The San Francisco call., 1899-12-11

how the poet is developing that mastery
over word and phrase. that facility ofyer-
bal invention. to which the adjective
"Shakespearean' is applied. In the two
plays last named he seems to revel in new-
found powers and TO set no bounds 10
their exercise: profusion OF epithet de-
lights him. 1t can be easily understood
how the fool element gave free play 10
his language inventiveness. The fool
might be garrulous. inconsequential. In
exact and reckless in speech, but he was
expected to be ready and vonturesome-
The fool-speeches may be regarded in
these early comedies as so many expert
ments in language. They test and try
one phrase after another TO find out how
much II will yield. The fool seems 10 lis
ten to his own words in order TO discover
their remotest suggestions as basis for
his new ventures in wordy warfare.
Much Of Shakespeares later ingenuity in
phrasemaking and much OF the ease and
scope OF his later diction can be traced to
the freedom with which he was permitted
to manage the language OF the fools in
his earliest plays.
Leaving the instructive fools. like Cos
tard and Launce. and the mechanical buff
foons like Grumio. and Dromio OF Ephe-
sus, we reach the plays in which Shakes
peare has presented fools OF a higher or
der, the fools Of conscious wit and wis
dom-like those in Lear" Twelfth
Night" and "As You Like It." These men
know what they are about; they are in
line with nature. but they are playing a
part, however much they may dissemble.
Kent discovers that Lear's boy Is not all
fool. and although Celia refers to Touch
stone as natural" Jaques finds in him
the real character Of humorist and phi
losopher Either Touchstone is wondrous
skillful in the first act in passing for a
pure fool or there are two fools in the
play. DR.. Furness puts the question thus:
''Is the 'clownish fool and the 'roguish
clown of the first act, with his bald jests
of knights and pancakes. the Touchstone
of the fifth act. who has trod meas
ure, fiattered lady. been polite with his
friend and smooth with his enemy? Is
the simpleton of the first act natures
natural as he is In truth, the same with
the Touchstone who can cite Ovid and
quarrel in print by the book? Are there
not here two separate characters?" II
there are two fools II cannot be doubted
which of the two IS the real Touchstone,
the real tester OF human quality and char
acter and social situation. as the name
Touchstone indicates. When Rosalind
says: Thou speakest wiser than thou art
ware Of" Touchstone humors the belief
that he Is an innocent: Nay. shall
ne'er be ware of mine own wit till
break my shins against IT." He is willing
to please and to be pleased. whatever es-
innate may be nut on his abilities. He is
content with the world. though he does
like to parody its shams. Society does
not believe more strongly than Touch
stone In talking with Corin. pretends TO
believe that bad manners mean damna-
ton. ''Why. II thou never vast at court,
thou never sawest good manners; II thou
never sawest good manners. then thy
manners must be wicked. and wickedness
is sin, and sin is damnation. Thou art in
a parlous state, shepherd" Touchstone's
alliance with Audrey Is his humorous sa-
tire on ill-mated couples and marriages
not based upon true love. II Is "a poor
humor" of his to take ill-favored Audrey
because she is honest.
The etiquette of quarreling and other
overwrought schemes of etiquette were
never treated with such delicious satire
as Touchstone's in the famous disserta-
ton on the seventh cause" (Act V.
scene ~. And how ridiculous does this
wise and pleasant fool render those ever
dreary and ever-renewed discussions OF
the relative merits OF city and country
cause they assume that real happiness de-
pends on where a man lives rather than
on what he is, Touchstone finds the
shepherds life in respect to ITSELF a
very good life; but In respect that II Is
a shepherds life. II Is naught''-and with
mock seriousness he continues to pair off
the advantages and disadvantages (Act
III. scene p as his betters have done be-
main points that would have made the
discussion worth while. Jacques is sup
posed to interpret Alright Touchstone's
character (act II, scene %. but the Duke