Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-03-30
Compared Latter With Shake.
speare and Asked For New
Standard.
THE GRAND TRUTHS TAUGHT.
Lcctured on 1.-THE Women Of Shake.
speare" In the Afternoon and on
Hamlet" In the Evening.

posed mostly Of the gentler sex, Fred
| erick Warde. the noted actor delivered
his interesting and highly instructive
| lecture. "The Women of Shakespeare, F"
at the Salt Lake Theater yesterday az
ternoon. The stage was tastefully dec
| Grated with ferns and potted plants,
and at the back was pretty woodland
scene. scene most appropriate TO some
Of the subjects so eloduently and ex.
haustiveIy handled by the ever popular
| lecturer. At the center OF the scene
was hume a beautiful Elk's head with
spreading autlers. az a mark OF the
esteem In which Mr.. Wsrde is held by
the local b. p. o. T.
President ]. II. Paul OF the L. D. s.
L.. was called upon by the management
| to introduce the lecturer, which he did
In neat and appropriate speech. Prof.
| Paul stated that, as many present re-
garded the works Of Shakespeare al
most as a second Bible, the lecture
could not fail to be of intense interest
and benefit to those fortunate enough TO
hear IT, And II certainly was.
| From the moment Mr.. Warde stepped
| before the audience and gave the
| greeting, Fellow students" until he
| concluded with an earnest appeal to
study Shakespeare for the grand and
| noble truths contained IN the works,
| and not 10 measure them with commas
and semicolons, he had his hearers
| keyed up TO the highest tension of in.
| terest. Even In his flights OF rhetoric
| and satire, he did not permit the audi
| ence 10 lose the threads Of the stories
so beautifully told.
| Referring TO those commentators who
declared that the great bard's domestic
| life was marred by o shrewlsh wife,
! Mr.. Warde said they were called crit
! les God save the mark" He said he
| did not believe there was any partc-
| ular trouble between Mr.. and Mrs.
Shakespeare. but admitted that per-
| haps at times there were friendly dlf-
| ferences OF opinion. as are bound to
creep into the best regulated families.
| Into the characters of Portia, Rosa
| lind, Desdemona. Juliet. Cordela OF
King Lear. Portia, OF Julius Caesarand
, Lady Macbeth Mr.. Warde delved deep,
His analysis OF the characters was
prefaced by beautiful and grand trib-
| ute to noble womanhood,
SOME GRAND CHARACTERS.
He painted vivid word-picures OF the
great love and selt-sdcrifice of the
women Of Shakespeare; brought Out
incidents In their lives showing tht
motives for actions which have beer
criticized by alleged critics" and SCI
forth details that are entirely over
locked BY the average reader. The EN-.
bodiment of all womanly grace, beauty
virtue and fidelity he found In The
character OF Portia in the Merchant OF
Verlce." Mr.. Warde differed with thos,
who thought Portia was indellcate In
asking her lover TO take her to church
and make her his wife. The lecturer
explained that Portia had a great pur
pose in view: that there were many
things concerning II she could not Dc
with proprlety merely az the hancee
Lus could perform as wife hence hel
request to be first taken to church ant
be married.
The ennoblng qualities OF each char
acter were brought out 90 thoroughly
that the hearers went away with (
M wer. better and more comprehensive
conception OF Shakespeare's women
In Lady Macbeth Mr. Warde agail
differed from some commentators. De
spite her wicked thoughts and atrociou
crime he saw the good manifested II
| the absence OF selfishness. only II
two places. said Mr.. Warde, does tn
word our appear. II was all for he
husband. whom she knew and under
stood quite we'll, as indeed do mos
wives today"
Tho attendance was much better q
last evenings lecture when Hamlet
was the theme In this. In the Opinion
Of many, Mr.. Warde Is at hi
very best. AT the outset he stat
ed that he felt at home /,
Salt Lake, and especially on the histor
&c old stage of the Salt Lake Theatei
on the boards trod by so many noted de
llneators OF the Shakespearian drama
And those walls which have llstene
to the voices OF those great actors ~h
have passed away will no doubt hea
something familiar IN the quotation
which shall make tonight"
Before going into the subject, Nj
Warde told capital story OF an Eng
ishman who went to see one OF Shake
speares plays, A friend asked "Di
you like the play?"
Jaw, yes" replied the other.
rather liked II, doncherknow. but
was so deucedy full OF quotations
doncherknow"
THE MODERN PLAYS.
Mr. Warde made a striking contras
between the beautiful lines, an
thoughts OF Shakespeare, and the mod
ern problem plays with Ideas ''conveye
In language which often makes gu
wives. mothers and daughters blush 70
shame" Mr.. Warde went after III
modern questionable drama roughshot
and declared he could see no real benef
In II. He said II Shakespeare was to
antiquated, then let some other stand
ard be established. II you can md
higher standard than Shakespeare,
said he, then for goodness sake give
to us, and we will reach IT,"
In his analysis OF the differen
characters in the great play. MI
Warde clearly showed that the write
always had a great purpose In vie'
and great lessons to teach. and indi
Gated his belief In the existence OF Go
and the Immortality Of the soul.
The rendition OF the lines OF IN
king, the murdered king and Hamle
was done with all the grace and elo
quence for which Mr.. Warde is noted
: He explained the motives behind IN
seemingly insane actions OF Hamlet
and explained how the meanchol
Dane put OF the semblance OF lnsanlt
10 carry out his purpose, and how al
. this was brought about because OF tn
successive shocks TO a gentle and sen
, sltiye nature.
A feature that took we'll with tn
audience and caused peal after peal Q
laughter, was the reading of the line
OF the old grave digger, and the vel
Of satire that ran through the speak
ers comparison OF Shakespeare an
the modern drama.
The audience went away more tina
| pfpa sed with the nagtarftil iecture an