The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-01-22

ded to and developed it in the Third
Part of King Henry VI" And then
while still under the masters influence
Shakespeare undertook a further and
independent treatment Of the same
theme. and executed it with dash
and subtlety that raise it far above his
masters best work. Professor Wendell
has pointed out certain archaic eie-
ments in the play, the imprObability Of
Glosters wOOing Anne in the open
street, the choral lamentati0n of the
widows in the fourth scene of the
fourth act, and Richards frank avowal
of his villainy in the opening lines. All
these remind US of MarlOwe, who, writ
ing for a simple and uncritical audi
ence, made large drafts on their i'm
agination, and cared little for verisi-
Multitude so he could but accomplish
his effect
The Character of Richard III.
There are other characteristics of
this play which show very plainly the
influence of Marlowe-the headlong
energy of the action, the sonorous
rhetoric of the verse, the absence Of
rhyme. and in large measure. of the
fanciful conceits that disfigure much
of shakespeare earlier work But
most characteristic of all is the COM
plete subOrdinaJion Of the minor per
sons of the drama to the central char
acter Of Richard MarlOWe loved a
oHe-star play. With the possible ex-
ceptiOn of Edward II his dramas are
devoted to the exposition of one great
passion in one almost superhumsn
figure. And not only does Richard
dominate the other figures in the play
which bears his name; be is himself
dominated by one master passion the
fr.e~@ &c -4s-
ton of his passion Shakespeare works
by subteT means than MaTIOWe ever
dreamed of. He gives it a BACKGROUND
Of history, he explains and humanizes
it by heredity. The passion Of s0ver-
eighty was an inherited characteristic
in the house Of York. Richards grand
father had persisted in an attempt
against his king; before the outbreak
OF the civil wars we find Richard 6
father dreaming Of the golden circuit
of the crown I'll King Henry VI. act
3. scene u. Richards brother ex-
claims: I'D break thousand Oaths
to reign one year" III King Henry
VI, act /, scene p. In Richard this
family characteristic reaches its climax
and becomes a fierce oveTmastering
passion, a Economical possession. And
Richards native egoism has been
nurtured and magnified by the atmos-
phere In which he grew to manhood,
for in the wars of the roses all laws
human and divine were set aside 50
men might wreak their lust Of power
upon the world
Nature herself has done her part to
intensity and give direction to this
passion. She has misshaped Richard
from his mothers womb, like to a
chaos or an unlocked bear whelp." Not
that Richard is a villain because ne Is
a monster of deformity. The frequent
ly misunderstood lines OF his opening
solilOquy-
And therefore since 1 cannot play the
To entertain these fair. weil-spoken
days,
I am determined 10 prove villain.
And hate the Idle pleasures Of these
are not spoken in earnest. but in the
spirit Of hooking irony which is so
characteristic Of Richard. 1t cannot
be seriously maintained that Richard
became hypOcTite, a peTjUTer and d
murderer because he could not play
the lover and strut before d wantOn
ambling nymph." But the bodily de-
fOrmity which cut him Off from the
delights Of love and the friendship of
men steeled his heart and steadied his
hand TO the accomplishment of his in
/ against mankind because of his de-
formity; he gladly accepts it as a
finger mark Of destiny. If he was born
with teeth, it plainly signified that he
should snarl and bite and play the
dog" He revels in illusions to his
misshaped form and exaggerates it
with the habitual POPULARITY which
Lamb points out as a prime feature Of
his character. The same subtle critic
has shown how in these illusions there
mingles perpetual reference to the
powers and capacities by which Rich
ard is enabled to surmount his bodily
deformity; the joy Of a detect con-
quered or turned into an advantage is
the cause Of these very illusions and
Of the satisfaction with which his
mind recurs. to them.
Nowhere are these powers and capa-
cities so magnifieently displayed as in
his courtship Of Anne. The scene is
not unconlmonly condemned as q
/ piece Of Elizabethan extravaganza. q
reckless defiance of TIE possibilities of
nature. That such a monster as Rich
ard could win the love Of a princess,