The New York herald., 1921-07-17
DAMS OWN BOOK REVIEW

PERICLEs. PRINCE OF TYRE william
Shakespeare. stratford. George OUTER
edge Bros. Ltd. London.
+ n relating the rather mournful story of
Pericles. Mr. William Shakespeare has
undertaken to show the difficulties that
confront a playwright when he attempts a
perfectly. logical and praiseworthy series of
assassinations and deaths He produced SO
much blood and so many corpses in both
Julius Caesar" and Hamlet" that he was
accused of adopting murder as the easiest
way of getting MS actors off the stage. thus
relieving himself OF the necessity for in
venting dialogues and situations which would
permit them 20 retire in a more orderly man.
ner than that OF being dragged off by their
heels. There was some justice In the criti-
cism.
Well in Pericles Mr. Shakespeare shows
that II is not easy after all to kill a
crowd of actors and make them stay dead.
The story results from the fact that this
Pcriclcs lad had been shopping around
Greece. prying into affairs that did not con-
ccrn him and gum-shoelng on old Emperor
Antiochus. Anyway. when the Emperor
learned that Pcriclcs was holding hack some
thing on him and had some cards up his
sleeve. Antochus undertakes to cramp his
style by the simple cXpcdient of killing him.
Pericles leaves between two suns by ship 20
the city Of Tarsus. taking a supply OF food
with him because h. heard the proftecrs
were producing a food shortage In the com
munity. Cieon. tho Governor tho was prob
ably only the Mayor and his wife. Mrs
D.onysia Cleon. receive him and accept the
provisions. He leaves before his welcome
wears out and T. shipwrockcd OF Pentapo-
lis. He gets there IN time 90 fight some
duels with a iot ~ visiting knights from
other countries and proves himself 10 b.
such an accomplished murderer that Thaisa.
the daughter ~ the King. falls In love with
him. and they Rct married
Some time afierwnrd Old Emperor Anti.
ochus dies and rcriclcs sets sail for Greece
20 claim the throne. ON the way over dur
ing storm ht sea. Thaisa Rivrs birth 20 a
daughter and is SUPPOSED to have died They
bury her at sea in a wooden coffin trathor a
strange maritime performance which floats
20 shore She h taken out ~ her coffin. re-
vivcd becomes a pricsicss ~ Diana. and for
fourteen years passes out 81 the picture
We viii leave her burning incense 20 Diana
and return % tho ship.
The child b. given the name q Marina and
is taken by Pcricies 90 Tansus and given into
the keeping of Mrs Dionysia Cleon 20 rear.
she gets on tine roll ~ honor AZ school every
month and az the aNs ~ fourteen graduates
with first h0nors Also she b. described ~
MI Shakespeare A. being quite good looking.
Mrs. CPeon. who has daughter % her own
gets ieaious and orders her murdered. Just
before she o. 90 he assassinnted pirates cap
ture her and sell her IN another country.
When Pcricles. now king. comes for his
daughter he Is told she n dead
tIe concludes that ho has had a sorrowful
life and starts home. ON the way he stops
az tho country where Marina IT. living as n
slave and finds her. Then he has a dream
which directs him 20 the temple where
Thaisa Is 70 be located lie goes there with
his daughter and the family Ia reunited
This ls one OF tho most far-fetchcd of Mr.
Shakespearc's plays. fTo has had 10 resort
TO all kinds of things. including famlnee.
storms and dreams 20 get the yarn across.
but he does get through without committing
murder.