The morning call., 1893-11-02
Lecture Upon "Comedies"
and Their Study.
OLD FUNMAKERS ANALYZED.
An Entertaining and Instructive Dis
course Upon the Fathers of
Famous Plays.


course of university extension lectures
was delivered Yesterday afternoon at the
Mark Hopkins Institute by Professor l..
Dupont Syle.
Long before the time of the lecture-4 80
P. M.-lhe room set apart for it was
crowded with young people athirst for
dramatic knowledge. The bulk OF the au-
dience was composed OF ladies, whose
fashionable attire lent the occasion the
semblance of theater matinee. This ef-
feet was enhanced by the character of the
lecture. which, owing to many deft sy-
nopsis of many famous comedy, was
punctuated with ebullitions of delighted
laughter. The lecturer contrived to weave
with his historical account of celebrated
comedies much that was of lasting interest
to the critic and ordinary playgoer, and
the stampede after the lecture for cards
emitting the holders to seats at subsequent
lectures must have been highly gratifying
te Professor Syle.
The first question considered was: Can
plays be dividedP The answer was roughly
yes, but classcally no. They could. how
ever, for convenience be divided into five
classes: Pure tragedy, medIated drama.
romantic drama, comedy and farce or bur-
lesque.
Pure tragedy was typifed by Hschylus'
"Agamemnon," or perhaps Lear" or
Macbeth"
Mediated drama could be represented by
"The Merchant of Venice" or Massinger's
New Way to Pay Old Debts" In neither
of these is it possible TO tell whether they
will turn out as tragedy or a comedy.
The third division, the ro mantle drama,
was of the type of much Ado About
Nothing" OF "As You Like It." In these
all the characters are idealiZed. 1t is in
vain that we hope to meet Celia TO-
day. Don Caesar de Bazan" was another
instance. Some melodramas, such as 1.-The
Girl Lett Behind Me-" were poor speei-
mems Of this class.
The great type of comedy was afforded
by Moliere, but he WAS run very closely by
C0ngreve. The latter was not read so
much owing to the lack of purity generally
noticeable in his works. Goldsmith,s
'SchoOl for Scandal we're capital speci-
mems of comedy.
The last division was farce or burlesque.
A comparative definition of tragedy and
comedy by Coleridge was good: Tragedy
is poetry in deepest earnest and comedy
poetry in unlimited Jest" In the same
way comedy has been differentiated from
farce BY the following definition by Dry
den: Comedy depends on humor con-
cealed in character, farce upon humor
concealed in the situation." Examples
might be Sir Peter Teazle in the School
for Scandal and the principals in the
| farce of BOX and Cox"
| The restoration comedy, or the comedy
| of manners, was mirror OF life at that
day, and it's attraction was its truth to
nature. England had to 60 to France for
| her new dramatic ideas; this was due to
the fact that play which had succeeded
| n Paris had better chance OF succeeding
| there. Nevertheless, Miss Blanche Walsh
| found that a success on the stage in
France did not necessarily mean a success
in San Francisco.
1t bad been said by an English poet that
limb of Molere would make a Congreve,
and a limb of Congreve Sheridan. No
comic playwright equaled Moliere; he
was perfectly pure. dealstie and noble.
The restoration dramaIists, such as
Etheredge and Van Brugh, lacked this
ideality, partly owing to the social coarse
ness of their time. They looked flippantl tly
on life. Moliere had a grasp and depth,
writing many of his plays out of his own
sad experiences.
Moliere had this further advantage. He
wrote for highly cultured audience. The
age of Louis xiv was eminently refined
toward the close of that reformed Kings
reign. The Elizabethan audiences were
rude in comparison. MOllere was to be
seen at his best in "rartuffe." which,
with slight turn, might easily be made a
tragedy.
Under the head of How to Study a
Comedy" the lecturer laid it down that a
method was strictly necessary TO aid in
enjoyment Criticism oD sound lines was
only a means to enjoyment. To take
Etheredge's THE Man of Mode" The
author was just the man who might have
been expected to write his plays. He was
an indfferently moraled man, a beau.
- aln
ners. He claimed to be reformer and
satirist, but he was merely reflector.
Etheredge had undoubtedly seen some of
Mollere's plays in Paris.
"The Man of Mode" was an attempt to
paint a member of the jeunesse doree OF
the court of Charles ii. The plot was
subordinated to the characters. 'Dori-
mont" the hero. was the central figure as
| the lover of three women at one tune. Sir
Foppington Flutter WAS really the creation
of the author. The climax of the meeting
| OF the women was common one, but the
| circumstances were so evidently nOn-seri-
| Gus aud "pour passer lie temps" In nature
| from which the character of the play was
thus differentiated. The fop was very
popular In ancient and modern comedies.
The tendency of THE Man Of Mode"
was not dldactic but esthetic. Dryden
was an admirer of Etheredge and wrote an
epilogue to this play.
Taking up Congreve's Love for Love-"
| Professor Syle said traces of Molere could
| be there found. Congreve represented the
| wit of his day In this play. and his work
| was more substantial than that of Ether
| edge. This was exemplifed in running
| commentary upon the play. The ingenue
| Of this comedy was an excellent type of
| the girl who slrays downtown with her
| bonnet strings hanging loose and her
mouth and eyes wide open. as she artlessly
wonders how the cable-cars are propelled.
| Sir Sampson Legend. Valentine Legend.
| Mr.. Scandal and Mr.. Tattle, Angelica and
| MIR. Forsyth were very effec tive characters.
| The latter was an astroiOger who believed
| in the obsolete idea Of the conjunction of
| two planets. Even to-day. belief IN the
| i'll luck of Friday and the dependency of
the weather on the moon we're to be found.
While Love for Love" was indelicate
in treatment and offensive In parts, it was
distinctly good in motive. Congreve's
comic dialogue was unsurpassed. Any
| one who intended to write a comedy should
| study Congreve for dialogue; the modern
comedy was sadly deficient in this. Bouci-
cault coming perhaps nearest to the ideal
in this respect. The dialogue In some of
Dalv's comedies demonstrated their Ger
man extraction.
In Van Brugh's "The City Wives Con-
| fedAraevv thara was n lack in local color