The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-02-21
TRAGEDY OF :" KING LEAR. J"
SUBJECT OF AN INTERESTING Lee
TURE BY REV. H. H. GowEN.
Play Great Almost Beyond Criticism
lin 1t the Poet Exemplines the
Failing of the Celt and Interprets
and Analyses Celtic Character.

by the ReN. III. III. Gowen was delivered
last evening in the Collins hall, the SUD-
ject being King Lear"
IF the whole English-speaking word
had TO choose one man to represent IT in
the parliament Of nations, that man" said
speare Nevertheless" he continued,
we approach the consideration of such a
play as Lear with ave. if not with re-
luctance. One eminent critic has declared
that to attempt description Of such a
play or of its effect upon the mind was a
mere imper,inence. Charles Lamb said
that the tragedy was one not to be act
ed. or not to be borne in the acting, and
Co,eridge had described It as a play of
storm and tempest, the thunder now grum-
bling in the distance. now gathering
around us now breaking over our heads,
followed by the breaking of the clouds for
a while, a last fash of lightning, the clos
ing in OF the night, and the single hope OF
darkness"
The lecturer spoke of avoiding snapshot
judgments with regard TO the purpose of
Shakespeare's plays, and protested against
Lear" being regarded too summarily as
drama Of ingratitude. Ingratitude undoubt-
eddy is painted in the strongest colors. but
It is subsidiary interest. In the first place
Shakespeare made no character an en-
bodied passion, rejecting the scholastic def
milton OF virtue and vices for one more
consonant with the complex nature of man;
and in the second pace, the central interest
OF the play Is in the protagonist himself.
Lear, and in the passion of which his soul
Is the theater rather than in the passion
to which he is exposed This dominant
passion is that of a rash self-will, UNI
bridied impulsiveness such as brings with
II the tragedy of the drama.
Shakespeare's Rare Play.
Indeed" said the lecturer Shakespeare
has given us here rare play, exemplify
Ing the failing of the Get as in Ham
let the Complementary play. he had given
an illustration of the failing of the Teu-
ton. Hamlet allows his active side to be
overweighted by the reflective: Lear al
lows the reflective faculties to be over
weighted by the active. Each Is an IL
lustration of the half man, proof of the
assertion:
. What hand and brain went ever paired!
What heart alike conceived and daredr
THE Celtic character Of the play fur
nshes a c.ew to its interpretation
The lecturer than proceeded to deal with
the old legend of Lear, the son of Biadud,
and described Shakespeare's use OF the ma
terials which came into his hand. Four
points were touched upon in this connec-
ton: First. that Shakespeare deliberately
changed the old story, rejecting the hap
victors over their enemies, and deepening
the tragedy by requiring their death. Sec
ond, that he added to the main plot the
story of the Duke of Gloucester and his
sons. which he borrowed from Sidney's
Arcadia" making the tragedy OF the duke
misjudging one son, Edgar, to suffer from
the treason of the other son. Edmund, to
serve as kind of satellite to the tragedy
OF the king who misludges Cordelia to suf-
fer from the treason of Gonerii and Re-
gan Third, that the climax of the play
is placed In the very first act, all the con-
sequences proceeding from Lears unjust
division of his kingdom. Fourth that from
this irst act proceed two trilogies of trag
edy. the first trilogy containing the trag-
edy of Lear, the tragedy of Goneril and
Regan. and the tragedy of Cordelia: the
second triiogy those OF Gloucester, OF Ed
mund and Edgar. Thus the consequences
of acts takes In the half guilty, the delib-
crate guilty and the innocent.
Characters Of the Drama.
The next part of the lecture dealt with
the characters OF the drama in the follow
ing three groups: First, that containing
della. The first two OF these We're described
as the most ghou,ish in literature. TO whom
Lady Macbeth is sympathetic and Clytem-
nestra passion.ess marble statue. one
might even suppose that Shakespeare had
outraged fallen human nature did not his
tory embrace the story OF Tullia driving
over her fathers corpse, of Amestris,
Parystatis and Agrppina. or mad one not
such a book before him as Lombroso's "Fe-
male Offender"
The distinctions however, between the
two women were clearly pointed out. Cor
della was a more sympathetic study and
n spite OF her faults, the family trait OF
obstinacy and a tendency to sarcasm, her
beautiful reticence and her intensity Of
character were dwelt upon as establishing
her claim to be of Shakespeare's loveliest
heroines.
Oswald, the steward Of Gonerii. Shake
speare's type of blind feudal attachment:
Kent. the IDEAL faithful tegeman ready
10 stand not only between Lear and his
enemies. but also between Lear and his
worser self. and the fool, one OF Shake
speare's most lovable and gracious crea-
tions--the poor bufoon who follows the
King like a wandering voice the kings
conscience driving home hts FOXY with one
reiterated sarcasm, yet fool with heart,
= broken heart. who pines away after Cor
ielia's exile. attends the king in the plti-
less storm, and whose end Is described at
last. My poor fool Is hanged
Gloucester and His Sons.
The third group contained Gloucester and
his two sons. OF whom Edmund IS the
more interesting. and Villain as he is. one
Of the strongest characters In the play. The
key to his character Is in The circumstances
q his birth. bastard, unackno wledged
and put ont 81 public care. he feels no
scrupic IN rcveuging himself upon society,
and Ike Richard III, can say L am my
self alone" Yet he IL clear-ssghted enough
20 perceive that 81 IS a mere evasion 10
suppose himself committed TO crime by
planetary influences. His death reSea.s one
tender spot in his heart
Then followed an elaborate analysis Of
tho development Of the character OF Lear
which showed the foolish, reckless old man
transformed BY imperceptible graduation IN
10 the majesty q sorrow.
Shakespeare, the lecturer declared was
tight In rejecting the s0-CaEed happy end
lug " What was exemption from death
Tor few short years as compared with
4 rcdeurpticn such as Lears with an u,u-
gainstton such as Cordelias7 Death Is not
necessarily an unhappy ending 70 a play
There are things which death cannot touch
hEh moral gains eternal IN their essence
and their issues. In the kingdom OF the
spirit nothing matters but character and
love "R peneSs Is all"
So Corie:ta's sacrifice was vindica;ed II
was indeed true.
Upon such sacrifices, my Cor,selia
The gDis themselves throw incense -
Like Jepathah's daughter. she needed no
pity.
She RENDERED answer high
Not so. a thousand times
would he born and die