The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-27
NEW hooks.
A PICK c,i.,,p Shakespeare.

-Four OF Shakespcarc's plays are con-
sidered by DR.. A. c. Bradley, professor OF
uoctry in Oxford University In his book
Of Lectures called "Shakespearean Tragedy"
n second edition of which is now published
nv the Macmilans. Hero are ten lectures
treating OF the four plays, Hamlet,
They are limited in the kind Of their con-
s.deration, their one concern bong the
dramatic aspect Of those four plays Tho
language of Shakespeare is passed by;
and this is something that has excited our
especial wonder in very ample books about
Shakespeare's plays before now.
That very capable employer OF Ian guage
upon occasion, Mr.. William Winter, has told
us, IL our memory serves. that Hamlet
would act itself II the words were left out
Doubtless there nre pantomimists who
could very efficiently essay it. though we
ourselves should hardly be consumed with
a desire to be present. but we recall that
George l.. Fox. that fondly remembered
master Of dumb show, when, as Hamlet,
he produced three gilded bulls from be-
meath his cloak Of sable, was moved to
address his soul In speech and to make
verbal reference to his uncle
what is Shakespeare's trngic concep-
ton, or conception of tragedy This ques-
ton occurs at the, end Of the first para
graph Of the first lecture. The essayist
doee not insist that he had theory OF the
kind Of poetry called tragedy, as Aristotle
or Corneille had. Certainly, II he did have
one. it was not theirs. Voltaire. because
our dramatist was not very much like those
two. had tantrlms which are sufficiently
astonishing to nearly everybody at this
day. Perhaps Shakespeare, In his some.
what unusual mind, with no conscious
custodianship Of foot rule or pint measure,
Jaw creatures and heard them speak, and
set them down, like . generous man and
a bad jailor. With tho guik Of their agita-
tons and their speech unimpaired and
thick upon them. The rascal 1t was
lonk before he was forgiven.
In q Shakespeaxian drama, w learn
here, there is q considerable number OF
nersons-more than in . Greek play. I'm
less We number the chorus. But the
shakespearian tragic story deals parhcu-
larry With ono person. tho hero. Or at the
most with two persons. the hero and the
heroine Tho tragic story, again, leads
up 10 and includes the death Of the hero.
The word death IL put in italics hero. Shake
spesre In his tragedy concerns himself with
persons Of high degree; often With Aings
and Princes, sometimes with leaders IN
the State Mke Coriolanus, Brutus. Antony
at the least, as in Romeo and Juliet with
members OF great houses. Even Othello
.is no mere private person: be Is the General
OF the Republic.
At page lss, - bearing upon the dramatic
aspect Of the plays. our author considers
Othello's color. Wa CHS most interesting
General black, OF was he brown1 Did
Shakespeare know. Or at least did he con.
slider. the difference between q negro and
q Moorp For the matter OF that. was
black Moor, or . blaclAnnoor. negro
Aaron in Titus Andronicus' 10 coal black
and Of the color Of . raven; he has "heeca
Of woolly hair and his child IL GOAL black
and thick Tipped But he II Aaron the
Moor oven - Othello Is "Othello tho
Moor In Shassspsare's time and long
aftervard the othello Of tho players was
black, The rofneusnt Of . later period
toned down bis color ana lefs him with
piementat;ou that absorbed and disposed
Of light less perfectly.
us particularly and that uluminates pos.
sibly the trustworthiness Of the critics
Our professor smiles a. he remarks: 'Ths
horror Of most American critics (Mr. Furnest
Is q bright exceptton) at the idea OF blacI
Othello Is very amusing, and their arguments
are highly instructive. Whether theJ
knew it or not, Coleridge was ahead Of
them. 1t il not exactly lawful to smile al
Coleridge, but our professor regrets to say
that he gave warrant to the Americans
Coleridge said that 1T would be something
monstrous to conceive this beautiful vene
tian girl falling in love with a veritabl'
negro" and that 1T would argue dispro
portionateness, want OF balance, in Desde
mona, which Shakespeare does not appear
to have in the least contemplated
Alas for Coleridgel We warm to oul
professor as he points out that Shakespeare
was not 30 inadequate as not to have con
tenaplated this very disproportion. Thu
text OF Coleridge il not by US, and We canpo
defend him upon this point II there is an.
defense in him; but certainly Brabanti'
did find it something monstrous to con
ceivs' that his daughter should have faller
in love with Othello, and certainly 1agt
did remark of Desdemona and her matri
monal disposition OF herself:
Foh lie may smell. In such will most rank,
Foul dIsproportion thoughts unn atura,,
Az we say, we have not the text of Cole
ridge by us. 1t is hard to think Of such q
man quoting quite innooently to his own
undoing -hugging to his breast the point:
of splendid arrows. not knowing what they
were. We have ventured to cherish the
impression left with Us all the same.
There are 500 pa ges in this volume. W.
mean no dsrespect and no objection wher
we say that we have here Shakespeare
much shredded or picked up" 1t is the
business Of our age to shred. Look what
We do with Goldfish.
should We weakly Stand Alone'
~ ....,-- loot,ra. nv prof Eei =