The herald., 1894-04-15

voidably given, in outline and express
sion, an idea OF ponderosity (soft, it is
true, yet full and rotund) which is far,
very far, fron 'distilling' the observer
--as wrought the original with Marcellus
and Bernardo. And now for Hamlet.
Had Edwin Booth been formed for
the part, he could scarcely have been
better modeled-alight, pale, OF medium
height, with a spirituelle cast of
ceuntsnRnce. an indescribable grace OF
movement and gesture which is native
to the part, he stands before us in his
cloak and hose - courtier, soldier,
scholar; yet with that in his face pro-
claiming the sweet bells tangled out OF
tune and harsh.' He seems the ideal
Hamlet-an artists dream OF grace ;
every movement, every pose q study ;
his elocntion perfect, his voice delicious,
pronunciation beyond criticism; and
yet, to me. there is something lacking,
rather something de trop, in the deliv-
cry of the part-a promptness, precision,
readiness and finish-a consciousness of
his audience, at variance with our idea
OF the distraught, soul-sick, self-com-
muning Hamlet; q response, as it were,
to those gathered together to admire
and applaud Booth, rather than the
utterance of broken, agonized spirit-
toe perfect, too little fragmentary, for
such a wreck.
"As regards the scenic representations
it is o. unimagined beauty; and here
again We cannot fail to perceive that
Booth ia surrounded by everything that
can enhance hie acting. The moonlight
effects are exquisite-especially power
fUl In unaok w han tha nhnaf q mn "a :
one seems to feel the unesrthly spiritu-
alizing Influence, and to be prepared for
what is to follow. The graveyard scene
is beautiful and picturesque beyond de-
scriptlen; surely no Gods acre was
ever more lovely than this. The moon
light streams calmly over the little
church, the green hiliocks, the marble
tombs, the graceful figure of Hamlet,
and the sturdy and loquacious grave
digger who sings at his work. keeping
time with his shovsl as he throws up
the earth and now and then a skull
Suddenly burst of music the church
is Illuminated from within, and forth
streams a brilliant procession follow
ing, with their gay trappings ano
haring torches, the whits-robed biel
and pall-bearers of the lost Ophelia
1t ia as if life met death beside that oper
grAve-thrilling and impressive in the
highest degree.
1.-THE court scenes. too, are superb
dresses, banners and tapestries of 6
studied and regal msgnifcence-th the
fullness OF satisfaction as far as any such
pageant can be; but while acknowIedg
ing the fitness and wonderful artistiC
beauty Of these accessories, we cannot
but feel that the higher issues are un-
touched; for us the real spell rems -
unweven, and recalling the thrill oSz6'
solitary readings, the satisfying com
panionship OF the well-worn volume, We
turn from the feast OF color, the spec
tacle of grace, unmoved. and with closed
eyes remember Hamlet"
In common with many others, l can
not but place higher estimate upor
Edwin Booths rendition OF the part o
Hamlet than is shown oy the writer
and il MsS my E% E99d r,as fortune
circumstances helped him in the por
trayal OF that special character. Hi
mysterious individuality made hin
more than half the Hamlet-individ
uality emphasized by the very TRACED,
in his family history.
1t SO CHANGED that my companion O
earlier days had never before visited tbs
theater; but with Judgment undazzled
by the glamour OF the stage she saw
even in youth, (what multitudes fail tc
appreciate in life tims) that the true
grandeur of Shakespeare's dramas il
not revealed to the play-goer but, using
her own felictous wording, to the "soli.
tary reader with the well-worn volume.' -