THE STUDY

OF

SHAKESPEARE.

ONE of the most distinguished orators of modern time, Louis Kossuth, whose mastery of the English language was at once a marvel and a surprise to all who heard him, said that the only teachers to him of the English language were the Bible and Shakespeare. In an age where the unreal is so much sought after, when ideals are formed that have not their counterpart either in the earth nor even in that seventh heaven of Mahomet, which the esteemed and learned minister Dr. Stern, so ably laid before you at your last session, it behoves a society which has for its object mutual improvement, carefully to select its fountains of knowledge, whether they drink from the well of healthy flowing water, or from the sickly turgid streams of unreality. One of our greatest politicians, he who now rules the destinies of this mighty empire, in one of his graphic romances states, there are two species of progress. And now that it is so prevalent to prate of progress, it is meet that we should know whether it be heavenward, or in the contrary direction; and it may not be altogether want of progress, if in some instances, intellectually not politically, we make a progress of retrogression. In the great world of life whither every young man has to bring his wares, be they material, or intellectual, he is doubly armed whose mind has been founded on correct models.

In our days when the TRUE progress of science has worked such marvels for us, it is not at all difficult for anyone who desires it, to become acquainted with much that in olden times was the exclusive property of the philosopher.

If we only for a moment imagine the difficulties that the ancients must have experienced in obtaining any sort of information, we must consider ourselves truly favoured to live in the present generation. When the art of printing was unknown it was then a wise man would gather around him the eager youth, and expound to them orally, all the information, and knowledge, which he by dint of experience had acquired. Now however, the words of the wise are multiplied by the magic influence of the printing press, seed like a hundred thousand fold, and to-day a youth for a simple coin can acquire for himself the concentration of a hundred thoughts; can at will live again with the heroes of yore, and commune without a journey from his native village, with the choicest genius of the past and the present. Next to the study of the Bible I know of none that gives to the young mind such true and correct models as those beings called into existence by the creative mind of Shakespeare. How, or by what means, this youth of Stratford upon Avon, called into life such exquisite forms, how it is that he painted such lovely landscapes, such noble minds, such brave warriors, and such tender hearted maidens. How it was that he transmuted deserts into spots bright with the music of poetry, it is difficult to imagine, but for the fact that we possess them. In order however, to comprehend the freshness and originality of Shakespeares characters, it may not perhaps be out of place to examine the period in which our immortal Bard lived.

From those wonderous productions of Grecian literature, to the beautiful but less artistic models of ancient Rome, nothing but the sensual, or the terrible, could be evolved. The songs of Greece and Rome alternate now with fiery clash of arms, now with praise of woman and of wine. Now the austere virtues of a Spartan are lauded, to prepare the sinews for vigorous action in the field, and now is described the mad Saturnalia of the homeward wending triumphant warrior who drowns in animal pleasures, the memories of danger and fatigue. But Greece and Rome were extinguished, not the northern barbarians alone, but principally by those traditions which a small nation in Palestine had long treasured as their own, and to which Zeus and Jupiter had to surrender. His temples were laid waste, and his priests were scattered to the winds, and the songs of a people, that imperial Rome in his might affected to crush, and despise, resounded in the vacant temples. At last Judea conquered her conqueror. But the spirit of Paganism, though crushed, was not entirely extinguished, and so for centures in those ages not inaptly termed dark, the great book was kept from the people or at best was retained in the churches and chained to the reading desk, so that until the fourteenth century, with the voice of Jacob, the church had in reality the hands of Esau. The population were kept in a rude and

barbarous condition, many of the kings and rulers not being even able to sign their names, and what little learning there was, being filtered by the church. The songs of Judea were not sung, and the lyre of Greece almost forgotten. The amusements of the people were of the rudest and most primitive character, and the drama all but forgotten. The only species of representation that was known to the people in those days were, which was termed passion plays; which from our own standpoint in the nineteenth century we can only consider as sheer blasphemy. The most sacred subjects were represented by men, and the very deity was typified by actors. A relic of this passion play is still amongst us although perhaps few would imagine it, in the Christmas pantomime, for the clown, pantaloon, harlequin, and columbine, are the remains of what they in Italy formerly irreverently represented as the Father, Son, the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary.

The discovery of the art of printing was first utilized to produce Bibles. In the words of an inspired poet, the men that walked in darkness saw a great light. The people read for themselves, thought for themselves, sang the glorious poems of David for themselves. They recounted the wondrous dramas depicted in the holy book, they wept for Abel slain by a jealous brother, they mourned with Jacob at the loss of his dearly beloved Joseph, their hearts throbbed at the thrilling romance, which made a poor captive Hebrew boy ruler in Egypt, and in the end happily reunited with his old father. They rejoiced with the young hero, who dared to fight a giant, armed with but a sling and a stone, and gloried with the brave youth who founded an Empire and a long line of princes. They were awe struck at the divinely inspired prophets, who denounced the fickle and faithless populace, and they rejoiced with a Mordecai, who saved his people from the wiles of a crafty and hateful tyrant. All this was new to the people of Europe. An old chronicler relates that at the time of Queen Elizabeth, when bibles were fairly introduced into England it was no uncommon thing to see the peasant at the plough, the weaver at the loom, and the smith at the anvil alternately laugh and weep, as he recounted the stories and dramas of the sacred book.

Just at this period of English History Shakespeare was born. With a very slender education in classical history, but with a wide and deep knowledge of the Bible Shakespeare drew forth his pen. I will rather speak to you of his productions, than of his person of which really little is known, and that little certainly not reliable, He is stated to have been born, April 23rd, 1564, in Stratford upon Avon, his father was, according to Rowe, a dealer in wool, according to Aubrey a butcher, according to Malone a glover; it is more than likely that he followed the occupation of all three. There was nothing therefore that was aesthetic in the domestic hearth of William

Shakespeare. There is a story told that he was arrested for some youthful escapade and brought before Sir Thomas Lucy, and to avoid punishment he escaped to the Continent, but this seems quite mythical, and rests upon too slight a foundation to obtain credence. It is highly probable that love of travel might have taken our bard to Italy, where he imbibed the first love of poetry. The fact that a relative and townsman of his, named Thomas Green was a comedian in London, may lead to the inference that this introduced Shakespeare to writing for the stage, and he very soon found an able patron in the Earl of Southampton.

Shakespeare has taken the whole range of the human mind and events, and his productions may be grouped into.

1st. Roman Plays.

2nd. English Historical Dramas.

3rd. Psychological Studies.

4th. Pastoral Plays.

5th. Italian Comedies and Tragedies.

Among the first group, that of Roman plays, Julius Cæsar stands supreme, it is here that Shakespeare revels in the knowledge of character, whilst adhering almost to the letter with historic truth. He shows with wonderful fidelity the love of the mob for show, and display how the populace will ever turn out in masses to see a march past of warriors. He says, with Casca, "O you blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things; O you hard hearts, you cruel men of Rome; knew you not Pompey? many a time, and oft, have you climbed up to walls and battlements, to towers, and windows; yea to chimney tops, your infants in your arms to see great Pompey pass the streets of Rome, and when you saw his chariot but appear, have you not made a universal shout, that Tiber trembled underneath his banks."

Again, he shows his knowledge of the populace, who when spoken to by Brutus, as to the justice of Caesar's death, exclaimed, "live Brutus, live. Bring him with triumph home into his house. Give him a statue with his ancestors. Let him be Cæsar," whilst but a few moments after this, the same mob worked upon by the subtle speech of Mark Anthony, exclaim

"O noble Cæsar,

O traitors, villains,

We'll mutiny,

We'll burn the house of Brutus."

Goethe, the master mind of Germany, and second only to his great model the bard of Avon, asks how is it that Shakespeare drew these Roman characters with such life like minuteness, and he