The San Francisco call., 1901-11-24

"HE lover Of Shakespeare. will find
great deal to enjoy in Hamilton
Wright Mabie's work. Shakes
peare, Poet. Dramatist and Man.
Il Of which the third edition has just
been issued by the Macmillan Company
The exhaustive work of generations o,
critics has, in so far as scientific data i:
concerned, left little that is new to be
said concerning Shakespeare Every
word that Shakespeare wrote has beer
weighed so carefully that, considerine
alone the technique of the dramas. so tc
speak, there remains small occasion fol
the exercise of originality in criticism
Very wisely Mr.. Mabie has not attemnt-
ed in this work of his studied inyesti.
cation Of each play for the student OF
English; what he has attempted to dc
ana what he has succeeded so admirably
IN oolng has been to draw from the well
known facts Of Shakespeare's life AND
from his works an evaluation of the nhe-
nomenon OF Shakespeares genius and ar
explanation of the possibility of the an
pearance Of this phenomenon Mr.. Ma
pes hne appreciation of the beauty of
Ihe deeper meaning Of life whether this
reveal itself in a play of the emotions or
.ne phenomena of nature, and his
ec'y II expressing this appreciation.
nave lent TO his work q poetic ouaIitv
which must appear in any criticism nj
Snakespeare II this is not to leave upon
me reader the impression that there Is
something essential LACKING.
Mr.. Mabie's book opens with 2 brief so-
count OF the origin OF the drama. IN the
nrst crude attempts to accomnanv bv
lance ana gesture the choric songs which
At lne 1eStiVals in honor of the god Diony-
lures. AS Mr. Mabie then goes ~, -. -. el- eII-
plain, out of this rude beginning tbere
came the gradual developn1ent of the
choflc dance into the true drama of clss-
sicai times when narration of events hv
4 chorus had given place to representa.
uon OF adventures and emotions bv means
OF the action and speech of indfvidual
actors After the passing of the solendor
OF the tragedy and the brfIlianc Of the
comedy of the best age of classic 1i+era0
ture came the dark ages in which the
Drama degenerated into pantouine
ana dialogue of the coarsest tyne. with
the revival of learning came renewed 10
qualntance with classic models ans +.
rapid advance of the drama toward the
standard they set. until just before shake
speaIe wrote there had been written PLAYS
Mtich were no mean precursors of those
Whlcn nave come to stand for the highest
achievement of modern dramatic oTt
Mr. Mabie writes at some leno+b %
md
oI the country round about the town. as
ne holds that while Shakespeare geni1c
received its bent from the circumsfsn nces
surrounding his later life it was to the
knowledge he gained while youtb a.
Slr2tiord and the acquaintance he made
d the beauties Of Warwickshire scenery
nat we may look for the explanation of
1aeIs' Shakespeare's wide knowledge
oI the motives and impulses dominating
inc men of the age of Elizabeth vrbicb
ieips make him the chief exponent 81
the spirit OF that age, and the intimate
acquaintance with the beauties of nature
10 which the poet gives such exo,,is,+o
testimony again and again.
The fact that the only systematic ~
tellectual training which Shakespear re had
vas IN an unimportarU town. which 81
lereo only ordinary advantages of educa-
tion, does not argue, Mr.. Mabie contende
that the poet must be considered an IN,
Iettered man, the explanation of whose
genius IS that it was a divine Aar.a
sweeping over him without warning and
not the Towering of his experience T'bo
central idea Of Mr.. Mabie's book is tbot
Shakespeare as he appeared in his hest
work was the logical DEVELOPMENT of
great forces active throughout civilized
Europe IN his age and having free plav,
N the life Of England, and that these
forces found their clearest expression in
Shakespeare for the reason that his souI
was best attuned to their meaning ls
shakespeare Is par excellence the en-.
bodiment Of the genus of the Ar.-Io-
Saxon race. then his life previous 70 tho
time when this genius found utterance IN
mn is IN explanation and not in contra
dlction Of the work which he produced
Shakespeare is not only poet for rho
stucent-he is a dramatist who anneaIs
10 the experience and understanding of
the people. The perennial popularity of
his plays shows that he speaks in Ian
Ruage which all can understand: that
there IS no emotion in the gamut of hu
man feeing which has not found express
sion in him. Believing this, it is not diff
ilcult TO see how the seeming disadvan-
tages Of Shakespeare career worked for
his ultimate advantage. His quiet life
among the peaceful beauties of the coun-
Try about Stratford gave time and place
for attentive ear to the marveIs told bv
travellers and strolling players of the won
ders that were opened to view by the dis
coNery Of a new world and by the grow
ing consciousness Of the inherent strength
and greatness of England. Then. too.
when chance or the growing poverty of
his father drove him to London he was
FORCED TO gain practical knowledge Of
staSecraft. which later stood him in such
good stead, and an acquaintance with old
pays Wnlch proved the inspiration and
stimulus of his future work
During the age Of Elizabe the thea
ter was frequented by representatives of
all classes and, in the license of the time
The Wit Of the rabble played as freely in
criticism Of a play as that of the noble
poetaster. As a result the playwright
who sought enduring popularity must in
his characters appeal to an experience as
wide as that Of human nature itself That
Shakespeare did this with pre-eminent
success is shown by the fact that for the
learned and the simple of all times his
plays have come to be a treasury of the
knowledge concerning the workings of the
human soul.
Holding in view the idea that Shake
MAa