New-York tribune., 1885-01-02

HENRY calling oaf)
Uo there, thy rest of life is hopeless prison.
ELEANOR
And what would my own A3uitaine say TO ;sn tnal
First, free thy captive from h@ hopcios' ~ '''D'
0 devil, can FREQ her from the graVe'
ELEANOR.
You are too tragic both of us are players
In such comedy us our court OF provence
Had laugh'd at: That's delicate Lain lay
OF Walter Map the lady holds the cleric
Iovelier than any soldier, his poor tonsure
A crown of Empire. Will you have It again,
Offering the cross. nc dasheS F" ooo"''
ST. Cupd that is too irreverent.
A"o'' n''"0 '"'0 Your cleric hath your lady.
Nav. what uncomely faces could ne ne see yoq j.,
Foam at the mouth because King lhohaS iof"
Not only of your vassais but amonrs,
Thro' chastest honour of the Decaloguo
Hath used the full authority OF MS ohurcn
10 put her into GOdstow nunnery'
HENRY.
To mt her into Godstow punncry!
lie dared not-liar yet yet remember
tJe had me- mt her into n nunnery-
Into Iodstow into Hcllstow, Devlistcw
The Church the Chnrch -, -.uo aor,.,, i,
"ou > Tyos' "'"N lErit.
JJore we have tho introduction of strong individ-
ual passions which are necessary to adapt dispute
abont abstract principles TO dramatic treatment
p,,t tho obvious counterbalancing result of such
m;xtnre of motives is that it obscurcs the personal
A., of Rocket He is the central figure OF the poeul
ord II ia upou him that our eyes ought TO be h4ed
90 the traredy moves toward its catastrophe the
succession of events being evolved fr I'M MS
character. and his character at the same
time displaying itself through tho course
of action As Lord Tennyson has arranged
the story, however, the dispute with the crown INTO
winch Beckett put his whole SELF and for whch nc
pave his life is made far less interesting ana 'o-
ful than his somewhat forced connection VIVA
mere episode entirely distinct from the great lines
of his career One of the strongest hgal } N Eng
lsh history is thus exhibited IN such aim uhcer
tain light that the spectator remains IN douo' wha'
conception the poet has formed OF hnn. c'''h-
Mon of religion, OF proud, vindctive, an OPP
pressive churchman; protector OF the poor oi Al
insolent invader of the civil law-histofians have
taken widely different estimates of his character,
md ALI the various opinions seem to be more or less
;mperfcctly reflected in this poem. which only sets
in clear view one of his majestic ialitles-hls
leonine courage Possibly the iudgme OF IT," poet
Is that which he puts into the mon CT John oi
Salisbury in an impressive scene of the last act'
JoHN OF SALISBURY.
Thomas 7 would thou hadst return'd to England,
Like some wise prince OF tins world IRON his wars
With more OF olye-brancl and amnesty .
For foes at homethou hast raised the worid against
thee.
BECKETT.
Why, John. my kingdom is not OF this world.
JOIN OF SALISBURY.
TT Il were more of this world il might be
More of the next policy OF wise pardon
Wins here as well us there To bless thine enemies
BECKETT.
Ay. mine. not Heavens.
JoHN or SALISBURY.
And NAV there not be something
loo,- IN thapf xvl
On HOLY Church to thunder out her rights
And thine own wrong so pitiiessly. All Thomas,
The lightnings that we think are only HeaVenS
Flash sometimes ont of earth against the heavens.
The soldier when lie lets his whole self go
Lost in the common good, the common wrong,
Strikes truest ev'n for his own self. i crave
Thy pardon-I have still thy leave to speak.
TL0n hast waged Gods war against the King; and
yet
Yea even when we know not, mix our spites
And private hates with our defence of Heaven.
This is an acute criticism. But it does not make
The character to which it is applied especially suit
able as the protagonist of a dramatic poem.
II is not until we approach the close Of the play
that our sympathies are enlisted for Beckett. Then
the causeless resentment Of Eleanor moves US, and
Che steadfast aud noble spirit with which the arch
bishop faces his fate extorts an admiration which
The earlier scenes failed to kindle In Beckct's dia-
iogue with John of Salisbury just before the murder
expectation and with beautiful suggestiveneSs-t
poet touches us with his Old power and from that
passage the poetical impulse beats stronger and
Stronger until Beckett is struck down in his
cathedral.
Eleanor Of Aquitaine Is more vigorous persona
zion than Beckett. The traits of her character are
Few aud simple. False, shameless and bold, she
appears from the beginning the evil principle OF
The tragedy Her discovery of the entrance to the
labyrinth by means of the child Godfrey, her inter
view with Rosamund, the attempted murder. the
sudden appearance of Beckett. and the discussion of
The baied Queen first with the archbishop and then
with her own sophsticsl conscience, form together
by far the most striking and most dramatic portion
of the play. 1t is in these scenes, comprising the
whole of the fourth act that the poets inspiration
reaches the highest level and is most evenly sus-
tained The hot-tcmpered and vire Henry III.
makes Q picturesque figure; some clover and
grotesque speeches are put into the mouth OF
Walter Map; there is a realistic banquet scene
which deserves mention; and the marshalling OF
bishops knights, councillors etc. 10 effected with
due splendor. The love passages between Henry
and Rosamund are always romantic and deic&te
and tho second act which opens in the Bower, Is
introduced by duet sung by voices among the
trees in key which the lovers of English poetry
long ago learned to delight in:
Duct.
l. Is II the wind Of The dawn that hear in the pine
overhead
D. No: but the voice Of the deep as it hollows the
cliffs OF the land.
/. Is there voice coming up with the voice of the
deep from the strand
|. One coming up with song In the flush Of tho
, glimmoring red
2. Lovo that is born Of the deep coming up with
I the sun from the sea.
!. Love that can shape can shatter life till the
life shall have fed
2. Nay let us welcome him. Love that can lift NJ
life from the dead.
4. Keep him away from tho lone little isle. Let us
I be, let us be.
3. Nay. let him make it his own, let him reign in