The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1883-01-28
MIR. irving on Acting Shakespeare.

could not see play of Shakespeare
acted In booth without discovering some new light
Those who deny the claims of an art, described by
Notalre as 1.-The most rare and the most dGicult ~
care llttle fear for the drama. There are people
who fancy they have more music In their souls than
was ever translated into harmony by Beethoven or
Mozart There are others who think they could
write poetry paint pictures In Short do anything II
they only made the effort To them what is accom-
plished by the practced actor easy and simple
But as 1t needs the skill of the musician to draw the
full volume OF eloquence from the written score so 1t
needs the Skin of the dramatic artist to develop the
subtle harmonies of the poetic play challenge the
acute student to ponder over Hamlet's remuneration
OF Ophela-one of the most complex scenes In all
Shakespeare-and say that he has learned more from
his meditatons than he could DO taught by players
whose Intelligence Is equal TO his 1t Is only
shs stress and s,rain Of emotion which ia
stage. The actor should also have mastery
Of intellectual self-communlon. The whole work.
laid bare In the soiloqules. 10 present the man
thinking aloud is the most dincult achievement OF
our art. Here the actor who has real grip of the
complexities of the character but merely recites the
speeches with certain grace and Intelligence, will
be untrue. The more intent he Is upon the words
and the less tho ideas that dictated them the
likely is he to lay himself open to the charge Of
mechanical Interpretation ills perfectly possible to
express to an audience all the invOutons OF thought
the speculation, doubt, wavering, which reveal the
meditative but irresolute mind. Hamet's spirit
may be read In his face and the varying shades of
fancy pass and repass this mirror, they may yield
more material to the studlous pay-goer than he is
likely to get by the most dilllgent porting over the
text. 1t Is commonplace that the face Is some-
timesa more exact indication of the thought than the
most perfect utterance. An eloquent look n speak
Ing gesture, or suggestive pause, may be worth
inhnlty of foot notes.
Thousands who flock day tosee hakespeare rep
resentation, which Is the product OF much reverent
study of the poet are not content to regard 1t as a
scenic exhibition. Without 1t Shakespeare might have
been for many of them sealed book; but many more
have been impeled by the vivid realism of the stage TO
renew studies which other occupations or lack of
leisure have arrested. The great sale of the acting
edition of Shakespeare play Is simple attestatOn OF
this fact. Candidates In competitive examinations
still read Shakespeare with their TUTORS but they are
nevertheless, most anxious for the performance of the
particular play in which they are Interested They
have learned that tile artist Is not less instructive
teacher than the commentator But II we waive this
controversy, VIII the candid reader tell me that there
is no culture tn be gained from perfect stage rep
resentaon of Shakespeare modern art can furnish
Is II nothing that while the spirit of the poet is pre-
served his ideas illustrated by scholarly
detail. by harmonious pictures, by appropriate
music Ivy all that appeals TO tho sense of beauty
We do not quarrel with the novelist when he de-
scrlbes the scene in which his creations live and
move. How many famous passages In fiction can be
quoted to show that word-picture adds Infinite
force or charm to the most dramatic episode of human
passion So the stage, the accessories which are
perfectly atuned to the story most greatly enhances
its fascination. have heard that some people still
hold that we should play Shakespeare very much as
he was played In his own time But is one art to
stand still while others progress; or rather, Is tho
stage TO repndate all the aids of painting and music
to dsdain the fruits OF historical inquiry, shun the
archPologist and the antiquarian? Would my
readers like to Danish pictures from their books?
am not pleading for pageantS. Acting and acting
alone can make play successful but let us acknowi-
edge that by the legitimate OF the stage history
standing, and new zest added to the pleasures of
refined aste.-GOod Words.