The Washington herald., 1913-04-27
Nv A. ID. JACOBSON.

ny ~ Is 9ACoDSO-~s
THE NEW vARIoRUM EDITION OF sHAkEs-
PEARE-THE TRAGEDIE OF JULIUS cAI-
sAR: Edited by Horace Howard Fumes. u.
Philadelphia. 4. Lppincott Company.
The compiler. like his late father, an
eminent Shakespearean authority, mas
undertaken and furnished one of the most
remarkable Shakespeare editions yet
published 1t is monumental work,
fun of pertinent annotations not quoted
heretofore by other eminent Shake
spearan scholars and showing an ex-
haustiye and deep study of his subject,
which IL must have taken many years
TO perfect
The earliest text of julius Caesar Is
that of the first folio. 1t Is markedly
free from corruptions, and an earlier
ouarto hardly would be required to
render any doubtful readings more sure.
Some of the older editors seem to con-
slider julius Caesar as one of Shake
speare's later plays; but the range of
dates of composition stretches between
1899 las the earliest) down TO 1905 OF
the thirty commentators who have dis
cussed this question, seven favor 1907.
six 1901 five 1899. three 1903 and two
1000 The remaining five, argues the au-
thor, are somewhat noncommittal, pre-
ferring a date within certain limits, but
no definite assignment. That the two
dates-16G and 1607-separated by six
years, should be- thus so closely shared
by the larger number of editors seems
odd at first thought; yet the reason is
not far TO seek The first editors all
accepted the later date partly on account
OF the general style and treatment OF
the tragedy as showing the matured
poet; partly owing to its closer relations
to Hamlet In the authors opinion, it
is well-nigh impossible to assign the
date within limits closer than from 1899
to 1907. He, therefore, accepts that Pc
Rod as the time of composition. The en-
tire question, however, he holds to be
purely academic. At whatever period
Julius Caesar was written can in no
way affect our admiration of Marc An
tony's Grafton, or of the scenes be-
tween Brutus. and CassiuS, or the Won
derful dramatic climax.
1t has been admitted universally that
Shakespeare was indebted to Sir Thomas
North's translation of Plutarch for the
plot of his tragedy. The lives of Julius
, Caesar, Marcus Brutus, and Marcus An
tonic are blended so we'll that the MARIA
tive of the plot OF the play forms a CO.
herent story and demonstrates the poet
of Avons great ingenuity in dramatic
construction. To prove his assertions
Mr. Furness in his exhaustive appendix,
gives a transcript from LeUs facsimile
of portions of Noah's Plutarch 1595), on
which the incidents of the tragedy are
based, while throughout the COM
mentary references are made also to pas
sages in Skeat's book shakespeare Plu-
tarch), 1903 and il is interesting to note
the slight verbal changes between the
two editions.
That the great poet also consulted the
works of other Roman historians Mr..
Furness deems quite possible, but not of
as many as his commentators have as
sumed. But he does not seem convinced
that he was acquainted with Greek his
torians. He regrets furthermore that not
enough attention has been paid by edi-
tors of Julius Caesar to the writings of
Cicero, as they contain valuable hints
in regard to contemporary events, and
hence furnish a check as it We're upon
the incidents related by Plutarch.
Although Shakespeare follows Norths
lead for the salient points of his drama,
there is a curious discrepancy as regards
the character of Caesar. The reader of
North's Plutarch is struck with the no.
blity of the character of Caesar the
intrepid warrior, the astute statesman,
the sagacious governor; and though his
biogra pher does not disguise the fact
that in later years Caesar became vain
and arrogant, this fact is not given
prominence. DlNerent auOSelnSr, now
ever, is the Caesar of Shakespeare
braggart, inflated with the idea of his
own importance and speaking of his de-
crees as of those of a god! The Roman
senate is his senate. and he himself, like
the Olympian Jupiter His most digni-
fed action, as the poet conceived ii, is
his exit from his life of braggadocio-his
death.