the stage, and encourages her brother in the parricide. What horror does this not raise! Clytemnestra was a wicked woman, and had deserved to die; nay, in the truth of the story, she was killed by her own, son; but to 'represent an action of this kind on the stage is certainly an offence against those rules of manners, proper to the persons, that ought to be observed there. On the contrary, let us only look a little on the conduct of Shakspeare. Hamlet is represented with the same piety towards his father, and resolution to revenge his death, as Orestes; he has the same abhorrence for his mother's guilt, which, to provoke him the more, is heightened by incest: but it is with wonderful art and justness of judgment, that the poet restrains him from doing violence to his mother. To prevent any thing of that kind, he makes his father's Ghost forbid that part of his vengeance: "But howsoever thou pursu'st this act, "Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive This is to distinguish rightly between horror and terror. The latter is a proper passion of tragedy, but the former ought always to be carefully avoided. And certainly no dramatic writer ever succeeded better in raising terror in the minds of an audience than Shakspeare has done. The whole tragedy of Macbeth, but more especially the scene where the king is murdered, in the second act, as well as this play, is a noble proof of that manly spirit with which he writ; and both shew how powerful he was, in giving the strongest motions to our souls that they are capable of. I cannot leave Hamlet, without taking notice of the advantage with which we have seen this master-piece of Shakspeare distinguish itself upon the stage, by Mr. Betterton's fine performance of that part. A man, who, though he had no other good qualities, as he has a great many, must have made his way into the esteem of all men of letters by this only excellency. No man is better acquainted with Shakspeare's manner of expression, and indeed he has studied him so well, and is so much a master of him, that whatever part of his he performs, he does it as if it had been written on purpose for him, and that the author had exactly conceived it as he plays it. I must own a particular obligation to him for the most considerable part of the passages relating to this life, which I bave here transmitted the public; his veneration for the memory of Shakspeare having engaged him to make a journey into Warwickshire, on purpose to gather up what remains he could of a name for which he had so great a veneration. Other spirits attending on PROSPERO. Scene, The sea, with a ship; afterwards an uninhabited island. ACT I. SCENE I. On a ship at sea. A storm, with thunder and lightning. Enter a Ship-master and a Boatswain. Master. Boatswain, Boats. Here, master: What cheer? Mast. Good: Speak to the mariners: fall to't yarely, or we run ourselves aground: bestir, bestir. [Exit. Enter Mariners. Boats. Heigh, my hearts; cheerly, cheerly, my hearts; yare, yare: Take in the top-sail; tend to the master's whistle. Blow, till thou burst thy wind, if room enough! Enter ALONSO, SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, FERDINAND, GONZALO, and others. Alon. Good boatswain, have care. Where's the master? Play the men. Boats. I pray now, keep below. Ant. Where is the master, boatswain? Boats. Do you not hear him? You mar our labour! keep your cabins: you do assist the Gon. Nay, good, be patient. [storm. Boats. When the sea is. Hence! What care these roarers for the name of king? To cabin:" silence: trouble us not. Gon. Good; yet remember whom thou hast aboard. fast, good fate, to his hanging! make the rope of his destiny our cable, for our own doth little advantage! If he be not born to be [Exeunt. hanged, our case is miserable. Re-enter Boatsivain. Boats. Down with the top-mast; yare; lower, lower; bring her to try with main-course. A cry within.] A plague upon this howling! they are louder than the weather, or our office. Re-enter SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, & GONZALO, Yet again? what do you here? Shall we give o'er and drown? Have you a mind to sink? Seb. A pox o' your throat! you bawling, blasphemous, uncharitable dog! Boats. Work you, then. solent noise-maker, we are less afraid to be Ant. Hang, cur, hang! you whoreson, in drowned than thou art. Gon. Pil warrant him from drowning; shell, and as leaky as an unstanched wench. though the ship were no stronger than a nut Boats. Lay her a-hold, a-hold; set her two courses; off to sea again, lay her off. Enter Mariners wet. Mar. All lost! to prayers, to prayers! all lost! [Exeunt. Boats. What, must our months be cold? Gon. The king and prince at prayers! let us For our case is as theirs. [assist them, Seb. I am out of patience. Ant. We are merely cheated of our lives by drunkards. [lie drowning, Boats. None that I more love than myself. You are a counsellor; if you can command these elements to silence, and work the peace of the present t, we will not hand a rope more; use your authority. If you cannot, give thanks you have lived so long, and make yourself This wide-chapped rascal--Would thou might'st ready in your cabin for the mischance of the The washing of ten tides! hour, if it so hap.-Cheerly, good hearts.-Out Gon. He'll be hanged yet; of our way, I say. [Exit. Though every drop of water swear against it, Gon. I have great comfort from this fellow: And gape at wid'st to glut him. methinks, he hath no drowning mark upon [A confused noise within.] Mercy on us! him; his complexion is perfect gallows. Stand We split, we split!-Farewell, my wife aud children!-Farewell, brother!- We split, we split, we split. Ant. Let's all sink with the king." [Exit. Seb. Let's take leave of him. [Exit. Gon. Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground long heath, brown furze, any thing: The wills above be done! but I would fain die a dry death. [Exit. SCENE II. The island: before the cell of Prospero. Enter PROSPERO and MIRANDA. Mira. If by your art, my dearest father, you have Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them: Had I been any god of power, I would Be collected; No more amazement: tell your piteous heart, There's no harm done. Mira, Pro. Mira. O, woe the day! ** No harm. I have done nothing but in care of thee, (Of thee, my dear one! thee, my daughter!) who Art ignorant of what thou art, nought knowing Of whence I am; nor that I am more better Than Prospero, master of a full poor cell, And thy no greater, father. More to know Did never meddle with my thoughts. Pro. Tis time I should inform thee further. Lend thy hand, And pluck my magic garment from me.--So; [Lays down his mantle. Lie there, my art. Wipe thou thine eyes; have comfort. [touch'd The direful spectacle of the wreck, which The very virtue of compassion in thee, I have with such provision in mine art So safely order'd, that there is no soul No, not so much perdition as an hair, Betid to any creature in the vessel Which thou heard'st cry, which thou saw'st . sink. Sit down; For thou must now know further.io Prope *Before. + Quit. And rather like a dream than an assurance That this lives in thy mind? What seest thou else Pro. Twelve years since, Pro. Thy mother was a piece of virtue, and She said-thou wast my daughter; and thy father Was duke of Milan; and his only heir [thence? Both, both, my girl: By foul play, as thou say'st, were we heav'd But blessedly holp hither. [thence; Mira. O, my heart bleeds To think o' the teen $ that I have turn'd you to, Which is from my remembrance! Please you, further. [Antonio, Pro. My brother, and thy uncle, call'd I pray thee, mark me,-that a brother should Be so perfidious!he whoin, next thyself, Of all the world I lov'd, and to him put The manage of my state; as, at that time," Through all the signiories it was the first, And Prospero the prime duke; being so reputed In dignity, and, for the liberal arts, Without a parallel; those being all my study, The government I cast upon, my brother, And to my state grew stranger, being transreported. Abyss. And rapt in secret studies. Thy false uncle→→ To trash for over-topping; new created Or else new form'd them: having both the key #Mirait art motmon 10, good sir, I do. HoPro.In thus neglecting worldly ends, all dedicate troq af joix, lqmoɔ eid ; min To closeness, and the bettering of my mind Jasler to9851¶ † || Cut awayov § Sorrow. With that, which, but by being so retired, Not only with what my evenue yielded, Mira. Your tale, sir, would cure deafness. Pro. To have no screen between this part he play'd And him he play'd it for, he needs will be Absolute Milan: Me, poor man!--my library Was dukedom large enough; of temporal royalties He thinks me now incapable: confederates To give him annual tribute, do him homage; If this might be a brother. I should sin To think but nobly of my grandmother: Good wombs have borne bad sons. Alack, for pity! I, not rememb'ring how I cried out then, Hear a little further, །་ Mira. Was I then to you! Pro. O! a cherubim Thou wast, that did preserve me! Thou didst Infused with a fortitude from heaven, [smile, When I have deck'd the sea with drops full salt; Under my burden groan'd; which rais'd in me How came we ashore? Pro. By Providence divine. Some food we had, and some fresh water, that A noble Neapolitan, Gonzalo, Out of his charity, (who being then appointed Knowing I loved my books, he furnish'd me, Mira. But ever see that man! Pro. Now Tarise: Sit still, and hear the last of our sea-sorrow.) Here in this island we arriv'd; and here. Have I, thy schoolmaster, made thee more profit Than other princes can, that have more time For vainer hours, and tutors not so careful. Mira. Heavens thank you for't! And now. (For still 'tis beating in my mind,) your reason } Thou art inclin'd to sleep; 'tis a good dulness, Enter ARIEL. gib To answer thy best pleasure; be❜t to fly, So dear the love my people bore me) nor set A mark so bloody on the business; but 390 9201 ..་་་ 'Without, Thirsty. Consideration, B21 Pro. Perform'd to point the tempest that I bade Hast thou, spirit, | Let me remember thee what thon hast pro- thee? I boarded the king's ship; now on the beak, Of sulphurous roaring,the most mighty Neptune Ari. Not a soul And all the devils are here.` Close by, my master. Pro. I have left asleep: and for the rest o' the fleet, Ariel, thy charge Ari. Past the mid season. Pro. At least two glasses: The time 'twixt six and now, Must by us both be spent most preciously. Ari. Is there more toil? Since thou dost give me pains, My liberty. Pro. Thou dost; and think'st No. It much, to tread the ooze of the salt deep; Sycorax, For mischiefs manifold, and sorceries terrible They would not take her life: Is not this true? Pro. This blue-eyed hag was hither brought As fast as mill-wheels strike: Then was this Ari. Yes; Caliban her son. Pro. Dull thing, I say so; he, that Caliban, Of ever-angry bears; it was a torment The minutest article. f † Bustle, tumult. Bermudas. § Wave. Algiers. Commands. |