New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-11-20


- decentralization Is possible as to Its meaning.
. man in a play. like man in life. must be judged
more by his actions than by his WORDS although
,hs thing that nc is must Of course be apprehend-
"a from a discrminative analysis Of both Shylock.
40 drawn in Shakespeare. is a semi-tragcal char
.c,e- and Is the incarnation Of revenge His mo-
tive IS hatred and his purpose Is murdcr.-and this
,urnose Of murder he intends to accomplish. partly
,-on, a loathing Of his victim hut chiefly from the
desire Of pecuniary gain and advantage. He hates
Antonio because Antonio is Christian. but he
n.,es him more" and he explicitly says so. be
cause Antonio is an opponent In business. accus-
.orned TO lend money without exacting interest.
md thus to diminish The profits Of usury. higher
,,oy can be taken Of Shylock and that higher view
has always possessed a certain allurement equally
ar the commentator and the actor Douglas Jer-
-old said that Edmund Kean's performance Of the
,ev was Ike q chapter Of Genesis. This fanciful
method Of considering shylock. however. is not I'M
IKE the kindred amiabe custom Of refining upon
non QuixOte. a erotesquc sero-comic creation that,
orcinally was intended merely in rdcuie OF spurl-
Gus chivalry. but which now marches through 1T
erature the type OF every fantastic IDEAL tha'
human ingenuity can frame
shvock's best attribute is national integrity lie
ls a radical uncompromsing Jew. Il Will not
nray with you" he declares, to the Christians VINO
want 10 borrow his money. lie swears by our
holv sabbath" and the name that apparently Is
o.,enest on his lips i that OF "our holy Abraham
He
&c "jn Heaven"-a good Jewish oath. on the sound
and settled principle of AN eye for an eye and
accorded In a favorite Jewish register HIS an
,insthv q Antonio remembers that this SNUG
Christian hates our sacred nation. His scoih TOT
"ihe Christian husbands Is no less pious una"
passionate and he would rather have seen MS
dauebter married 10 a descendant OF BdTapoaS
,hsn welded TO Christian. This inveteracy as
low makes the character austere and formiaao!e'
IN, n does not make ii either human or tehue'-
once and once only. does Shylock indlca'e
wounded hoart,-when. hearing that Jesslcd mas
given his turquoise ring for monkey ne CRIES OUT
u his frenzy Il had 1t Of Leah. when was
bachelor, / would not have given 1t for wider
- q, ,oonkevs,' Sympathy and fancy can
readily build their tender structure OF romance Oh
his Implication that Leah" was his sweetheart or
his wife long since dead and gone Inc "ou''
however. IS oniy momentary. There Is "iiei go,
6ugence IN sef-p!ty. the common resort OF seihsh
rersons c.no tears but Of my shedding - and tnen
,ba nood Of fury breaks every bound. and shylocK
With the knowledge that his detested enemy inus'
b delivered into his hands. rises to the fuu stature
NJ his wickedness and towers into an ecstasy OF
malice and revenge.
Soma comfort for the compa ssionate view OF
shyock possibly may be derived from the lacI
tina, once he calls Jessica my girl ana from inc
associate fact Of his amazement that his own nesh
and blood should have rebelled against him u
has often been reasoned that the fathers heat'
Is finally turned 20 helsh. invinciole cruel'Y oy
,hs detestable conduct OF his child. Filial IN
gratitude may DO much: II accounts for king Lear
Nv, {, cannot account for Shylock. The testimony
OF Jessica is that in the bosom or MS FANNY, Hei
father often declared 10 mis- countrymen, IuoaI ana
Chus that he would rather have Antonios hesh
than any amount Of Antonios money ana IN
deed there is but one word for the man who means
q cut another mans heart out OF his oooy ano
- do that cool.y and SCIENTIFICALLY. as an act Of
Justice. ne is rnonster.-and he Is not the less
monster merely because predisposins causes may
he indicated. tending TO make MIN so Inc
shakespearean scholar. however. Is SLOW 10 &c
code 10 this conclusion and the Shakespearean
actor-especialy when mindful Of the glowing
tradition Of Edmund Kean-has generally shown
stju greater reluctance 10 accept it; feeling no
eo,nt that the more humanly righteous Shylock
"a made. the greater Will be the sympathy with
him that dramatic art can awaken
Mr. Herbc-t's IDEAL presented for the hrst time
ana necessarily somewhat blurred by nervous ex-
citenent-seerned mindful of the Biblical standard.
IA vet in some measure deferentiaI 70 a mover
o.ion OF fever and furry, tempered by furtive ana
foyv confluence which Is neither warranted by the
text nor vlndicated by its practical result Never
rrrve' was the law Of Mrs. Siddons. In acting the
sleep-ycene OF Lady Macbeth Move continually
would appear TO be Mr.. Herberts precept IN act
ing ShyIock Hitherto the Jew has been shown as
eelf-centred in character and authoritative IN per
son. He was now displayed in a state OF We
venom. but a scorpion also in CELEBRITY During
the bond scene with Bassanio and Antonio. Mr.
Herbert chiefly impressed his audience by ms su-
rerb makeup for Shylock (Which would make
grand paintngr and by his consummate express
sion OF yelled craftiness his condition Of suppressed
and seethng malgnity, and his incis!ve' retceht
end yet fluent delivery of the sarcastic speeches 70
The Merchant II thus became evident. within
few minutes that the part was In the keeping OF
q studious and capable actor Not until the street
scAna with Tubal however did M Herbert break
away from convention and become approximately
free though. here. he showed inexpHcaoie
eror, 70 keep himself down. and 10 substitute
souau for a tempest. That scene (Which was Ed
rnund Kean's great OCCASION. obviously requires
on the urrt OF shylock. copious passion, complete
spcaren. abandonment. and prodigious power OF e4-
rr-ssicn Solanio describes Shylock's excitement
with words that are OF specially signincant I'M
port-say.ng that 1t was confused strange
COURAGEOUS and variable" No tumult can pos
sibv transcend the demand Of that moment Inc
scene belongs exclusively to Shylock and the stage
representative Of shylock ought TO take fuH pos
session OF H. and within the reserve OF perlec''
though perfectly concealed self-control' winch Is
On essential condition Of all good acting TO cause
the effect Of an overwhelming frenzy. that pres
emily breaks and subsidies into dangerous because
vind.ctve and fanatcal composure; note that 10
struck IN Shylock's final word about the meeting
g. "Our synagogue
Mr. Herbert had. evidently Planned that scene
with scrupulous precision and with finely ntelli-
gent purpose and. Llthough he somewhat lost HIM
SCI. IN Il. by trying 70 strike twelve at once-tnat
Is 10 saw by striving to sweep the words and ac-
lions along in one unbroken burst-he manifested
rare ability and he gained decisive and suspicious
success His achievement would have had more
br.N!ancy OF effect. but for me needless and dis
tracing presence OF a rabble Of children Nearly
always nuisance the stage racing al inc
Jews heels and derding him.-an incident men
toned bv Shakespeare but not shown, and not
essential 70 be shown. He would have seemed more
terrible in his fury furthermore. but for overween-
ing haste and fuss-expedients which denote not
strength but weakness. He revealed however
unexpected resources OF power. and. not"itnstand-