ex-
PLANTATION may satisfy "school-boys, ''but
we fear its force is lost on persons of
ripper years. Every intelligent reader
| of Shakespeare knows that editions OF the
| poet, containing annotations and CLOS
saries, explain all antiquated, obsolete,
and oolloGuial forms, and indicate the
| sense in which aay rate CT uEEspGi use
of word is to be received. Can the
gentleman, with all his ability in re-
| search, cite US to the note of any editor,
which III the slightest degree gives color
to his ettenasted argument respecting
the meaning of ola in this connection
Or does he wish US to consider him go
much more learned i'll linguistic lore
| than any and all other commentators, as
| so suppose that he has discovered ocouls
shades of definition, which have escaped
the notice of a host of renowned and crit
zeal scholars This very word old, when
given s. peculiar application III Act ".
Scene Ii. of The Merchant Of Feaice, is
explained in the notes by Rolfe, White,
Tails, and Duyckinck, and probably by
every editor WHO has prepared notes OF
this play. This shows that the word,
when applied to Shylock, is to be taken
in its ordinary sense.
% In arguing this point, our oppo
neat is transported into ecstasies, by a
picture which represents Macready as
vigorous and comparatively young Shy
lock, and, in the exuoerance of naked