New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-11-28
THE DRAMA.
HENRY IRVING AND ELLEN TERRY.
poHr1A AND sHYLOCK.

..,ov.s Theatre last night Shakespeare lovely
-, ~ .The Merchant of Venice was pro-
s,c.a with much magnificence OF scenery anu -,
-a.ence of a great and enthusiastic aud'e"oe' II
yss acted with brilliant ability and sharp anu ue.
c,s,ve effect Ellen Terry played Porua' anu ries
1rv,nr played Shylock. In earlier times ne Nc
asart of Venice" was customarily onered ior inc
o"a"' - shv,ock alone. and with that view 1t was
80 ,,aro,ed and condensed. In Mr.. 1rvings pro-
,c,,on of it-long familiar the stage, aike III
england and Amerca,-it Is given ior 'he sa~. "
all that IL contains. and substantially as shame
,,as "a wrote IT: and when II Is thus gveh not % "
',,or,acat,on of a semi-tragic and barbarous jew
hut as a pure comedy, the story OF Porua oecoi.eo
tho most interesting part Of 1t. and the cha'a''e
- portia Is readily seen to be its most important
"a conspicuous figure AS Edwin Booth and others
,sed 10 give that piece. 1t was all Shyioch' III ,'
Irvine's presentment Of II there Is fine eauio, '
between the parts. and while that pioou''.' ,'
Jewish wretch bowling for his pound oil nesh' -
tent at a rational level. the limpid, serene ana
stately presence of Portia.-like the full moon i"
a cloudIess Observation-Disclosures the whole eheha''
,ng pIcture Of friendship indicated and love iu'
filed oo,sa
MANY handsome and gay women have appeared
az Portia but the true character, as IL stahuS !"
Shakespeare never fully seen upon our s'"ee
until 1t was presented by Ellen Terry Ihe roi."
of other days was an image of artfce ana a"eo'a
and defamation, In the OF the triai. ""e
cared not for Bassano, and her dramatic lie hau
reached its full fruition when once she nau ue
liyered the speech on Mercy. She was an "..u'N'
n Shylock and that was all. When Ellen Terry
came however. to embody Porta, the puohc saw
as 1t may see nova woman OF me ii'e'e.' an.
vet OF enchanting beauty an imperial woman Se'
one essentially wcmanlike. possessing deep heart
and a passionate temperament, and. al the same
time, possessed Of that arch. puoyah'' sh''e'''e
pouancy and playfulness that are hueh' iIo''i per
foot bealth perfect innocence and perfect kindness
toward all the world. Portia Is a rich he"ess
She has been reared In luxury Her state Is '"''
of a princess All things around her are suinptu-
ous and her mind. like her environment Is superb
L,verv word of her speech Is noble every part oil
her conduct Is liberal profuse and fine That iueai
cannot be made actual by commonplace
person. Ellen Terry had only to be hersei' III oiue'
N make II real In Portals scene with Nerissa'
Morocco and Arragon, during the hrst nan VI '''e
NAV II is to be observed that she conquers ho'
by action. and not by much speaking ou' ny con,
dtion: she is incarnate enchantInent. her periou
NJ active EXPRESSION begins with the scene OF
Bassanio's choice of the leaden casket But for-
tia is from the first, lover Her eyes nave toid II
n Bassanio and her heart has told II 10 herseii
That note was sounded by Ellen Terry, In her as
sumptjon of Portia with the first word that she Ut
tered: and that has been the great felicity Oh
her embodiment.
When love is at the heart every object is hallowed.
unon which the gaze of the lover falls; every ex-
perience of life Is tremuous with the sweet eA-
element of that divine fever;-for true passion Is
ecstatic and it makes humanity in Its finer types
celestial The consummate art of Ellen Terry Is
never better shown than In her impairment OF the
personality that goes along with any cardinal emo
tion She invested Portia with all the requisite
piquancy. and with the gentle craft that veiis her
passionate longing beneath smiles and banter ana
raillery; but also she made Portia romantic tehuer
ardent and keeny neutrality-suspicious. her whoie
being with the sensbiity and the allurement OF one
who loves. In the satire the sutors there was no
severity but only archness sparkling over grave
and gentle preoccupaton. Her iuminative bypiay
during the casket scenes. governed by the instinct
of perfect courtesy toward Morocco and Arragoh
disclosed, as no words could ever do. In the scene
Of Bassanio's choice. both depth OF heart ana the
amplest potentially Of mparting bliss Portals Ter
t!lity Of resource and expedition Of movement Win
respect to Antonios trial. winged with love- yet
1t is apparent that her impetuosity Is speedily ly
curbed by the refinement and the perfect poisee
the women of Shakespeare denote so broad a Wis
ION such wide capacity OF thought: and insre
the Shakespearian standard. There was nothing
puny in It; nothing narrow: nothing indicative OF
preseHee. superb intellectual force and the absolute
sincerity which BELTS an occasion OF almost tragic
feet image of righteous yet mercful authority and
her delivery Of Shakespeare beautiful verse -
which often in this play Is al its best or eloquence
melody. and meaning.-made it more beautiful yet
BY wise restoration Of the last act Of the com,
edy-which, in American stage custom. has usually
been discarded.-Portia is shown In her triumphant
happiness, when the wolfsh Jew has been dscomiite
and her husband and his friends assembled at
Belmont. The glee of Ellen Terry is the sunshine
Of ene
care for THE Merchant OF Venice" should certainly
Suppose that they viii ever see Por,ia so truly and
entirely represented again There may be other
In musng on the character of shylock the OBJ.
server may we'll be surprised that any actor should
%sn Pay 'o of
among the most offensive in human nature; greed;
the implacabic thirst for revenge. BY deft
OF philosophical theory. and by resort to ideal
indeed, be invested with sort of forlorn poetic
loneliness. nscrutable austerty and baleful gran
Essentially s1 unchanged incarnation Of seehng
hate and rapacous cruelty; Such as u Is however,
actors and many of the brightest names in the
record of the stage. for more than hundred mad
n my ean be- understood He had Sinister and
dreadful face. as his portraits SHOW and various
SaS a ana voen the
him. h sss as we good asa
villain" shylock must have been easy for Mack
OF Of his triumph in it is indeed romantic. Il was
Charles the Great for that night he said . and
was superb in such opposite parts as Iago and
Fastaff: may, possibly have been prompted by
excelied all actors not excepting his renowned con;
temporary David Garrick. On the other hand
George Frederick Cooke. whose genius was at
tuned to horrors. adopted It by converting in
cllnation. and acted 1t with tremendous power.
Edmund Keans choice Of 1t is less applicable. He
very poor. at the time Of his great Londo- hit
In IT, and as TO fortune, little better than vaga-
bond: he evidently was in bitter mood; and
there being Hebrew blood In his veins,-he doubt
less sympathized to the utmost with the despsed.
Inundated. and nsulted Jew: For suferance Is
the badge OF all tribe Furthermore. Shy
lock provided him with one of hose opportunitiei
that he lovedto rush about the stage. and to yell
and sob; for Edmund Kean, as an actor. appears
to have oscillated between two conditions. pathos
and delrium--and for delirium the street scene of
Shylock affords uncommon scope. II never heard"
says the Merchants friend, Solano.
"A passion so confused
So strange outrageous and variable,
AS the dog Jew did utter in the streets"
Other actors. since the days of Edmund Kean,
may. perhaps. have been tempted by the same
theatrical opportunity; and yet only few Of them
have been fitted fully to improve II by the vocf-
erous utterance Of hystericl passion. The elder
~