The San Francisco call., 1904-12-18
A LIFE
OF the Great Poet

Il pendent work of w. j. Rolfes
~ Life OF Shakespeare" which ap-
peared a year or so ago as a sup
Elementary volume to the New Century
edition of Shakespeare, is a rare boon
to the students Of the great dramatlst.
1t is well that DR.. RoIfe's exhaustive
work is given the distinction of inde-
pendent publication. for it is in itself a
masterpiece of scholarly effort and a
complete review of the critical studies
that have had Shakespeare for their mo-
tive since Nicholas Rowe published the
first biography of the immortal poet in
1709. The appearance of this volume
separately has the added merit Of Of
fering TO Shakespeare students the sum
of Rolfe's study. which would otherwise
be unavailable to all who did not be-
come possessOrs of the complete edition
of which it was originally a part.
So long has DR.. ROlfe's name been
prominent in the ranks of Shakespeare
critics that the authority of his word
does not suggest itself to debate That
Halliwell- Phillips in an Introductory
note TO his standard Outlines of the
Life of Shakespeare" should have re-
stricted the measure Of his indebted
ness to five contemporary authorities.
of which number Rolfe was one, is suf-
ficient gauge Of the rank held among
commentators by the author of the
work under consideration. He is gener-.
ally conceded TO be the only American
whose word is entitled TO the measure
of consideration accorded Sidney Lee
and his contemporaries in England and
Germany.
Rolfe has brought to bear upon his
work a high power of discrimination.
for discrimination can be the only abid-
ing essence Of Shakespearean criticism
in this day of intensive and sometimes
abnormally inventive delving into the
mysteries of the Dlaywright's motives
and inspirations. So much that is
apocryphal, so great an amount OF
speculation, of deduction and theoriz-
ing confronts the ShakesDearean schOl-
ar that his task to-day is not so much
a creative as a critical one Acting on
this well established hypothesis. the
author of the Life Of Shakespeare
has made his entire work one Of care
full elimination and selection. so that
it's sum total represents what one stu
dent believes to be the kernel OF meat
in the whole volume OF commentary.
Chary of advancing new theories with
out a proper foundation work Of legiti-
mate hypothesis. DR.. Rolfe has devoted
the major part OF his energies to top
pling over and exposing fallacies which
have received the sanction OF haphaz-
ard theorists Especially worthy of note
is his leveling Of the tenets Of those
who deny that Shakespeare wrote
Shakespeare.
80
to bear the accumulated evidences
drawn from the typographical execu-
tion of the first folio of 1923. BY ad-
ducing the noteworthy incidents OF
false proofreading and iIliterate editing
manifested throughout the thirty-six
plays in the edition. and by instancing.
also. evidences which prove that the
author Of the plays credited to Bacon
certainly had not supervision over
their folio printing. the writer seems to
fix justification for his assertion:
THAT Francis Bacon could have edited
them (the folio plays) OF supervised
their publication is inconceivabIe-ex-
cept to a fool or a Baconian-'
RoIfe devOtes a weighty chapter to
the discussion Of Shakespeare's SON
nets. Was the publication Of the SON.
nets IN l0OS duluOfllcu Oy the duInOrI
Are the sonnets wholly or in part auto
biographical. or merely poetic exercise.
modelled after the fashion OF the day?
Did they ring true with Shakespeare's
own spirit or was their sentiment like
wise but the reflection OF literary
modes of the time? These are some
OF the questions Rolfe propounds. Not
only does he answer them, but he seeks
at the same time to puncture some Of
the misconceptions Of hasty commenta-
tors. That the sonnets were not ed
tied bv Shakespeare, nor their publi-
cation authorized by him, is Rolfe's
belief; Of their personal nature and
sincerity he is convinced.
in discussion OF the great poets
poems. notably Venus and Adonis'.
and "Lucrece." Rolfe calls To his aid
the Interpretation of Coleridxe in refu-
tation Of the contention that Shake
speare sought only to clorify things
sensual through them. Rolfe contends
for a recognition in both poems OF an
ethical and reflective element which
draws It's lesson from the intense and
brutal passion exsmplified therein.