The Washington times., 1903-02-08


tjcaIly every EHzahethan poet who wrote
plays Their life developed their minds
beyond their own perception and they
dealt with their language when it was
s.iH a novelty and It was still unworn.
It viii now be interesting TO note that
with all this advantage only one of the
EHzabcthan dramarists is thought
worthy TO be produced. The recital 81
their names IS proof enough. Next 10
Shakespeare the greatest poets of the
drama in that golden age were Chapman.
Robert Greene. George Teele. Thomas
Decker. Samuel Daniel. Francis Beau
mon. and John Fletcher Not one Of
these produced a PLAY through which
the modern medicvaIl,e could be Undue
ed TO sit. Not one OF them is to be com
pared with Stephen Phillips or Robert
Browning.
Even III that age OF beginnings. Greene
wrote nothing which is now remembered
ezccD,ns Two lines.
Weep not, my wanton smile apon my
knee.
When thou art old, there's grief enough
There are newspapers which refuse
10 print better poetry than that every
week This is the man who called
Shakespeare an upst2rt crow beauli-
ned with cur feathers.
Peclc wrote letter. bu- never 20 we'll
d. certain modern dramattsts-
One of Dekker's plays. old Fortuna
tus.' is worth the reading Of college
students. but little else.
Daniel as Chiefly Temcm5e-eG for
drama, Cleopatra which is SO ,ifeIc-s
that James Russell LorelI-wh0 couI5
read and enjoy aImo5- anytatnr-sa.
1t was .unauprCachabIe. in rl0re senses
than ono. in its frigld regularity"
Beaumont 1ld Fletcher. writing to-
gethcr. produced the only no.a5Ic d.s-
matte writings Of The period. svceptine
alone those Of the Bard OF Avon. Their
works comprised l0rty-iwo plays.
masqUo, and several minor poems. They
served as The basis. some of them. for
Shakespe genius TO build upoa. Hur
if anyone in Washington is Interested
in them for any other reason he stands
alone in all The world.
With The inevitable exception or
Shakespeare and a group of baIIadis-s
who never wrote plays. no single drama
Of the Elizabethan period. the golden age
in English literature. could now be cI.-
acted Most Of them are dull. and I'll
of them are coarse. Or problem
plays" are bad in their teaching only.
The EIzabethan period was marked ~
want of taste, absence Of congruity. and
sad lack OF the delicate discrimination
which makes style. This is the disad-
vantage Of the age. perhaps a -oucom-
infant Of the advantages already stated
Even Shakespeare oEends here. IF any
one Of his plays were presented with rTu-
fidelity TO the text the modern public
would leave she rheater in dismay.
Materially, the equipment of Tie
theater was oven poorer There were no
set scenes-onIy very poor drops. The
costumes served any number OF dramas,
no matter what the scenario or the
period Signs were hung al Reasonable
intervals to inform the audience whore
the actors were and what they diI Tha
mind Of that day had awakened BIN
the stage was still sleeping easily on tho
material endowment left by the miracle
plav
Above all this. Shakespeare shines
Respondent He IS always THE divine
appaTiJion known 10 mor:qls as Shake .
speaTe-" But he Is much more than +
product of his age Were he nothing
else his level would be- as low as Beau /
mOnts or Daniels But, instead. his
genius arose above all his equipment (
his fancy not only found an expression 7
fancy had never known before. but an .
expression which was then fresh aad .
novel He Is often given credit for dis +
regarding stern style, and is presented .
as q death-dealinE answer TO every ar .
gument in favor Of IT, Yet when Shake /
speare lived there were no limitations.
stylistic or otherwise He made gram (
maucaI forms and used them freely /
not because he was q genius. but be- /
cause he knew no grammar The things .
about Shakespeare which are most char
acferiztic Of the EIiza5ethau age are
the least estihabIe things in mis- whole
work
Plainly. the age was poo and bad
To our eyes it must and should seem /
at--lttFr Inc rs Eih'. L4ilE OF inc -E-l3r .
the glory OF Shakespeare give it char
acter. But they are achievements
which we can enjoy without the detri-
ment OF EIizabetbau coarsencss and
moral beggary-
So it is that the effort now current in
New York city 10 present tie plays Of
as they were presented in
his day merits only iudulgeut consure.
j. is not movement back to true drr.
as its followers proclaim. 1T is tho cry
Of men purbIind TO tho trend OF all aT-.
histrioaic and otherwise, FOR The trend
Of art is ever toward tho exposition OF
life in the day of tho artist. The best
architecture Is not the best limitations
Of Greel, design; It is the best use Of +
good design TO suit modern life. modern
requirements. and modern coavenieuces
So it is with the ,heaJer. the best art
Is the best use OF those old methods
which were good and OF every new adj
vantage brought Hg the progress Of
civilization. a. d. 4.
Past and Future