New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-10-04
THE DRAMA.
. cpr.T sHAKEsPEARIAN SPECTACLE.
p1czARp MANSFIELD AS HENRY v

81, a. folIoued by the day. shakespeare's
sss-rsts,re image OF Failure and sorro" RACES
- 5tsanpears and, emerging on the same sc~ee
VIII golden fare OF banner and vibrant
,-s-.isI sound comes Shakespeares represen'alFe
- ~ Success and Happiness For Hamlet the
rsu and the sepulchre. the heavy night ana tue
-,osning Of the unknown sea: Tor henry o. MN
mouth the throne and the sceptre' the Ol1-e %
noon. and al the glories and pleasures OF tne
-o-7s These Two figures stand at the ruFthest OPP
rosite extremes OF life, and nothing eou4u DC -
,.--,c+t,e whether as a study Of human nature
- :, uluuntnatfve disclosure Of Shakespeare
lind than the contrast that they present. IN
---,Is+ the roet has portrayed baf1ed thought ano
nsrveless Will culminant in misery IN henry Oh
Yarmouth artfuIly building on stanch historic
1esis Of fact and POLITICALLY msgnifying an actual
character he has portrayed his consummate ldeal
- the nerfect man Of sction-the man who knows
exactly what he wants, and. having no craven
scruple Of thinking too precisely on the event,
viii take the instant way 70 grasp II, and VIII
hold II against all the world. His love, with al
that thi. word means. undoubtedly went with
Hamlet: his sane approval and calm admiration
so with Henry. He has drawn, IN this character
q man without weakness, and he has invested MN
with almost every virtue-with sincerity, sim
pliclty stability, dignity, piety truth valor ana
wisdom the graces OF galantry and the charms OF
kindness and humor. This type Of man is readiiy
comprehensible, and since the permanence and wei
fare q society depend upon exactly such persons
It would hardly be possible to say too much in his
praise But II viii not pass unobserved that this
type OF man moves wholly in the region or fact
Henry Of Monmouth has neither imagination nor
strong affections. The man who could break the
heart OF Falstan must be admired for his I'M
partial Justice and respected and honored for his
righteous behavior; but he cannot be loved All
the same he carries with him the liking Of the
busy world. he is exceptionally worthy Of study ana
his presence on the stage IS a pubic benent MI.
Mansfield accordingly has done well and wisely,
not for himself alone but for the community IN
lis timely revival and splendid production OF
Henry V"
To the Shakespeare student the poets fine ampli-
hcation Of truth in his deineation OF Henrys char
acrer is especially delightful The actual man
seems 10 have been reformed rake He entered
while yet in boyhood upon the active business Of
life lea wing Oxford University when about twelve
years old and following King Richard II in HIS ex-
petition Of warfare into ireland. By King Rich
ard he knighted when IN that country
little later when only fifteen he led one OF the
armies Of his usurpatory father Henry ", in
Wales and participated IN the decisive battle OF
Shrewsbury, where he fought bravely and was
severely wounded. His precocious talents, his
efficiency. and his popularity, however, at first dis
pleased his father,-engenderin In the MIND OF
that willy and treacherous politician the furtive dis
trust and Jealous suspicion that insineere and
crafty persons, judging others By themselves, are
always quick to entertain and slow 10 -relinauish-
and the restraints consequently put upon his youth
fu srdoF theFeupon drove him into some excuses
OF prohigate behavior covering discretion with
q coat of folly" Such a result is not altogether
uncommon IN human experience ana Shakespeare
has happily remarked that the strawberry grows
underneath the nettle." When the hour of royal
responsibility arrived the Prince cast away his
Ightness and became man in earnest,-Tultng
himself the first and most essential prepare
ton for ruling others. AZ twenty-four he became
King Of England; tweuty-siX he gained his as
tonishng and dazzling victory over the French, at
AgincouFt. defeating and subduing force vastly
superior 10 hts and at thrty-four, after other
wars and vfcissitudes. he died.-se young
n Fa aa4TT IN ST
arms that his seemed only 10 have just be-
gun. Undoubtedly he was great executive spirit:
only a great executive spirit could thus have pre-
dominated, IN age when the most common or
crimes was the cutting of Of tongues and the put
ting cut Of eyes; but there is nothing In history
tradition showing him TO have been such man
Is might have nerited the almost ecstatio enoomi-
OF Canterbury. n Shakespeares play, or might
have uttered the wonderfully fine farewell speech 20
scroop, the wide reaching. philosophie. noble
soiiloquy the vanity Of mortal greatness. Shake
spesre has TRANSPORTED him adding poetic glamour
10 historic truth, and making a great TACT stllI
greater with the augmentative glory Of an i'm
mortal ideal. According 70 the old chronicles the
Prince changed If by miraculous conversion
from prohigate brsW1er and Feveller TO vrtuous
monarch According 10 Shakespeare-and herein
the poet is a better authority than the historian
he did not change but was developed, laying down
S mask, casting aside the loosely worn garment
Of assumed eeprsvity and disearding by natural
process the vices and foiiies which he had only toll
Grated but which never had been integral part
Of his character. No wonder, surely. that the
memory of Henry is Tevered by the English
people and thar every relic and memento Of him is
sscredIy cherished The traveller in Wales still
sees Monmouth Castle, in which this Prince
born,-preserved as q shrine Of pilgrimage In
little church IN Southampton, not far from the
steamship landing. tablet marks the grave Of
Sersop and his aecompnees who cOnspired TO
murder him just as he was emba ing for the
memorable campaign ia France, and who suffered
death for their treason Queens College al OK
ford has tts memorial Of his Judgement and his
brief days OF discipline and study. And over his
tomb in Westminster Abbey are still displayed, with
one Of his helmets not Of the kind that was
in battle the saddle and the shield that he used at
Ag1ncourt.
The great speeches for an actor with which the
play Of Henry W is adorned are the Kings adju-
ration 20 Lord seFoep; his appeal TO the soldiers
before Harheur; his soliIoquy the contrasted
fortunes Of the monarch and the peasant; Canter-
bury description Of the King, and that same elo
queBt priEnate's verbal portrayal Of well ordered
kingdom, as symbolizsd by the commonwealth Of
the bees: Exeter's pathetic account Of the deaths
Of York and Suffolk. who were slain at Agincourt;
and the superb word picture by the Chorus, OF the
night before the battle. Most Of these passages
were retained IN csiverts stage version Of the
drama. but Ny Mansfield has somewhat exceeded
Calvert fHho followed Charles Kean's plan In all
essentials in the lberalty his retentions Of the
original text, that the piece. though necessarily
pruned and shortened, is presented with large
hdeiity 20 the author. The original play as all
readers OF II are aware Is more epic than ORA
matte q narrative Of episodes illustrated with pic
foTisi tableaus and with lyrical commentary more
than a fabric Of continuous action; and, for this
reason. when given the stage il must be treated
more or less a spectacle. The central fact to be
exhibited is that King Henry v coming 70 the
throne Of England and being advised by HIS counsel
l0rs that he possessed a valid claim 70 that Of
France, LED army into that country chen torn
and distracted b. internal feuds), met and de-