The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-06-14
A DEFENSE OF SHYLOCK.
Urgent Plea for the Jew That Shakes
peare Drew.
EARLY ACTORS IN TIE CHARACTER.
erroneous Conceptions Caused by Their
Mistakes--The Venetian money
LENDER the Spirit of Revenge.
For The Times.J


tba .bava,er and motives OF Shylock have re-
eeived but one Interpretation by the eene,''
reader and that totally at variance rom INC
whole tenor Of the play, and the renol'ioH "a
the title role by the most accomplished ACTOR
A low cunning. avaricious Jew-a wouio-oe
assassin nnder color of law--thus Is summed up
tbenonulsr estimate Of one Of Shakespeare In
.arast;pc and wonderful representations;
Hence Shylock has become the synonym -
ns,rious greed a common noun ihuIscllnIi
nately and injuriously applied TO whoinsooNef
claims, however justly or wrongiuiy' tno ~,
Co., nominated in his bond II Is the purpose
nj the present writer TO demonstrate brlehy oy
the current circumstances and the lhterna IA
evidences of the play that tins Is supeInc'ai
view of the poets creation.
Tho treatment of this character by the early
actors has greatly conduced 70 TINS erroneous 1.I
soncenfion II will be remembered that dur
inc the reign Of Edward l. the whole JEWISH
race was banished from England by an edict
that was NOT revoked until the days OF the
Commonwealth. therefore 1t is far 70 pre-
SHINE that but few persons. II any, uuIIn6
that interval of time ever dealt WIN OF er nrs
saw one of that people and the hrst players
of the part of Shylock had necessarily
20 draw on their Imagination, ana
portrayed the Jew in grotesque ana FePulrs
siye manner in Difference 10 the preludlces Oh
their audiences exaggerated, as all preJuseitc1eS
are in proportion 10 their ignorance OF the
subject. 80, 49,
az the performance Of this play prior TO the
Puritan regime there appears TO be no de-
failed accounts. except that the love OF Bassa-
nioand Portia Lorenzo and Jesslca. we're taken
as the motive and main acton OF tne uralha
20 which Shylock was ludlcrous ION heces,
sary 10 the development OF the piot: hlGh9Fu
Rurbage. one of the company OF which Shake
speare was a member, was the original repre-
sentative of Shylock lie is spoken Of as
playing the part in red beard and wig. garb
adopted, no doubt, TO make him more odlous,
and TO please the popular appetite OF the
time.
theatres i'm London. The drama again rose
and fiourished But what of Shylocky The
Jews character had been denuded of that
dignity and intensity which belongs TO the
original conception. and he had been forced
10 wear the garb and nein OF low Jester ana
bufoOn. The perverted taste OF the last nan
OF the seventeenth and the first half OF the
eighteenth centuries seemed TO be unequa!
20 the true appreciation of this grand ana
gloomy creation of the poet. Yet we near
such man as Rowe saying cannot Dut
think the character was traglcally designed
by the author" 49,.
Pope said, This is the Jew that Shakespeare
drew" was the first after the restoration to
play Sbylock as a serious part. Donan, III
his annals of the stage, thus notices thls re-
form There was whisper that he was
about TO play the Jew rs "A serious character.
His comrades laughed. and the manager was
nervous. The rehearsals told them nothing,
for there Maclin did little more than walk
through the part. lest the manager should
prohibit the playing of the piece, If the
nature of the reform Maclin was about TO
introduce Ishould make him fearful OF the
consequences. In some such dress as that we
now see worn by Shylock, Maclln, on the
night of the 18th of February, 1744, walked
down the stage, and looking through the
eyelet-hOle in the curtain, saw the ever
formidable two front rows of the pit occupied
by the most highly-dreaded critics OF the
period. The house was also densely crowded.
He turned from the survey calm and content
remarking; Good, shall be tried tonight
by special jury"
There was little applause, to Maclins dis
appointment, on his entrance, yet the people
were pleased at the aspect of a jew that Rem
brandt might have painted. The opening
scene was spoken in earnest but familiar ac-
accents. Not a hand gave token OF approba-
ton. but there occasionally reached Maclln's
ear from the solemn rows of Judge and jury
in the pit the sounds of Good Very good
Very well. indeed and he passed off more
gratifed 10y this than by the slight general
applause intended for encouragement. AS
the play proceeded so did his triumph grow
In the scene with Tubal, which Dogget,
in Lansdowns version, had made 50
comic, he shook the hearts, not the sides
of his audience. There was deep emotion
IN that critical pit: The sympathles OK the
house all went with Shylock. and at last q
storm of acciamation, very hurricane OF APP
plause. roared pleasantly on Macllp. 30 tar
all was well, but the trial scene had 70 come,
and there his triumph eliminated. The actor
was not loud or grotesque, but Shylock Was
natural, calmly confident, and SO terribly ma
lignant that when he whetted his knife TO cut
the forfeit from that bankrupt there'a shud-
deg went around the house, and the profound
silence told Maclin that he held his audience by
the heart-strings and thathi hearers must al
ready have acknowledged the truth OF his
Interpretation of Shakespeare's Jew. When
the act-drop fell, then the pent up feelings
found vent, and old Drury Shook again with
the triumph of applause"
Since the time of Maclin there have been
many representatives of ShylOck of great
merit TO follow in the path that he had blazed.
Edmund Kean was the next to introduce orig
inal features in the performance followed by
the elder Booths Interpretation of the char
acter. differing greatly from the popular con-
ception on the stage of the day
To appreciate the character of ShylOck and
his springs of action one must consider the
traditions of his race and his present environ
ments. Sprung from people believed 10 be
ship of God. whose blood is untainted by adj
mixture with any other nation since the days
of Abraham, what Venetian can boast q
patent of nobility so pnTe and exalted?
When they vaunt their statesmen he chal-
lenges the peers of Moses and of Solomon:
when they quote their poets he chants psalms
of David and the songs of Solomon their
military renown pales before the lustre of
Joshuas proves and the flashing sword IF
Gideon: and where will they parallel the
steadfastness OF Ruth. or the friendship Of
Jonathan that "passeth the love of women"
Under the proud dome of st. Marc
his mental vision expands TO the glories
of the Temple Of Jerusalem supported by
the Governing cedars of Lebanon and re-
splendent with ivory and FURNISHED gold: re-
garding with critic eye the argosies that fetch
and carry the riches of the Mediterranean he
recalls the golden era when the whole known
world paid tribute to Israel. When they
preach Christ and his new dispensation, he
sees Moses amid the thunders of Sinai stand
ing face 10 face with God and receiving his
law. Verify. his is the aristocracy of the
world.
Yet this man, with all these inspiring memo
res clustering thick around him all these
incentives TO noble ambition and usefulness
20 the State. joined 10 proud consciousness
of lofty aims and coordinate ability stands
alien on his native soil. and so with all his
brethren. Worse still not only declared all
participation in public affairs. they
are the peculiar subjects of proscrp-
tive laws and vindicfivanolica raoula