The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-01-28
THE THEATER.
MR.. BOOTH AND MR.. BARRETT IN
"HAMLET."
Some Traoings OF The Interpretations of
This Great Tragedy by Other Eminent
Actors.

Shakespcare's tragedy OF Hamlet Edwin
Booth has made IL his own by liking upon
the minds of two generations his own inter
probation Of the Prince OF Denmark. lie has
in this Interpretation summed up all That
was excellent and of good report in the per-
sonations that preceded him, and he stands
before the English.speaking world as nearly
perfect embodiment OF the mad prince. IL
was said OF Mackln that he was Shylock and
of Forrest that he was Lear. With great
truth IL may be sud that Edwin Booth is
Hamlet. No tragedy has been 80
much discussed US this, no other
has been so criticised or has
had so many expositors. Tho literature OF
the one question whether Hamlet was really
mad or assumed madness would MI hundreds
OF volumes. Scholars have approached the
discussion OF this disputed point as II Shake
speare had in the writing Of the play pur-
pOsely defeated his own purpose Of holding
the mirror up TO nature and studied 10 make
in lines OF doubtful Interpretation. Moth
ing was farther from his thought Through
every net he makes the assumption OF Ham
let's madness plain and turns his plot upon
the concealed purpose Of the prince 10
put an antique disposition on, the better TO
obtain coveted revenge for the murder of
his father. Goethe, who went beyond the
confines Of the play 10 seek for indications Of
what the character Of Hamlet was before his
fathers death, finds tho koy ITO llamlots
whole procedure Ia the lines:
The time l. out Of Joint o cursed spite
| That ever WIS born To set II fight
IL Is clear 10 the great German poet
THAT Shakespeare sought 10 depict n
great deed laid upon n soul unequal TO the
performance OF II. Here is no
villain upon whom vengeance is inflicted
according TO certain scheme rigidly and In
peculiar manner carried out No, horrid
deed occurs II sweeps on In It's conse-
quences, dragging tho guiltleSs along with
II; the pcrpetrator appears Us ifhe would
avoid the abyss to which hc IL destined, and
hc plungcs In just then when he thinks hap
PLY ~ fulfill his career. The bad falls
with the good. Hamlet Is endowed more
properly with sentiment than with charac.
ter; II is events alone that push him along
but as II is Fate that draws the plan,
~ the picco proceeds from decd Of terror
aud the hero Is steadily driven on to deed
Of terror, tho work Is tragic In It's highest
sense and admits Of no other than q tragic
end" Dowdcn says this Is only onehalf the
truth. "ln several Of the tragedies Of Shake.
spcaro the tragic disturbance 81 character
and life Is caused by the subsection Of the
chief person Of the drama IN some dominant
passion essentially antipathetio to his nature,
though proceeding from some inherent weak.
ness or imperfcclion-a passion from which
the victim cannot deliver himself. and which
finally works out his destruction. We
may reasonably conjecture that the Ham
lot Of tho old playa play at least "a old NJ
that group of bloody tragedies inspired by
the earlier works Of Marlowe---was actually
what Shakespeare Hamlet with n bettei
pleasure IN disappearing his own nature
describes himself rs being very proud, ~
vengcful. ambitious But Shakespeare. IN
accordance with his dramatic method aud biz
interest as artist In complex. rather than
simple phenomena Of human passion and
experience. when re-crcating the character
81 the Danish Prince, fashions him rs a man
10 whom persistent action and In an especial
degree the duty 81 deliberate revenge IN pc.
ouliarly nntlpathoiic. Under tho pltlles,
burden Imposed upon him, Hamlet trembles
tottcra. falls" prey 10 his disease Of will
schlcycl treats Of II as "atragcdy OF though
inspired by continual and nevcrsaiisiic,
meditation on human destiny and the dafl
pcrplexitics Of the events Of the world, and cal
oulaicd 10 call forth the very same mcdta
ton In tho minds Of the spectators" III
calls II M cnigmatical work and dcclarc
that he cannot pronounce altogether 10 fav
nmhlc sentence upon Il ~ Goethe
does" Hamlet" he says Facts th'
part Of madness with unnyaled power
convincing tho persons who aro sen
TO examine into his supposed loss o
reason, merely by telling them unwelcomu
truths and nllyinr them with the most oaus
lic wit Hut Ia the resolutions which he .,
often cmbraccsa and always leaves uncEccuiei
hi. weakness. Is apparent; he does himscl
only justice when he implies that there I
no greater dissimllarity than between him
~clf aud Hercules. lie IA not solel,
untitled by necessity 10 Arii6cc and dissimu
laiion. be- has natural inclination foi
crooked ways. he Is hypoorit' toward him
self. his far.ietchcd scruplos are often mcr,
prctcSis 10 cover his want of determination d
The thoughts that uur him are, as he says
hut one part wisdom aud ever thEe paH
cpwah
His hardness In rpulslng the love 81
ophclia and his inscnsibllity az her death
arr due Ia his sorrow which II w ever pres
cnt that hc cannot give adequate thought d
the troubles or sorows about him They
arr ~ tribes light ~ air 20 the gnawinr
which induces every frame Of mind from
faith 10 skcpiicizm. There i nothing" hs
says. good or bad. hut thinking makes II
80" Colcridgc docs not ~ NJ Gar a. Schlcgcl
, Tie admit, the irrcsoluiion of Hamlet and
thinks him brave and carclcs, Of DEATH
but he yncillaics from scnslbiliiy. procrasti
mates from thought aud loses the power %
! action la the energy ~ resolve. 9TH,
elect 81 this ovcrbalancc II the imaginatly,
, power il beautifully illustrated In the ever
lasting brooding, aud supcrluous achyiuc
! Of iIamlci's mind. which, un,calcd from IL
A. healthy relation, l. constantly occupied will
, the world within and distracted from N,
world without-giylng substance 10 shadow
and throwing mist over all commnnplac,
! Actualitics. Il Il the nature Of thought B,
/. be indefinite. dcdnltcncs, bclong' 10 cKiena
4 imagery alone.
II cannot hei
, nnti am pigeon livcfd. aud lack Faii
!. To make oppression bitter.
lie mistakes tho seeing his chains for N,