The sun., 1891-11-15

TA. Tr-. ss.sy or ns~,st ..s epA.is..

and actors continue TO form different concep.
tions Of Bhakespeare's purpose. A new and
ingenious attempt TO expound the meaning Of
tho play and to present q clear and consistent
view OF the hero's character and conduct has
been made By Miss FnEDEnrcKA BEARpsLEr
GrLcHR1sr In Tho 7'Ic Storv Of Hamlet and Ophe.
id. little. Brown q Coz Miss 0ilchrist's belief
isthat shakespeare. being an artist, would not
have made his tragedy unintelligIble; nor a.
q matter OF fact is there any ground for sup.
posing that the audiences who heard Il with
pleasure during the authors lifetime failed to
understand It. Had thcy misunderstood Il
while Shakespeare was still living. It may ap-
pnrently be taken for granted that he would
have made his meaning plain. It follows In
Miss Gilchrist's opinion that the play. properly
interpreted as IL has como down to us in the
earlier texts furnishes the reader or hearer
with all necessary Information touching the
authors intention. II controversies havo
arisen respecting his meaning. this IL
due she holds. to the crust Of mis-
construction with which generations Of
actors and commentators have over
laid tho story. The student therefore. who
now desires to make an impartial and fruitful
study Of Hamlet should discharge his mind Of
all preconoeived ideas concerning II, should
begin with the postnlate that shakespeare's
text contains oil the material needed to make
the play intellieble and should himself seek
for tho meaning Of tho text without consider
ing what this or that actor or commentator
thinks about 1t. For her own independent
study Of Hamlet. tho author OF this book
has had recourse in addition to tho
Globe edition OF the Cambridge Shake
spea.c. prepared by Wright 4 Clark.
two copies OF the First and Second
Quartos. tho First Folio and tho tale known
as THE Hystorie Of Hamblet." the four
last-named works being regarded as original
documents. The first known English issue Of
"The Hystorie Of Hamblet" was made In
1GOS. four years after the publication Of the
second qunrto. and Ave years after tho sp-
pcaranco OF the first 1uarto edition OF tho
play. A French translation. however OF
the Danish original Ind appeared In 1870
and whether Shakespeare saw this French
translation or an earlier English version
than that OF 1903. it is certain that he
got the material for his play Mt first hand or
second hand from the story The prevail
ing impression has been that he got
the material at second hand from an old
play OF Hamlet. which. according to several
allusions In contemporary literature. seems to
have been enacted before 1874. A comparison
of passages. however has convinced Miss Gil
christ that Shakespeare had the Hystorie be-
fore him in some form. French or English.
when he arranged tho ouarto Of 1904. expand
ing. as IL Is well known. tho 2.143 lines OF the
first quarto to 3.710. She has. accordingly. in
serted In this volume reprint of The H ystorie
ofHamblet." We may note. i'll passing. that the
Hamlet depicted in the tale was youth not
fully grown. who pretended to be mad
in order to preserve his life until he
should be old enough to Justify to
the Danes his conduct In killing the
uncle who had murdered his father and de-
ri, VT,
self-controlling. conscientious. absolutely
truthful. faithful in friendship intellectually
active. and philosophical but melancholy. be-
lieving In the supernatural to the extent OF
thinking that the devil has power to inform
mankind Of things past 1t is the purpose Of
the book before US to prove that these are pre-.
cisely the characteristics TINT Shakespeare's
young prince displayA
The hero OF The Hystorie OF Humblct" was
not II. Miss Gilchrist sets forth at some
length the grounds on which. Notwithstanding
the current impression to the contrary. she has
arrived Mt the conclusion TINT Shakespeare's
Hamlet also had not come to mans estate 1t
is obvious that this inquiry is preliminary to
any study OF the play. Until We hnve made up
our minds as to how old the dramatist repre-.
ssnts his hero to be. the real Hamlet Ia hidden
from us behind disguise-the disguise in
which we c,0:ho him when We endow him with
years TINT az not really his.
The only direct testimony on the subject is
thnt OF tho grnvedigesr. Hamlet asks him
how long he has been a grave maker? To
which the reply is: "Of all the doys + the
year came to tthat day that our last King
Hamlet overcame Fortinhras." How long is
that SINGER" continues Hamlet Tho grave
AZ s,n a
Every fool can tell that: It was the very day
that young Hamlet was BORN" Further IN
the scene the same gravedigger asserts: II
have been sexton hero. man and boy. thirty
years" At first sight th., seems conclusive
rs to Hamlets age. but Miss Gilchrist
points out that the statement II have
been sexton here. man and boy. thirty
years" admits Of exclamation. Tho sexton is
tho sncrlstan who has charge Of the vestments
and sacramental vessels but is not necessarl.
ly the gravedigRer. boy often is sacristan,
but seldom . grave maker. The clown. with
whom Hamlet converses. may have been first
q sacristan. whose duties were inside tho
church. while whom he advanced to mans
estate and strength he became also the grave.
digger. He had been sexton. man and boy.
FOR thirty years. but as 1t does not follow
that he camo to grave making thirty years
before. his statement Is not decisive as to
Hamlet5 age.
The gravedicger. however. Offers ether tes-
timony on this point Speaking Of Yorlck's
skull. ho says: Here's . skull now: this skull
las lain here three-and-twenty years.. Learn
ing whose It was. Hamlet says: ALIAS, Door
Yorickl knew him. HoratIo; fellow Of in
mite Jest OF most excellent fancy. He has
borne mo on his back thousand timea" Well.
then. II Yorick had lain In tho grave three.and-
twenty years. and had carried Hamlet on bis
back thousand times. the inference seems
justified that Hamlet must be at least
thirty years old Here. however. Miss
Gilohrist refers US to the ouarto Of 1903
inwhich edition the gravedigGer is made to
say OF the skull. the only one with which any
time IL associated: Look. you. here's skull
that has been here this dozen year." state.
msnt which tho gravedigger proceeds to mako
more definite BY adding: Let mo see. ay. ever
since our last King Hamlet slew Fortinbras In
sombat" After short colloQuy Hamlet asks:
Whose skull was this ?" and being answered