The Portland daily press., 1885-11-19
DRAMATIC POETRY.
Rev. DR.. DaIton's Second Wednes-
day Lecture.

Rev. DR.. Dalton delivered the second lecture in
his course to large audience at the hall of the
Young Mems Christian Association yesterday
afternoon. Dr. Dalton's subject was Dramatic
Poetry and he commanded the close attention OF
his hearers during the course OF his remarks.
The lecturer began with Fiehte's definition OF
literature and the province of the literary faculty,
which is to interpret the Divine idea of human
life. This proceeds plan which has gradual
but sure development in different ages and is, OF
course, marked by different stages of progress.
To delineate and discriminate these phases, is the
function of literature in its largest sense. Life
has two aspects, the practical and the ideal. And
the ideal is vewedin different lights, as the seer
is poet, philosopher, or theologian. VI all
departments of literature poetry is first by COM
mon consent, and of all divisions OF poetry, the
dramatic form is first, at least from serious and
ethical standpoint. The reason is, that dramatic
poetry paints life in action with constant refer
ence to its great issues 1t had religious origin,
and in its higher form, always aims to interpret
the deepest problems of existence Hence the re-
nown Of Eschylus, whose ''PrOmetheus reiateS
to the origin of civilization and its mysterious
bearings on the happiness or misery Oh mankho 4ha
Also his s'Persianso which commentaries the
victory of civilization over barDarisIn; anu nIatIy
his Trilogy, of Agamemnon, Orestes anu tne
Furies by which the laws which conIrol human
action and its SEQUENCES are exhibited in a man
ner to excite sympathy, awe, andLemene, teIlvqI
and pity. In like manner, though with less SUD
Unity Sophoehes the successor and, on the whole,
superior Of Eschylus, thirty years later; won tne
highest admiration 9I the tS tHe segs IF
Thebesv and "AntgOne." Eurlpldes, nfteen years
Younger than Sophocles, was only less successiui
In delineating the drift Of destiny In Aicestls,
.sFIecfra'S and "Iphigenia" These three were
the great tragic poets of Athens. A tourth, ArlS-
tophenes, was equally eminent IN COMEDY. linen,
as now in the theatre, comedy followed Tragedy
10 relieve the strained nerves Of the auditors. AS
in epic so in comic poetry, the nrst MASTER o5 ~ ~;
proved the greatest. This emnence is CONCEDED
tRo LristoDhanes by ancients and moderns alike.
His comedies called The CLOUDS, me
Wasps," "The Birds" and The Frogs, @ we're
doubtless the witieSt ever written, or acted Iney
delighted the AthenianS whose theatre seated
thirty thousand persons and was constructed IN
all essential points like modern opera nousH sf
with the exception of being without roof Al
our dramatic Technology, or nearly an y @ OI
Athenian origin Even the machinery OF modern
theatre, is as old as the Greek drama, whose w tse
ilIustrious names still stand at the head OF the
column, superior to all their successors Wlth tnc
exception of Shakespeare. ,....,,...
Menander and other Greek dramattsts, and the
same was true of all moderns till the birth OF the
EliZabethan drama, whose first father was chris
tOpher Marlowe, and whose greatest genius was
Shakespeare. ..,.,
Italy and Spain present no names comparable
with the great poets of Greece, though CaldeIon
and LOpe de Vega were prolific authors ana ols-
tingushed dramatists. ,.r-.,
France however, furnishes three who followed
In the footsteps of the Athenian poets. Inese
are Corneille, Racine and Moliere. Cornellle Is
the French Eschylus, and Racine corresposnus 70
whose excellence he approaches more nearly IMAM
any other modern poet. Comedies "Cld Is as
Grand in his way ee saS II are yet
more in the antique spirit as they are IN ioT ana
theme. Racine. in "AndromaquSe, S,,,s Mede@, ef aI
the French poets. But if we compare ms nerolnes
with the Greek, we cannot fail TO be impressed
by the difference of tone, sentiment and manners
air ie hut their thoughts ana Iccl-
The wit, humor, versatility and variety IN
MOliere are as marvellous as in Aristopnanes,
though as coming first Aristophanes Is the source
whence AIoliere designs to derive many a nlnt
dagS sIrspSMsIes ~ Moeres Bourgeos Genhomme
Among German poets Goethe and Scnlller are
the most properly compared with the Greeks,
though Lessing, the author Of "Nathan. DER
Weise.n is not to be overlooked Schiller's
siMaria Stuart :" "Don Carlos" and "Wallenstein'
offer points sa Of as
valiant, grand and gloomy as any OF the Greclan
chiefs. Don Carlos is Spanish OIes1s;es, 1;I s anu
original, destined from her birth to sow
dissension, captivate conquerOrs, and kindle
In n0 the Bride Of Messina Schiller restores the
Greek chorus, giving classical air TO the drama:
Goethe's "Faust" is his masterpiece, when cost
him forty years of meditation TO mature. Inc
subject Is medieval but the inspiring genius Is
more Greek than German. TaSs0's madnesS Inl-
nished Goethe more apt theme on which to mi
ma is his 'Iphigenia,' subject which most OF
the votaries of Mepomene have essayed TO com.
pass Goethe's "1phigenia' is one OF the nnest
creations in literature, and merits careful COM
parson with the original of Euripdes, as wei as
the imitation Of Racine.
In England, the classical drama has neve,
1ourished We have nothing in this line to equal
the best of the French and German. But we nave
new school, or species of dramatic poetry, called
l'the Elizabethan," so arising in the region OF
that queen which equals or supasses even the
greatest of the Greeks. Marlowe was the hrst TO
Show the way. Ben Jonson, Beaumont and
FLETCHER followed in his steps, but it was reserved
for Shakespeare to scale the dZzlest heights ever
reached by mortal, and to keep his place tnsre ,e
unmoved and immoyable by all tne WINGS nas tnaI s
blow calm and SERENE IN the sure and safe pos
session of the highest prize of human genius.
This is only an outline of DR.. lDalton's lecture,
an hour and quarter long, in which the points
here made were filed out with details, discrimi-
nations and discussions Of doubtful and disputed
questions concerning the great dramatists, an
cient and modern. The lecturer brought out the
characteristic excellence of each author, as wei
as the plan, plot and denouemenC Oh the seVerai
dramas described.