Whatever happens to him, we apply to ourselves; because he applies it so himself, as a means of general reasoning. 3. He is a great moralizer, and what makes him worth attending to, is, that he moralizes on his own feelings and expe rience. He is not a commonplace pedant. If LEAR shows the greatest depth of passion, HAMLET is the most remarkable for the ingenuity, originality, and unstudied development of charThere is no attempt to force an interest: every thing is left for time and circumstances to unfold. The attention is excited without effort; the incidents succeed each other as matters of course; the characters think, and speak, and act, just as they might do, if left entirely to themselves. There is 10 set purpose, no straining at a point. acter. 4. The observations are suggested by the passing scene-the gusts of passion come and go like sounds of music borne on the wind. The whole play is an exact transcript of what might be supposed to have taken place at the court of Denmark, at the remote period of time fixed upon, before the modern refinements in morals and manners were heard of. It would have been interesting enough to have been admitted, as a by-stander in such a scene, at such a time, to have heard and seen something of what was going on. 5. But here we are more than spectators. We have not only "the outward pageants and the signs of grief," but "we have that within which passes show." We read the thoughts of the heart, we catch the passions living as they rise. Other dramatic writers give us very fine versions and paraphrases of nature; but Shakspeare, together with his own comment, gives us the original text, that we may judge for ourselves. This is a great advantage. 6. The character of Hamlet is itself a pure effusion of genius. It is not a character marked by strength of will, or even of passion, but by refinement of thought and sentimen.. Hamlet is as little of the hero as man well can be: but he is a young and princely novice, full of high enthusiasm and quick sensibility, the sport of circumstances, questioning with fortune, and refining on his own feelings; and forced from the natural bias of his disposition by the strangeness of his situation EXERCISE XXX. THE PLAY OF HAMLET is founded upon a story derived, it is said, by Shakspeare, from Saxo Grammaticus, a Danish historian, who died in the year 1204. Hamlet's father, the king of Denmark, while asleep in his orchard, is murdered by his own brother; the queen, Hamlet's mother, being privy to it. The story is given out, that he came to his death by the sting of a serpent. But the ghost of the murdered king appearing to Hamlet, reveals the terrible secret, and summons his son to the task of vengeance. SCENE FROM HAMLET. SHAKSPEARE ELSINORE. Room of State in the Castle. THE KING, (Hamlet's uncle,) THE QUEEN, (his mother,) HAMLET, POLONIUS, (the Lord Chamberlain,) and others. King. Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother's death The memory be green; and that it us befitted To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom To be contracted in one brow of woe; Yet so far bath discretion fought with nature, King How is it that the clouds still hang on you? [Asile Ham. Not so, my lord, I am too much i' the sun. Seek for thy noble father in the dust. Thou know'st 'tis common; all that live must die, Ham. Ay, madam, it is common. Queen. Why seems it so particular with thee? If it be, Ham. Seems, madam, nay, it is; I know not seems. 'Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, Nor customary suits of solemn black, Nor windy suspiration of forced breath, King. 'Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet, To give these mourning duties to your father, But you must know, your father lost a father; That father lost, lost his; and the survivor bound In filial obligation, for some term, To do obsequious sorrow. But to persevere In obstinate condolement, is a course Of impious stubborness; 'tis unmanly grief: To reason most absurd; whose common theme Than that which dearest father bears his son, [Exeunt all except Hamles Ham. O, that this too, too solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fixed His canon 'gainst self-slaughter. O God! O God! Seem to me all the uses of this world! Fie on't! O fie! 'tis an unweeded garden That grows to seed; things rank, and gross in nature, Hyperion* to a satyr; so loving to my mother, Must I remember? Let me not think on't;-Frailty, thy name is woman !— With which she followed my poor father's body, Like Niobe,† all tears;-why she, even she,— * Hyperion is but another name for Apollo, who was distinguished for his beauty; a sā' tyr was a sort of demi-god monstrous in deformity. † Ni'o be, daughter of an ancient king of Lydia, being deprived of her children, is said to have wept herself to stone! Ere the salt of most unrighteous tears Had left the flushing in her galled eyes, It is not, nor it can not come to, good; But break, my heart; for I must hold my tongue! Enter HORATIO (a friend to Hamlet,) BERNARDO and MAR CELLUS (officers.) Hor. Hail to your lordship! Ham. Horatio,—or I do forget myself. I am glad to see you well: Hor. The same, my lord, and your poor servant ever Hor. My lord, I came to see your father's funeral. I think it was to see my mother's wedding. Hor. Indeed, my lord, it followed hard upon. Ham. Thrift, thrift, Horatio! the funeral baked meats Would I had met my dearest foe in Heaven My father, methinks I see my father. Hor. My lord? Ham. In my mind's eye, Horatio. O, where, Hor. I saw him once; he was a goodly king. I shall not look upon his like again. Hor My lord, I think I saw him yesternight. Hor. My lord, the king, your father! Ham. The king, my father Hor. Season your admiration for a while, Ham. For God's love, let me hear |