The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-02-22

OF Shakespeare. 1t Is not too much
10 say that each one felt amply re-
PAID. Studies of the philosophy of
ehaRespeare are no new thing. Lee
lures magazine articles and books
nave been devoted to quoting from
shakespeare to show the philosophy Of
Hhakespcarc. but tho lecturer show
ca that this involved gigantic fall
,ncy. For by this method the most
, I'M, could be gained would be the
philosophy of Shakespcake's charact-
erS, nut not that OF the dramatist him
sell. different characters hold dia-
metricaily opposite views. Only by a
study OF the plots can We come to
know Shakespearc's philosophy, and by
plot one must not think merely Of the
inEs,cry mat writer may employ. but
OF the whole microcosm which shakes
pearc was able to use with such nm
prcccdented mastery.
AS tho hrst study OF n plot, the Ice
egrer took Richard III. VI first tho
play is study OF viiliuny. and there
Is enough for Ii half dozen Sensational
novels, and 1t is Ideal In quality as
wen as quantity, for there Is no mo-
made Macbeth a william and Ingo is a
william because he believes that Othel-
10 has wronGed him. We are nil
S snir i, rs eMGept when We have The
tion was Mt fault. vill!aay-thc means
70 the end--had become the end it,
self so we have villiany as "a fine art
Niiliany IS 10 Richard what stone Is TO
the sculptor. lie kills the husband Of
Lady Anne and then her husbands
father but stops the latter's funeral
the recent widow. lie boasts that he
has nothing with which to win her
but his villiany. and AS a snake fas-
cinates and charms the helpless bird.
so he wing her unwilling consent.
Now comes the great idea or the
play. which is retribution. The drama
list takes the world to pieces and puts
II together again with this MS the one
theme. One character triuinpls but
TO suffer rctribution In turn. In a
seemingly endless chain OF rctribution.
Buckingham are but links, The Wars
OF the Roses furnish q setting for the
play. and they, too. illustrate this law
OF retribution. In each case of VII
he alone escapes tho law OF rctribu-
ton which envelopes all the others.
Here is the great stroke OF genius Of
the dramatist. ], is the problem or
Client prophets puzzled over this prob
lem. Cnldea OF old WAS allowed 10
trample down nations which We're GER
tainly no less wicked, Why could God
allow that? Jeremiah said that they
We're the hammer OF God to punish
the evil, blu, ne soon as their work
was done the hammer itself was bro
ken Richard was the hammer. and
he had TO be broken. But this rctrI-
button had to come in way TO give
poetic justice, which is not necessarily
speedy justice. In this case Justice
came slowly In what was first only
suggested, viz. that Richmond was to
be King. This. haunts Richard and
fortunes him. There Is always enough
good news which comes to him TO keep
his despair warm. and thus his final
rctributlon Is accomplished.
Professor AIoulton Is a charming
reader, and keeps his audience spell
bound His enunciation Is so perfect
that no ayllablc Is lost by any one
Although an Englishman by birth and
training. he has given his best years
In Interpreting world literature to
Americans. for which he IS Justly IA
nous. Ills lecture this evening viii
take for it's subject Romeo and Iu-
lict: The Moral Significance OF Acct
dent" b.