The stage business before the play scene, the afternoon out-of-doors scenes, Hamlet's address to the Players, and his his unfolding of his scheme to Horatio, the passing in and out of gay groups of people going to the play, all this is well designed to bring us again from the world in Hamlet, to the careless outside world of Denmark, and to carry thought forward to the second moon-lit evening, in the castle grounds, when before the assembled court, Hamlet's purpose works, and the King is 'frighted with false fire.' After the trusty Horatio and Hamlet have compared notes, from this brief interlude on, Hamlet is thenceforth subject to, and is suspicious of assiduous watch and ward, not on account of his alleged madness, but his craft. If the play has unveiled the King, it has also unveiled Hamlet to the King. This, Hamlet knows, none better. Henceforth, he is a man in peril, and his wits sharpen again for the last struggle. One of the most effective bits of silent acting, Mr. Barrett gives, when, after dismissing his watchers, and sending back Polonius, who has brought him his mother's message to come to her, left alone in the deserted garden, he looks cautiously around him everywhere, whips out his sword, runs it ahead of him in the shadows of the porch he must pass through, looks back and around again, and then with naked blade drawn, goes on to meet his mother.

In the scene in the Queen's chamber, Mr. Barrett take his highest position. Determined to speak daggers, but use none,' his steady purpose, 'to be cruel only to be kind,' commends itself at last, by its convincing earnestness, to the unhappy Queen, who sees her fault, and even seems moved to unburden her degree of guilt, when Hamlet's delicate spirit waiving so unfilial an office, says 'Confess yourself to HEAVEN,' and, dares make her a trusted partner of his intentions in continuing, 'Repent what's past, avoid what is to coME,' at this word laying his hand significantly upon his sword. Again he tells her that when she is desirous to be blest, he'll blessing beg of her.' Then turning to the body of the spying Polonius, he has thrust through mistaking him for better prey, he says, ' for this same lord, I do REPENT! but Heaven hath pleased it so, to punish ME with

this, and THIS with me, that I must be their scourge and minister.' He continues lamenting, and I will answer well, the death I gave him,' implying thus, that through Ophelia will he be thus afflicted, and through the trouble to which this is the prologue. After this almost reconciliation, the o'er strained heart of Hamlet, as he stands to say, 'good-night,' over the slain body of Ophelia's father, breaks into uncontrollable sobs.

The King entering, finds in Polonius's death, new cause of alarm, new excuse for further measures against the suspected Hamlet, and when re-calling the young prince, he returns cool and defiant, who had gone out a moment before broken and weeping, the anti-climax reached is excellent. The next effect is doubtful. Seeming to see that not yet may he attack the person of his hated uncle, his eye lights upon the picture of the King, which he has used before in his interview with his mother, and which he has thrown upon the floor, and he darts at it and stamps upon it. .A childish bit of vengeance, it may be objected, which does not commend itself to a second thought.

When the King asks 'where is Polonius,' Hamlet tells him lightly: 'In Heaven, send thither and see.' Then adds deliberately and with the fiercest boldness,' 'if your messenger find him not there, seek him in the other place YOURSELF.' Claudius rushes toward him at this, then Hamlet suddenly turns before his eyes, the picture he wears, on the chain around his neck, of the murdered King, and his guilty successor sinks back at sight of it like a cowed beast.

But the King's dislike has prepared a safer course, and Hamlet realizes the strength of Claudius, when he tells him he must prepare for England. For England!' exclaims Hamlet, looks from the hated King to the guards that await him at the door, and then accepting the inevitable with the manifest intention to turn even this to his own ends if he can, and as he does, he returns calmly, 'good.'

*

The stage business and the scenery settings of Mr. Barrett's presentation, are in a thousand points skillful and good; but it is a weary time when Hamlet himself is not on the boards, and when the

closing complications of the tragedy are left to the clumsy rendering of the inadequate company. Those in the audience, who saw the play as it was brought out in London, in 1884, tried to remember whether it seemed so dreary then. Without the help of an old Princess's Theatre programme, the round face of the second grave-digger may be recognized, otherwise it appears there are on the present list of actors, but two or three of the old company, and these have changed their parts.

However, Miss Eastlake's utterly abandoned acting of the part of the witless Ophelia, fascinates all attention and fills the stage with prettiness and charm for a while during Hamlet's absence. When he comes back again, in the grave-yard scene, he has lost the fiery command he had of the preceding situations, and the church-yard mood of meditative calm, bristling with fanciful intelligence, he wears somewhat blankly. From thence he leaps short of the other side required, the pathos and extravagance of his grief over Ophelia and his war of words with Laertes. And in the interview with Osric, he lacks the light and playing touch of a prince enjoying his own ironical mastery of the dialogue, aud instead he does that 'waterfly,' the honor of being in earnest, stern, and suspicious.

The last scene, the fencing match, in the castle gardens, is made especially notable by its picturesque grouping, the skill of the fencing itself, and the melo-dramatic effectiveness of Hamlet's death. The rounded grace of Mr. Barrett's posturing is peculiarly pleasing. The eye is readily satisfied with what he does, though the ear may quarrel with the lack of due modulation and accent. But when, having at last swooped to his revenge, he sinks, stricken with the poison, in Horatio's arms, his fumbling fingers searching at his breast for what Horatio guesses, finds, and lifts before his eyes-his father's picture— then the dying face lights up with the fine content of loyal love, and the end is sweet and fit.

C. P.

FOREIGN NOTES.

HE great Shakespearian actress, Mme. Tokai (Rosa Labor Falvi), wife of the well-known novelist, Tokai, died the 21st of November, at the age of sixty-five years. She was

one of the best women tragedians on the European stage, and one of the first members and patrons of the Hungarian National Theatre. Though her representations of Gertrude, Lady Macbeth, Constance, and other heroines, Shakespeare became a favorite dramatist of her passionate countrymen, who flocked to admire her bold naturalism. Laube, the late director of the Vienna Burgtheater, said about twenty years ago, that her talent was superior to that of Mme. Restori, or of Mme. Janauschek.

Next spring the German Hamlet, Adolf Sonnenthal, probably will take a short trip to America.

Ernst Possart plays his series of Shakespearian intriguers with great success in Holland.

Since the 20th of Sept., 1862, The Winter's Tale was performed sixty times at the Vienna Burgtheater.

A Midsummer Night's Dream will be played several times during the season at the National Theater, in Munich; the favorite Bavarian comedian, Hofpaur, as Moonshine, and Frau Ramlo, as Puck.

Verdi is at present in Milan, and attends the rehearsals of his new opera, Othello, which will be performed at the Scala next February. Charleroi, Dec., 1886.

H.

Reviews.

Observations,

Which with experimental seal doth warrant
The tenour of my book.

-Much Ado About Nothing, IV, 1, 167.

IN the sixth edition of his Outlines of the Life of Shakespeare* Mr. J. O. Halliwell-Phillipps reaches what almost would seem the ultimate aim of his extended studies in Shakespeare biography. It is less than a year since the splendid fifth edition of this book was issued, and we now have to speak of a new edition, this time in two large volumes, each almost the size of the last one.

Of the merits of this work it is not our intention to speak. They are too well known, and Mr. Halliwell-Phillipps is too deeply versed in the intricacies of his subject to need comment or commendation in these pages. But some new matter has been added, some hitherto inaccessible to the general student, which should not be passed without notice. The narrative, the Outlines proper, remains substantially the same as in the earlier editions, but this portion of the book is enriched with a number of new and valuable illustrations and facsimiles. It is in the Appendices that the greater part of the additions have been made. This is especially the case with the appendix on 'Shakespeare's Neighbours,' in which some new remarks on Julius Shaw are introduced, and in 'The History of New Place,' which has been greatly enlarged, and is, in fact a careful condensation of the author's folio History of New Place. In this connection Mr. Halliwell-Phillipps writes :

During the interval which has elapsed [since the folio work was published] I have more than once re-studied the whole of the evidences, cor

* Outlines of the Life of Shakespeare. By J. O. Halliwell-Phillipps. Sixth Edition. London: Longmans & Co. 1886.