New-York tribune., 1904-10-18

AA'1 N-osS0S OF Romeo and Juliet has almost
al"ays oeen curtailed for representation The
apleFt version OF It ever used on the stage 6 thar
made oy Henry Irving and produced al the I.y-
ceuiI N London in 1882 In that version there are
twenty-five scenes The most important restora-
ton vas that Of the discovery OF the supposed
death OF Juliet lAcr " Scene 81 on the morning
OF the cay appointed for her marriage to Paris
The passages relative 70 Romeos unreouited love
Tor Rosahne also were used. as being explanatory
o. the poets alleged purpose 10 indicate that
Romeo nature and passion subjective. But.
practically. for the purpose Of the stage. a con
siderable curtailment OF the plav is imperative.
and the contemporary audience viii gratefully rec
ognize that the version used by Mr.. Sothern and
Miss Marlowe has the merit OF brevity
Shakespeare. unquestionaby. possessed profound
intuiuve, comprehensive knowledge OF human
nature. but the enthusiasts from Tieck 70 Dowden
who have ascri0ed 70 him a variety OF subtle pur-
poses. complex and metaphysical in this tragedy
sHem TO have forgotten or been willing to forget
that the play, in almost every fibre of It. IS a
paraphrase. a poetic application OF Arthur
Brooke's poem. on which II founded mar
Vellous paraphrase. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. afnuen. eIo-
guent. fervent beautiful.-but. al the same the
elaborate expansion Of an earlier work for in the
development OF the plot. the arrangement Of the
incidents. the composition or the characters and
20 some extent the mechanism Of the verbal fab
re the dramatsC closely follows the bard: so that
as long ago Was remarked by skottowe, the germ
OF almost every idea in the play can be found in
me poem Accordingly II anybody had a darker
purpose than that OF telling "a tragical love story
III a plain. clear. straightforward manner II was
Arthur Brooke. and not Shakespeare.
a 3udieious condemnation OF the play excludes
many rhynned coupets. which artificial and
leoious' the preliminary episode OF RosaIine which
- inappreciSbie by average audience: the
various Fulgerities OF allusiou that exude from
Mercuuo ana the Nurse which are offensive 10
good taste, and quite unnecessary the verbal ban
ler between Meroutio and Romeo which is labo-
nous Feeble and insiptd; the chatter OF the mus-
elafs. which IS needless; and kriar Lawrence's
taFeWeu speech. which is a supersuous narrative
of things that have already been shown. The wis
dom OF the omission OF Juiet's paroxysrn OF agony
on being told that Romeo has killed Tybalt and
has been banished CAct ti scene y may be- and
often aas been, questioned II anticipates the dra-
matte eject of Roueo's kindred ecstasy inaue-
dlaJely Following. and. IN that sense seems con-
i.1cuVe with IL yet II IS 4 very strong passage.
Adelaide Nelson omitted II: so finally did Mary
Anderson; Julia MarIowe Ellen Terry re-
tained IL and made splendid point OF il Curtai-
ment OF the character OF the Esrrulous saIacious
perhoous vulgar. ard tiresome Nurse would tighten
the play. ard the omission OF Paris from the
chu7ehysrd sceue Cwhers the duel should be fought
with sWoTcs. as the text requires y Il Il fought
alb, would accelerate the catastrophe Furthermore
Romeo's minute description OF the beggarly spotse-
cary's shop. expanded FROM a hint by Brooke
could be spared. Indeed. whether animated BY
love or oppressed By misery. Romeo certainly ex-
the tempest and whirwind Of w-ath he can coin the
happy phrase OF respective lenity." and no man
Was ever more ready with strained reflections and
horia metaphor truth that. probably. caused
the onIscient Haziett. in his well known explosion
OF hysrerical enconiura upon this play to declare
that Romeo Is Hamlet IN love" Excision OF the
fan business. with Peter. and os Mercuto's silly
horsepiay with the Nurse twho. the stage Is al
ways made too oIc). would be comforting improve
menr; b1t that sacrifice Of tradition. probably,
n0r ha fal. Z ma n cd
agreeable circumstance, that. IN the Sothern- Mar
version OF 'FoTueo and Juliet" Peter does
fau asleep IN The street. ana does not begulle the
tine by trying to catch flies The play IS duly con
denseo and q has leen mounted in a creditable.
almost al opUlent, manner. The best setting OF
this piece as a whole that has been in time
was one made by Mary Anderson n London.
II 1878. when Alma Taderla was one OF her ad-
visers and when O'Conor. Hawes Craven. and
Bruce Smith painted the sceaery,-uuch OF which
was magnificent and al ot which was made from
sketches taken IL Vnroua- Henry Irving's setting
for tho Tomb scene surpassed any picture ot that
subject that devised The Sothern-M
lowe set for the interior OF the Tomb is not ef-
fectiva The words OF Frar Lawrence prescribe
the requisite composition o: the Tomb picture;
Then. The nlaan.r OF or country is
y Thy best robes uncovered. on the eeE,
Where all the kindred of the Cspulets lies
Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet" in his
earlier years. and. judged BY his standard, Il
exhibits in some reEpects. the immaturity OF his
great powers. But the poetical values Of II are
precious. and never 10 be forgotten. On a memora-
bic occasion, long ago. the present writer tried 10
denote those values IN words that may appro-
priateIy be repeated. Morning and midnight touch
their lips together IN this brilliant desoate TRACE
dy No one who has had youth can think OF Il
without remembering sacred time when the
flowers srnelt sweeter than they do now. and Tho
winds were softer. and in the hush Of the night
there was celestial mystery. and the stars seemed
friends and the AFFAIRS OF human beings were in
hniteIy remote and trivial Then one pair OF eyes
was worshipped. and one voice was all there IS OF
music and life was exalted into sanctity. That
time can never be called back Scarcely IN the
turmoil Of tho world does any realize that
ever II existed. But Shakespeare knew il, and
could surcharge his mind with its spirit and color
and he has poured that spirit through the current
Of this exquisite poem OF love. disappointment and
rrernediable anguish. Sometimes. whether Ia read
ing these scenes OF viewing them the veteran Of
perience feels a sudden throb OF infinite pain. and
seems 10 hear II his heart nournful voice. speak
ing uninteIliEible words OF sorrow. Not 10 all
natures comes forth this subtle meaning: but
surely that nature is not 10 be enved which. under
the stress and strain OF this tragedy, is not made
more sympathetic with the terrible earnestness OF
love; more tender toward youth; more wishful 10
sweeten and prolong its period OF romance. and tn
shield Il from contact with the selfshness and tho
dreary commonplace Of the world. Nor is that
nature enviahle which is not touched by the awful
closing picture OF loves calamity and ruin Never.
surely. were passion. misery. and death so well
enshrined as under the starless sky that bends
over the broken tomb OF the Capulets. when the
cold night-wind means around II, and dark
branches wave IN sorrow above the white suu
faces OF those true lovers who have died for love
Never was there a sadder spectacle! Yet never
aid a spectacle sad present at last sense OF
relief so sweet, absolute, holy. The sternest
rnoralist upon moral destiny. as he muses. beside
that haIlowed seDuehre. may well be tempted 10