The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-04-25


loF tFu,hs' axe did be Uriis them, nOt inF
the hakr Oi their PHILOSOPHY but toF the
paFPass Of briaging 70 hh theatre .
thfUnpng audiences.
Does this lelsen The poet2 Not At all.
A poet Il . uiln. and mas be fvl Con-
nocied with the brain aud the heart there
= stomach. Il Il the lhOugh Of . benH.
uisntalisi, that abstracts the pOelic mind
from the living nee,ls and natural desires
VI msn.
Thus The most profound philosophy Of
he human mind aud heart, which genen.
flOn alter generation. each more clearly
thAnits predecessor, has recoGuiEel truth,
UAS given 10 the Eprid IN Observation-Disclosures
Ut ernAin plays; iDF the PRODUCTION u
sbich, the drst aud moving purpose Wa
he desire In the heart Of Il poor and OBJ.
sure actor 70 place the Shakespeare IAmily
IA Z pOaitiOa0t more e1mi1ft and higher
s,ciL StAndIng-tO caable this quRndam
ieer-stealer aud glovemtker 70 buy the
hest mansion Ia his naive town, aud 70
decorate his father. the honest yeomGn
md bAilih. with the high dignity Of sOai
II ArmA These, ~ lar ~ We have means
10 Ascertain, Ners the motives that prom.
J,ed his brain 10 the large conceptions con.
talned in the plays Of Hamlet, Lear, Mac.
18th and Oihello.
At 40 age more mature than the whole
life OF Shakespeare, Goethe, the muzt prO-
ionnd thinker, aud greatest literary genius
OF Germany, commenced TO write the play
Ot Faust, the second part Of which was
concluded when is Suthor Vas in the
eighty-secOnd year oi his aye. This dra-
matte poem, -OVeFN hiCh hlsmInd u said "
nave brOOded for thirty yean before its
irt line was written. and which he and
,iis admirers deemed his cruwning master.
piece, contains strange mingling Of oil
the nhllnsonhic speculaiions aud cOntem.
plaiive musingsoi his life.
Dreamy philosophy, uncertain morality.
and Improbable speculation are the OBJ
iects OF the poets work, his drama bat the
dress, the establishment Of his theme.
As drama, his work il u failure; As = |
poem, success In 80 lar rs the Adornments
Il fancy aud the charms Of powerful and |
graceful expression can NO constitute Il;
but IN It's hrst purpose, the deliniation Of |
the philosophy VI life, il Is unsatiIaetory,
vague and contradictory, alIOrlinE no Ger.
tain help to the minds Of men. In this
respect It Is most unlike Shakespeare's
greater plays, where 4 broad cOmprehen.
sion and well.deaned system OF morality
illustrate, with the clear light Of truth, u
sure and saie path through the worlds
ways, that all who read may see aud 10
guide their steps
The play OF Faust Is exAmpled here 10
show, BY its contrast in purpose with the
plays OF Shakespeare, how differing cir.
and such different purpose Of
authors have claims for consideration in
the analyses Of their works.
Shakespeare's genius was that Of play.
writer, though his plays exhibit the wis
dom and the pOwerOi many sided mind
that grasped, as by intuition, great truths
which succeeding years and modern re-
search have but developed and amplihed,
not changed; and gave them, wrought by
his poetry into imperishAble characters,
10 the world.
Goethes genius was that Of philoso
pher, who, seeking TO publish his snecula.
i've thought, used the establishment OF
dramatic action to exhibit what he deemed
abstract and moral truths. but which sue
,eeding philosophy has refused TO verify.
Though milling as a philosopher, his sue
cess rs poet has gained for him the laurel
'-H~n which his learned speculations fail.
ID TO win.
%! ,iIr help Of the hypothesis, warrant.
ed by all the facts that have come down.to
u.s. that Shakespeare's chief and RCtuRting
purpose in the construction OF his dramas
was TO produce successful plays, we are en-.
lbIed 20 understand many points that are
Db.cure under any other view.
To show how this purpose OF the author
should influence our understanding and
analysis Of his works, let US take the ex.
ample Of II single character.
The question has been often raised, why
permitted misfortune TO
Overwhelm the vlrtuOus Desdemona, who
seems TO have deserved better fate than
the calamilies that so soon DESTROYED her
young and innocent life.
1t has been urged that her misiortunes
are attributable TO her error in making a
mattel between unmatchable races; again,
that II was because Of her disobedienee to
her parent, hat she suffered. Both Of these
are insufficient reasons; the first, because
we can easily SEQ that the same calamity
might have occurred il her husband had
been Venetian and the second, because
the same fate might have overtaken her II
she had married with the full appreciation
OF her father. The true reason why the
play SO presents the destruction Of this in.
nocent being, Is that such was the circum.
stance oil the story on which the drama
was built; and Shakespeare's cOmprehen-
sion OF human nature, enabled him to per.
ceive how he could exhibit the working OF
intrigue, suspicion and passion, under the
circumstances OF that story. In such way
that the death Of the sweet lady would b.
a natural result, while her very innocence
would give his art the means TO enlist In
her sad late, most completely, the hearts Of
his audience.
In so far as poetical justice, logical or
ethical right, call for different result, he
paid no attention to such demands, per-
ceivinG how often in life, poetical Justice,
logical or ethical right, are not apparent
within those limits in which we see life,
and within which the drama is placed.
Shakespeare's genius combines in one
grasp the several powers OF the artist, the
philosopher and the poot,
As an artist, he knew how 10 deliniate
each character 80 that It's effect upon sur.
rounding characters, and in the play,
should be in perfect accord, and also In
harmony with nature.
He knew how 10 contrast character with |
character 50 that their contact should rem.
der more apparent the peculiar excellence
OF each, as the painter makes his tints
more brilliant and effective by skillful re.
gard to complimentary colOrs He knew
how to so grouPan present his characters
and scenes to produce the strongest dra.
matte effects. He know how 10 invest |
every character with peculiar grace that
should lend its charm to beautify even the
commonplace.
His philosophy is broad and comprehen.
sive, but generous and kind. 1t looks
through the shams ofthe world, with pity |
for folly and weakness, but ever with a |
lash for vice. 1t fathoms the heart OF the
monarch, the mind OF the slave, and the |
intricate brain Of the Intellectual schemer
and man OF meditative thought. No de-