New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-04-27
Music AND TIE DRAMA.
,.,sy ,,rf1 COW IN fjYMBELYNE.

a. mart. and the brilliant multitude gave one
- tha eaddest Of popular greetings to this fayorite
actress Of tho time. Miss Nelson came forward IN
an kespeare's drama Of "Cymbeline," and aeted
Tnossn. This play--eomparativey unfamiliar 10
..,tAmporary krowledRe-seems never, at any Time
- the history of the stage. to have been fayorte
ritt theatrical audiences. In New-York it has had
INT fye reyiyais In more than hundred years. ana
ttse have occurred at long intervals and been OF
hr,.f continuance. The names OF Barry Mrs. SnaW
md Mrs. harrow are best remembered IN as
4 EQUATION with it on the American stage. IL
had slept for more than generation, when, IN tne
FAN of 1876 Miss Nelson revived IT, at Philadei-
mia but since then it has been reproduced oy sew
sral a. her imitators She herself first offered 1t |
Sera in Nav. 1877, at the Fifth Avenue Theatre. |
and IL was then seen-as again 1t was seen last |
2 ,iobt-tbat her personation of ImO5en is one |
"a the best Of her works and one OF the |
hest pieces of acting that have been witnessed II
AZ be the justification of the stage, as an INSTITUTION
Of great public benefit and social advancement that
1t eleyates humanity, by presenting noble ldeas OF
human nature and making them exempiars and
guides that most desirable idea is practically ana
spleudi1ly presented in this beautiful performance
Miss Nelson received abundant applause and many
Aoral tributes, and was several times recalled to
oublic view Mr. Edward Compton acted LeOnGt&S'
The ftlll cast has already appeared in this place.
"Cymbeline" is wonderfully pleasant play 70
read. The poetry of 1t is eloquent and lovely; ana
the Imagination Of its appreciative reader CHUNG
lightly over Its mere sinister Incidents mas ltS
aory romantic its accessories both OF the court ana
the wilderness, picturesque, its historic atmospne
fresh novel breezy ard exciting, aud the spirit Oh
,ta Influence tender and noble. Such reader, ike
wise fashions it's characters into an ideal FORM
which cannot be despoiled by comparison with any
visible standard of reality 1t is not. however, an
entirely pleasant play to witness In actua repre-
eentation. The acting version, indeed, IS consider
ably condensed from the original, by the excelsior
of various little explanatory OF the conoucI
and advance of the story and by the omission the
cumbersome vision of LeonatEs; and the gain OF
breyity thereby made helps to commend the work
10 n more gracious acceptance than it would be
likely to obtain if acted exactly according to Shake
speare. It's movement, too, is imbued with addi-
tional briskness by Encouragement OF its divis-
ions, 1t IL presented in six acts. Yet, notWith-
standing the skiIful cutting and editing to which 1t
has been subjected, "Cymbelne" remains some
what inharmonious alike with the needs OF the
stage and the apprehension OF the public.
For this there are several causes One. perhaps,
isits mixed character, its vague, elusive purpose,
and its upreality of general effect From the very
nature of his storya tale Of the sternest facts and
the ARREST inventions respecting Britain and Rome,
1000 wears ago-the poet in this instance. seems to
have been compelled to make O picture of human
life too litersl to be viewed wholly ideal, and
too romantic TO be viewed wholly literal. In the
uneouiyocaliy great plays of Shakespeare the &C
ton moves like tho mighty flow OF some resstiess
river. In this one 1t advances with the dlhuslve
and struggling movement Of a vast Summer cloud
The drift and meaning Of the piece, accordingly,
do not stand boldly out. That astute thinker, Urici
for instance after much brooding upon it, ties his
mental legs in q hard knot, and says that Shake
sueare intended, by this piece. to illustrate that man
ia not the master of his own destiny. There must
be liberal scope for conjecture when philosopher
can make such landing as that.
The persons In "Cymbeline.n moreover
inside from the wholly exceptional character
of Imogea-do not come closely homo to o
spectators realization, whether OF sympathy or
repugnapce. It is like the flower that thrives best
under glass. but shvers and willis in the open air.
Its poetry seems marred by tho rude touch of tho
actual It's delicious mountain scenes lose their
woodland fragrance. Its motive bluntly disclosed
In the wager scene, seems coarse, unnatural, and
offensive It's plot, really simple, moves heavily
and perplexes attention. 1t is q piece. in brief.
which lacks pervasive concentration and enthrall-
ing point. 1t might be defined as Othello" with
difference difference being largely In favor Of
"Othello.n Jealousy is the pivot Of both: but, IN
"Othellop jealousy is treated with profound and
searching truth with terrible intensity Of feeling,
and with momentum of action perfectly irresisti-
BILE A spectator will honor, love and pity OtheIto.
and hate detest. and execrate Iago with some in
fusion, perhaps. Of impatience toward the one and
admiration for the otherl but he is very likely to
view both Leomatas and Iaehimo with considerable
indifference; he will casually recognize the infre-
quent Cymbeltae as illtemDered and sonorous old
donkey; he will give passing smile of scornful
disgust to Clotcn-that vague hybrid of Roderigc and
Oswald and of the proceedings of the Queen. aud
the fortunes of the royal family in CONGRATULATIONS
as affected by the chemical experiments of Doctor
Cornelius or the belcose attitude of augustus Cesar,
in reaching for his British tribute-he will be, prac-
tically unconscious. This result comes of commin-
Cling stern fact and pastoral fancy in such way
that IN auditor of the composition is dubious
whether to fix his steadfastly on the One OF
yield up his spirit to poetic revery upon the other
Coleridge-whose intuitions as to such matters
were usually as good as recorded truth-thought
that Shakespeare wrote Cymbeline in his youth.
ful period. He, certainly, does not manifest in ii
the grip of cogent and glittering dramatic state
ment that is fclt in OthellO " and Macbeth"
The probability Is that he wrought upon the old
legend of Holinshed in come mood of intellectual
caprice. inclining toward sensuous and fsn'
ciful dalIiance with remote and somewhat
intangible subject Those persons who ex.
plain the immense feCundity of his creative
genius by stating that he must steadily have
kept in view the needs of the contemporary theatre
seem to forget that he went much further in hit
plays than there was any occasion for him to 90
in the satisfaction Of such purpose and thai
those plays are. In general far too great for any
stage that over has existed Shakespeare, 1t is
tain, could not have been an exception to the Law
that every author must be conscious OF a feeling
apart from cold intellectual purpose, which carries
him onward in his work. The feeling that shines
through "Cymbeline" is loving delight in th,
IL Il l..zaa