The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-01-28

~ 10 the quaiity thatlgiyes weight ana dlg-
nifty to the rest. II intermingles with all his
actions. He traces Che, most trifiing incl
dents up TO their general laws. His natural
disposition is to lose himself in contempla
ton. He goes thinking out Of the world"
In one OF his solIloqnies he says:
.bestal oblivion. or some craven scruple
of thinking too precisely on tn event"
Even ut the last, when the strife is over and
revenge attained, lie unocks his tongue
only by half lie bids Horatio report his
cause Alright TO the, ,nsatisfed, to tell his
story, and in q later breath, his last, giving
his voice 10 Fortinbras, he says;
80 tell him. with the concurrenis. more or less
when have solicited-the rest Is silence"
And thus imposing bride npon his friend
he dies. There have been many Hamlets
among the players, but few have lived
out their day. Young Mr. Bettcrton,
who appeared in II on December
night In 1901 TO a crowded house at the thea
ter in Lincolns Inn Fields is the first Of
whom we have any MENTION and Pepys, who
was present, exclaimed: ut Is the best acted
part ever done by man." The audience held
Its breath, and all pronounced Betterton the
best actor in the world. And years after,
when this great and first Of Hamlots had
grown to thrcescorc years and ten, Anthony
Ashton wished that lac would have resigned
the part OF Hlmlet 10 some young actor who
might have peis)nated, though not have
acted II better" This was a farewell tribute
that told how lasting was the master
full first exposition Of the character,
the greatest In the whole ran,e Of
| Hhal
Rich Henderson, Sheridan. Quin and
Spranger Barry who modelled their persona
tons upon his. Garrick, who was contemporary
with these, committed the objectionable sin
OF following Voltaires criticism OF the play
and, managing the bard" he put Hamlet
on the stage without the grave diggers and
without Osrick, and this mutilation passed
for Shakespeare until John Bannister re-
stored the original In playing the Dane for
his own benefit In 1880. "Yet, 10 irrevercnt
20 the spirit Of Garrick did this proceeding
seem 10 old Wrlghton that when Bannister
came of the stage lac said TO him. Well,
sir, IL ever you should meet with
Mr.. 0arrick in the next world,
you will find that he will never forgive
you for having restored the grave diggcr
To Hamlet" Macklin. who twas an acute
inquirer into meaning" objected 10 Gar
rick's abundance OF action. and he doridcd
llamlcts who were violently Mortified II,
surprised, instead OF solemnly awed on first
seeing the Ghost "Recollcct sir" he would
say, Hamlet came there 10 ~. his fathers
spirit" Henderson, who came In conflict
with Garrick. was the object Of Foote'S
jealousy In the part, and Garrick's greatest
idolaioH found heavy fault in Henderson's
young Dane in ilingng away his uncle's
7 picturo-subsequcn 10 the famous speech
In which he compares Il with his fathers
| portrait John kemblc, who made many
innovations ON Bannisters rendering Of
, the part first appeared at Drury Lane
on tho 3Oth Of September, 1888, as
: Hamlet, and the criticisms denote that
, "a great actor had come before the critics. 4"
! His Is one Of the great Hamlets. IL
comes down To ~ In the painters
colors and Is kinglyin rs dignity and beauty,
though his sister, Ms. Siddons, thought
IL was inferior 20 That u her brother Charles.
Cooke was an almost failure rs Hamlet he
said himself, because he had played Falstaii
; 10 much; and Master Betty, who made study
Of the part in three or four days failed too. but
= his was never considered among the Hamlets
. Of history. Elliston. who was declared 10
!, be the only genius the stage had seen since
+ Garrick was pronounced superior TO Kemble
a as Hamlet, in humor and appearance. but In
: fcrior To him In the deep philosophy Of the
4 character Edmund Kean who was superior
] TO Ellision Ia some things, always thought
: Hamlet 10 be his best character, and Komble
! found Il difficult 10 maintain his ground
] against him, - mAsterfully we're his
poinis made. Macready's Hamlet was, as
. Murdoch tells, universally considered
|, the masterpiece Of England's most
L artistic and intellectual tragedian,
I aid yet II lacked any strongly individual OF
q central point Of affinity" OF Forests Ham.
k let nothing can be said In praise. lie never
i understood tho character. aud wallaok, the
= elder. and Davenport and Gusiayus Brooke
Q cxcelled hlS In H. especially The latter. who
9 was very finished actor. Barry Sullivan,
. who came later upon tho stage, played Ham.
e lot with care and pains, but there was no Gre
9 or Imagination In his Interpretation. II
: was colorlcss Applsi0R', Journal (now
4 extinctl said Of his performance Of the
4 part In New York In ISIS that he erred
9 altogether on the side Of tamenes- "
}. Fcchter's Hamlet. which was condemned by
o the Saturday RerieT was very picturesque,
J. aud In some points WIS n wide departure
u from the conventional Interpretation. But
: Charles Dickens, himself an admirable
J. actor. admired Il exceedingly. II was not
y the interpretive student Of tradition, but
i n man Of the world In the noblc,i sense Of the
= term, whose temper was .ourcd by the death
j. ~ his fathor aud the unsccmly marriage oi
g his mother Kate Field, writing Of him,
y says he gave the Ideal Hamlet" Henry
Irving In the part was credited with nm en-.
i tlply original conception, ~ standing alooi
"from the pedigree, from Bcitorion "a
4 Charles Kcan." lie appeared IN II on the
b lyccum stage IN the autumn Of 1874. II
, had the unprecedented run Of 30 nights,
D and the performance created n profound
y sensation: everybody said II was the
{ most human Hamlet that had ever been
q seen In London, and when the curtain wa,
= rung down the audience remained clamorine
I for the actor aud cheering until
!, o'clock In the morning Diilon's Hamlet
I was not 40 pronounced success. but II wa,
= a noble aud superb Performance, and he too
]. aroused his audicnce. 10 enthusiasm Tho
4 Hamlcto i Herman Vein. aconiemporary Of
G Dillon. was only rehncd aud thoughtful
Q Lawrence Barroit's Hamlet Is a scholarly