The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-12-10
A FINE COMEDY.

Miss Marlowe appeared last night in
Twelfth Night" the most charming and
justly popular Of all the great comedies of
Shakespeare. In Twelfth Night" we have
three frst-class high comedy parts in the
Duke, Olivia and Viola. and five purely
humorous parts in Sir Toby, Sir Andrew,
Maria, Malvolio and the DOWNRIGHT ex-
cellent parts. and furnishing fine oppor.
tunities for the display of superior histri-
onic talent.
OF no other of 6hakspere's pure
comedies can this be said. In
1.-THE Tempest" there are only
Prospero. Miranda and Gonzaio. Ariel,
Ferdinand, the monster shape of
Calibsn, Trinculo and Stephano do not
count for much. and its approximation
makes 1.-THE Tempest" repulsive compared
with Twelfth Night" THE Merry
Wives of Windsor" is amusing. but it
has no fine-toned characters in it. "Meas-
ure for Measure" is repulsive in its plot
despite the presence of Isabella, the grand
est, most majestic. heroic woman in
thought, speech and action that Shak-
speare drew. Lift Rosalind. Jacques
and Touchstone out or "As You
Like 1t" and there is nothing left.
In the "Winter's Tale" Perdita, Hermione
and Autoiycus contain all its charm.
'sThe Merchant of Venice" is brilliant
comedy, but Portia is not so fine shape
of impressive womanhood as Olivia, and
Jessica is pretty triiler as compared with
Viola. 1.-The Merchant of Venice" has
nothing of the fine, humorous side of
Twelfth Night" nor. outside of the lurid
power and passion of Shylock. does it
equal Twelfth Night" in its serious parts.
Neither Bassanio nor Lorenzo in THE
Merchant of Venice" can be compared for
a moment with the figure Of the Duke in
Twelfth Night" man Of noble nature
and digniiied manners, of fine imagina-
ton, an eloquent dreamer, at once tender
and true. in whose mouth are placed many
OF the most beautiful lines of the play.
The play includes in Olivia and Viola
two of Shakspeare's loveliest women.
both high souled, yet so temperamentally
different that they are the fascinating foils
10 each other. Besides these lovely women
Twelfth Night" includes 81. Toby Belch,
who has the rank, but most divertlng wit
aud sprightly humor Of Falstaff. woman
OF rare humor in Maria, a clown full of
infinite Jest, and two fools for butts, in
shape Of the drunken. inebriate, braegars
knight, Aguecheek, and that most solemn.
portentous. erudite ass. Malvolio. Sir
Toby Belch is 3 reckless, ribald wit Of the
type of Lucio IN Measure for Measure"
like Falstaf lie is conspicuous'y conviyial
In season and out OF season; with
not all OF Fslstaf's Mt he has
what FalstafY lacked, honor and courage.
Maria is swoman Of Wit and humor 50
superior t. her station as OAvia's maid
that Sir Toby. in his admiration for ter
sprightly mood, finally marries her. The
clown IN Twelfth Night" is the vittiest
Of all Shssspeare's testers OF this quality.
Sir Andrew Aguccheek is q drunkari. a
coward, 9 bosstsr. 3 rake and yet a dull
fantastic fool, OF :he quality Of Slender III
"Merry Wives Of Windsor" Malvolio is
not fool in the sense OF complete faulty.
ike Aguecheek; he is grave, pedantic
self-complacent. pompous faan. who is
made fool OF By the shrewd device anu
cunning practice Of Sir Toby and Ma-ia.