Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-02-24
NEW-CEN1URY CLUB.

Mr.. Henry A. Clspp Of Boston lee
turel on saturday evening before the
club TN Shakespeare's play OF The
Jempest. Tine rain heating against
The windnws seemed an appropriate &C
COMPARTMENT, but Mr.. Clapp so0n trans
ported his hearers to the magic isle
whore the air hreathes most swcetly.
He felt that he was to be congratulated
on the fact that those who hai hraved
such storm must be real lovers OF
Shakespeare. Tho Tempest is play
Of exceptional and remarkable beauty
and charm. Some critics Of Shake
speare give it first place among the i'm
mortal 81. AT least il may be placed
first among the comeliies without fear
OF contradiction. One quality which
adds to ita appeal and value is that j
~ the last complete pfay TO which
Shakespeare put his hand. There may
have been fragments written after this
rs portions OF Henry the Eighth, but it
is the Inst entire play. lGll ought to
he its date. We are bound TO this both
by Ben iuUson's allusiuns to II and by
Ariels reference to the "Still-neSt
BefmOothes, which was probably aug-
gested hy Sylvester Iourdan's account
OF the wreck of fleet on the l3ermudas
in 1910. a novel might not perhaps,
be considered good authority, hut
William Black in his highly ornate,
archaeological, and historical, but ex-
ceedingly dull book, judith Shake.
speare,h speaks of it as the last of the
plays. Perhaps it is his excessive care
to be correct that makes tine book SO
| dull. "The Tempest is one of the
four or five plays in which we have an
original plot. The making of plots re-
CURED mental activity not agreeable
to Shakespeare: he preferred to borrow
them wholly or in part But IN regard
to this last play he may have had an
intimatiun that his career was nearly
ended, and SO wished to make it entirely
original. IL is the first that is almost
perfect in regard of the Greek unities
Of action, time, and place. which he
had steadily detied until then. There
is scarcely another Of the 81 that he has
CHOSEN to bring within the compass Of
one day. In this the time is carefully
marked out Ms Past the mid season.
| At least two glasses. The time 'twixt
six and now must by us both be spent
most previously" and before night the
whole tangled skein ia unkuotted. One
hour ia allowed for the shipwrecking
ment of which keeps Ariel so busy.
Doesn't it delight you to think all was
comfortably over in time for supper at
6 o'clock? The fathers weeping for
his son, the conspiracy against the
Kingdom of Naples, the meeting of
Ferdinand and Miranda, when it takes
the gentleman about. two seconds, the
lady about quarter Of second, to
establish an understanding; the coming
together of the characters for rewards
and punishments, the defeat of Pros
| pero'H enemies, are all worked into a
plot which is very simple, but perfect
for his purposes. After the play 10
fairly set going the element of surprise
ie left out, and that OF expectation
takes its place, for after we have learned
Prospero's power over the spirits, his
scheme works itself out with the de
light 10 us that an imaginative child
feels IN seeing things turn out Just aa
he knew they would,
How enchantingly Shakespeare has
combined the exquisite. fantastic,
imaginative spirit OF Ariol with the
nobls, dignified. profound thought that
fills the Hpeech Of Prospero. TIE rela-
tion between them is strong, deep, APP
pealing. There is nothing like it 10
the literature of tho world, unless it he
the chorus OF the ocean nymphs in the
Prometheus'' of Eschylus. Shake
spearo had himself 10 view in Prospero.
He must have known that he was the
wonder worker, that all spirits of the
earth and air moved at his command.
He had premonitiun OF his approach
ing end when he said:
We are such stiff
As dreams are made Of, and our little life
Is rounded with sleep.
1.-THE Tempest is the first OF bis
plays to show that marked pleasure il
the picturesque, which the early plays,
with all their beauty, lack. In the
early days the picturesque iu nature
made slight appeal to men Homer {
heroes, who are natural, human, earthly,
have little sensibility to it. What il
wild, savage, and rugged means death
and obstruction to men used to fighting
nature and each other. and peaceful
perfectly ordered garden, artificially
made, that. stood for peace and com
fort, gave Homer the highest aesthetic
pleasure. In these times of peace VIZ
love the savage and sublime. A notec
English aesthetic who would like Il
wear knee breaches, and has "doublet
and hose disposition, thinks a sou
really sensitive to beauty could not On
Joy, much in nature but desert sane
and melancholy, gibbous moon.
Shakespeare later plays show feel
ing for the violent and sublime side Of
nature; the richest, rarsat, most highl,
colored, yet delicate and artistic poetic
imagery marks the end of his career
! His early plays are full of poetic orna
mentatiUn the morning, like the setting
sun, drencheH all in collar, but in thu
zenith of his genius, the clear darling
ray sees to tine depth of tho hearth
passions; there is no time for prismatit
: effects. shakespeare sun was pre-
pairing for its setting and this play
! abounds in Imagery. lie was at thu
} period OF his life when his audacity
had almost reached the point ui in
} science. In 1.-THE Tempest he intro
duced the dullest lot OF characters. bu
7 great artist does not allow common
| place people to be uninteresting. Ii
real life we cannot enjoy fool, but il
the pages Of a man of genius he ma,
I be delightful. as witness Sir An
drew Aguecheek. In Jane Austen
I Emma" Miss Bates is the acme, th
! quintessence, the chieftainess OF th,
J commonplace. She makes speeches twt
] pages long, and we wish they wer
. longer the book is SO delightful I,
= read. z
Q Prospero ia a noble example of
great, capable, magnanimous spirit
serene and splendid. Ariel is a suprem
9 achievement of Shakespeare, pur
piece Of the poets soul. The fairins ii
"a Midsumlner Niuht'a Dram ~ mr.