The sun., 1918-12-29

| their infall.ble positivism. the merely
finite mind still seems to have got lit
tie further than Hantlet. who was SO
oppressed by
The heavy and the weary weight
or all this nintelligible world.
"I am not prepared to admit that
there is a Hamlet problem" said Mr.
Hampden. There is no theorem
about the play that can be worked
out 70 a conclusive issue. As soon
as you commit yourself to one view
or another you begin TO warp certain
aspects Of the character. There is.
II you like, a complex human being.
surrounded by extremely complex con-
dit!ons which produce extraordinary
emotional reactions. His reactions to
one set Of circumstances are incon-
sistent with those Of another series.
One wrings from him reasoning,
another doubt, another the desire for
revenge.
Denmark is a prison In which is
cage1 this poor, sensitive, yet noble
character, who m up against a
blank wall Of circumstance which he
can neither pierce nor overlap. II he
| seems in his mind to overlap one
OF these facts he finds himself again
imprisoned by another wall which pre-
sents itself. This is perhaps n clue
TO the spiritual suggestiveness of
Hamlet Out of these emotional
states, caused by external circum-
stances and mental reactions, he is
forced into m~editative aspect from
which suggestions OF the mystery OF
spiritual life work into the play.
Il am not trying to go outside Of
the circle OF life as apparent to
life or outside the play for any ex-
PLANTATION. The dramatic problem
would seem a problem merely to what
you would cou the logical mind. which
by its power Of precision circumscribes
limitations about itself because II
seeks to draw a definite line as n
boundary between character and life.
What logic there is in life as a whole
is what We might call divine logic.
and hence spiritual mystery is some
thing which the finite logic Of man
anuot grasp.
Gent like S~hakespeare's presents
so much OF life in its entirety 'ha
there are contradictions heller SHELTER.
baffinG mysteries, questions o! har-
acter, faith, destiny and of ali the pre-
destined tendencies involved In these
terms. Apparent Inconsistencies and
indti eCtions arise as n ~conseuuencc o.
Shakespoare's using n limited surface
To rCh".t much OF the condolences of
life. NJ telling about the actors work
Is tina. he should play from every
anglo mat his capacity permits him 10
contact md hat he need not bother
ohout D"ntradlctions. The point is Ia
arriN" az N~hakespearc's Hamlet ana let
that lc a living thing"
Asked II he had been Influenced Ly
any other player or by any writer Mr..
Hampd"u said: My guiding impulse
has been to present the character as
he app'ars to me, so far us my per-
sonal pItlities will permit. have
done So, md / believe that is the right
approarH. The only Interpretation of
Hamict hat I have seen il Forbes
Robert MS, and that was eleven years
ago. ! have not followed anybody. but
have llnNed the role as | wanted Ia
play 1t one cannot avoid doing GER
tain tr'u tlonal things. some Of them
are III" est way, but they are not
done 'rl'ltionally except as they have
n new value by their translation
through he medium of = now p',yor.
THE words of the text nre a trad 70
ton, but every player speaks them
through Ahs own medium. Tradition
has become a part OF the text, hut it
is color / by the individual, | have
done things that I am not conscious Of
others h'ving done. Everybody who
learns % think for himself comes Ia