The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-07-24
The Scribe's Report.

We have received the following out
line of Coriolanus," for which request
was made. 1t is kindly contributed by
B. II. A.:
"Caius Marcus Coriolanus is Ro-
man patrician who hates the pie
bians. The play opens with rabble
of citizens calling for bread, which is
stored within the city and dealt out by
the Roman senators. 1t is proposed
by the people to kill Caius Marcus, but
some counsel otherwise, because of the
value of his services to his country.
The Volscians revolt under Tullus
Aulidius, but are overthrow by the
Romans under Titus Lartius and Com
inius, togethers with Caius Marcus.
Caius Marcus enters the city of the
Volscians, Corioli, alone, and comes
out conquerer, and it is chiefly through
his efforts that the city is finally
taken. He is brought home with his
head bound in oak and speedily be-
comes the idol of all Rome. He is
proposed as consul, but owing to his
arrogance and pride and his hatred of
the plebians, he does not ask for the
peoples voices in a way to suit the
tribunes of the people, Sicinius Velu-
tus and Junius Brutus, who succeed
in so melting the people that Marcus
is banished from Rome. On his re-
turn from the war he received the sur
name CoriOanus, to show his aid in
conquering the city of Corioli. After
being banished from Rome he goes
straight to the camp of Auiidius and
enlists against his country. After un-
successful attempts on the part of his
friends to dissuade him from attacking
the city, his mother, wife and son i'm
plore him not to do it. The ties of nature
are too strong, and he desists, but only
to be killed as traitor by Aufdius'
followers. To me this is one of the
least satisfactory of Shakespeare's trag-
edies. 1t has none of the lofty heights
of passion found in others, and the
whole turns upon the Unborn pride of
Coriolanus. There is some fine char
acter sketching, notably Volumnia,
mother to Coriolanus, Virgilia, his
wife, and Valera, friend of Virgila.
tits a hard play to outline, because it has
50 little that is really of importance"
No answer has yet been received to
the question about the lobster-( June
26)-why it was mistake to call him
I" the cardinal of the sea-" Surely
some of our Hill Country boys or girls
can tell why, even if they have never
been by the seaside, where they could
watch the process by which the lobster
dons his cardinal robe on landing. We
will wait little longer, hoping that
some of you will send us postal card
with the answer written on it.
1t speaks well for the intelligence of
the Hill Country Club that every re.
quest that has come for the special
study of one of Shak speare's plays
has been for Hamlet. This is conceded
by everyone to be "the masterpiece oil
the master-mind in literature" Emer.
son, in his essays on Representative
Men," says: 1t was not until the
nineteenth century, whose speculative
genius is sort of living Hamlet, that
the tragedy of Hamlet could find sucl
wondering readers" He consider!
Shakespeare to have been the father OF
German literature, for he says it wai
the translation of his works into Ger
man, hundred years ago, and thei
wide circulation, that led to 4" the rapiC
burst of German literature" Furness
noted Shakespearean scholar, says
" Given printing-press on German
soil, and 10! an essay on Hamlet.
And another American writer says
"The whole German mind seems t,
have been inoculated with the matte
of Hamlet A German writer saws
"' Hamlet is the drama that utter
the most startling, the most touching
the saddest truths over this deep riddle
this fearful sphinx called life" AnC
Coleridge wrote; 'SHamlet has beef
the darling Of every country in whicI
the literature of England has beel
fCstered"
The answers that have been receive
to the questions of June 26 agree il
giving the scene of the play of Hamle
as the Court of Denmark, at Elsinore
AS to the historical foundation of Tn
play, b. II. A. sends the following:
Hamlet is popularity supposed t
have been a prince of Denmark, who's