DOI issue:
April 15, 1882
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.17752#0180
April 15, 1882.]
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIYARL
173
A SHORT SHAKSPEARIAN CATECHISM.
(Stjbject—“ Romeo and Juliet.'’ ,)
Question. Admitting Shakspeare to be tbe greatest genius the
■world bas ever seen, and tbat—
“ The flight of Genius is above all rules
Made to guide talent, and to fetter fools,”
what evidence is tbere to sbow tbat, as a practical Dramatist, be was
not up to tbe requirements o±‘ eitber an eigbteentb or nineteentb
century stage or of an audience, a.d. 1882 ?
Answer. Because not one of Shakspeare’s plays, from Garrick’s
time till now, bas ever been given intact as be wrote it, but every
The Merry Capulet Family at home. Small and early. “ There ’s another
jolly row up-stairs !”
play bas been altered more or less according to tbe experience of tbe
Manager wbo catered for tbe taste and fancy of bis public.
Q. Wbat is your opinion of tbe plot of tbis play ?
A. Tbe first part excellent,—up to tbe banisbment of Romeo: after
tbis, it is forced. and unnatural.
Q. Explain yourself.
A. With pleasure. Two sucb desperate lovers, ready to die for
one anotber, would bave been far more eager to live for eacb otber,
and tberefore would have eloped. Witb tbe opportunities at ber
command, Juliet bad only to join ber busband at Mantua, and live
witb bim quietly out of the way till tbe storm bad blown over.
Q. Wbat is your opinion of Romeo ?
A. Perhaps, with tbe exception of Werther, tbere is no sucb
contemptible nincompoop in romantic fiction.
Q. Do you tbink tbis character can ever find an adequate
representative on tbe stage ?
A. No. Mr. Forbes Robertsox, perbaps, went nearest to it by
All our own Vault, or, The Last ltestiDg-pLace of the Ivuight-Capulets.
(A Pall Veronese.)
making bim as mucb like a modern effeminate sestbetic young man
as possible ; but even tben, he was too manly in bis combats witb
Tybalt and Paris ; tbougb had be fougbt witb Mr. Irving’s vixenisb
iury, be would have been as near completing bis picture of tbe ideal
Romeo as it is possible for any but a bopeless lack-a-daisieal Grosvenor
Gfallery young man to be.
Q. If tbe representation of tbis character is so impossible now,
bow was it possible in Shakspeare’s time ?
A. Don’t know : but I suppose it was because Juliet was played
by a boy, and Romeo by anotber boy. Juliet's tone is far more
masculine than ber lover’s, and wben tbe part was played by a boy,
tbis colouring would be brougbt out into stronger contrast. Tbe
uncritical audience wept over tbe sorrows of a pair of love-sick young
noodles wbo had lost tbeir bearts and tbeir heads.
Q. What do you tbink of Mr. Irving as Romeo ?
A. I think tbat be does bis best with a part, whicb tbe Autbor,
‘ ‘ had bis own opportunities been brought up to tbe level of our own
time,”—to quote Mr. Irvtng’s own preface,—would never bave
cbosen for him, in spite of tbe advantages offered by tbe “fuller
development of our present stage.”
Q. Do you tbink tbe Nurse an estimable person?
A. Sbe is a wicked old woman; but I never saw ber made even
tolerable on tbe stage,
until I witnessed Mrs.
Stirling’s marvellous im-
personation of tbe cba-
racter. As long as Mrs.
Stirling can play {ad
multos annos, witb all my
beart!) let no otber Nurse
be seen. It is perfect.
Sbe sbows us bow sbe is a
mixture of foolish fond-
ness, low cunning, and tbe
vulgar piety of tbe Nea-
politan Tbief, wbo, saying
a prayer and picking a
pocket at tbe same time,
‘ ‘ worsbips because be
fears, and sins because he
does not love.” Her out-
ward display of devotion
at Juliet' s deatb-bed, ber
devout attention to tbe
Friar, and ber way of
mentioning her deceased The “ Nurse ” at the Lyceum. A Sterling
busband, are tbings to be Actress.
seen and studied.
Q. Have you any other remarks to make on tbe play generally ?
A. Yes. Tbe Capulets are a very objectionable set, but deei-
dedly true to nature. Old Capulet is tbe very type of tbe good-
bearted jolly old Fatber, wbo is so sociable and pleasant “ before
company,” and sucb a tyrant and bully within his own family
circle. Mercutio's speecb about Queen Mab, was evidently intro-
duced by Shakspeare in order to induce a good actor to play a
sligbt part, and, but for tbe few words be bas to say, tbe part of tbe
Apothecary migbt be given to a clever pantomimist like Mr. John
D’Atjban. Tbe general merits, tbe artistic taste, and the magnifi-
cence of tbe present revival at tbe Lyceum having been already
duly treated of, I bave notbing more to say on tbe subject.
AT THE WHSTDOW!
I knew ’twas your house, my beloved Angelina,
So I watched from tbe opposite side for a wbile.
In pink you were clad, and I never have seen a
Much bandsomer dress, or a daintier style.
Said I to myself, “ Tbat dear cbarmer bas led me
Round Love’s tborny maze—I sball never be free.
Her nod means assent wben I ’ll ask ber to wed me ;
Sbe ’s smiling because sbe is tbinking of me."
One lily-white band beld tbe bun you were eating,
Witn tbe otber you wrote on a tablet, you know ;
You were counting, I ’m sure, tbe sad bours till our meeting :
Ob, say, Angelina dear, was it not so ?
“ My good Sir,” you replied, “ you are strangely mistaken,
And all your fond rapture of lunacy smacks.
By your senses, I ’m sorry to say, you ’re forsaken ;
We were getting in coals—I was counting tbe sacks ! ”
In a trice on my tricycle trusty I bounded.
“ I bope you ’ll be off ! ” you exclaimed, tben. Alack !
It is “ all off ” witb you ! Yes, your heart I bave sounded,
Now you’ve cellared tbe coals, I will give you tbe sack.
“ Ex Nihil,” &c.—What tbey call a Nihilist in Russia, we call a
Grood-for-Notbing in England.
Yol, 82.
6—2
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIYARL
173
A SHORT SHAKSPEARIAN CATECHISM.
(Stjbject—“ Romeo and Juliet.'’ ,)
Question. Admitting Shakspeare to be tbe greatest genius the
■world bas ever seen, and tbat—
“ The flight of Genius is above all rules
Made to guide talent, and to fetter fools,”
what evidence is tbere to sbow tbat, as a practical Dramatist, be was
not up to tbe requirements o±‘ eitber an eigbteentb or nineteentb
century stage or of an audience, a.d. 1882 ?
Answer. Because not one of Shakspeare’s plays, from Garrick’s
time till now, bas ever been given intact as be wrote it, but every
The Merry Capulet Family at home. Small and early. “ There ’s another
jolly row up-stairs !”
play bas been altered more or less according to tbe experience of tbe
Manager wbo catered for tbe taste and fancy of bis public.
Q. Wbat is your opinion of tbe plot of tbis play ?
A. Tbe first part excellent,—up to tbe banisbment of Romeo: after
tbis, it is forced. and unnatural.
Q. Explain yourself.
A. With pleasure. Two sucb desperate lovers, ready to die for
one anotber, would bave been far more eager to live for eacb otber,
and tberefore would have eloped. Witb tbe opportunities at ber
command, Juliet bad only to join ber busband at Mantua, and live
witb bim quietly out of the way till tbe storm bad blown over.
Q. Wbat is your opinion of Romeo ?
A. Perhaps, with tbe exception of Werther, tbere is no sucb
contemptible nincompoop in romantic fiction.
Q. Do you tbink tbis character can ever find an adequate
representative on tbe stage ?
A. No. Mr. Forbes Robertsox, perbaps, went nearest to it by
All our own Vault, or, The Last ltestiDg-pLace of the Ivuight-Capulets.
(A Pall Veronese.)
making bim as mucb like a modern effeminate sestbetic young man
as possible ; but even tben, he was too manly in bis combats witb
Tybalt and Paris ; tbougb had be fougbt witb Mr. Irving’s vixenisb
iury, be would have been as near completing bis picture of tbe ideal
Romeo as it is possible for any but a bopeless lack-a-daisieal Grosvenor
Gfallery young man to be.
Q. If tbe representation of tbis character is so impossible now,
bow was it possible in Shakspeare’s time ?
A. Don’t know : but I suppose it was because Juliet was played
by a boy, and Romeo by anotber boy. Juliet's tone is far more
masculine than ber lover’s, and wben tbe part was played by a boy,
tbis colouring would be brougbt out into stronger contrast. Tbe
uncritical audience wept over tbe sorrows of a pair of love-sick young
noodles wbo had lost tbeir bearts and tbeir heads.
Q. What do you tbink of Mr. Irving as Romeo ?
A. I think tbat be does bis best with a part, whicb tbe Autbor,
‘ ‘ had bis own opportunities been brought up to tbe level of our own
time,”—to quote Mr. Irvtng’s own preface,—would never bave
cbosen for him, in spite of tbe advantages offered by tbe “fuller
development of our present stage.”
Q. Do you tbink tbe Nurse an estimable person?
A. Sbe is a wicked old woman; but I never saw ber made even
tolerable on tbe stage,
until I witnessed Mrs.
Stirling’s marvellous im-
personation of tbe cba-
racter. As long as Mrs.
Stirling can play {ad
multos annos, witb all my
beart!) let no otber Nurse
be seen. It is perfect.
Sbe sbows us bow sbe is a
mixture of foolish fond-
ness, low cunning, and tbe
vulgar piety of tbe Nea-
politan Tbief, wbo, saying
a prayer and picking a
pocket at tbe same time,
‘ ‘ worsbips because be
fears, and sins because he
does not love.” Her out-
ward display of devotion
at Juliet' s deatb-bed, ber
devout attention to tbe
Friar, and ber way of
mentioning her deceased The “ Nurse ” at the Lyceum. A Sterling
busband, are tbings to be Actress.
seen and studied.
Q. Have you any other remarks to make on tbe play generally ?
A. Yes. Tbe Capulets are a very objectionable set, but deei-
dedly true to nature. Old Capulet is tbe very type of tbe good-
bearted jolly old Fatber, wbo is so sociable and pleasant “ before
company,” and sucb a tyrant and bully within his own family
circle. Mercutio's speecb about Queen Mab, was evidently intro-
duced by Shakspeare in order to induce a good actor to play a
sligbt part, and, but for tbe few words be bas to say, tbe part of tbe
Apothecary migbt be given to a clever pantomimist like Mr. John
D’Atjban. Tbe general merits, tbe artistic taste, and the magnifi-
cence of tbe present revival at tbe Lyceum having been already
duly treated of, I bave notbing more to say on tbe subject.
AT THE WHSTDOW!
I knew ’twas your house, my beloved Angelina,
So I watched from tbe opposite side for a wbile.
In pink you were clad, and I never have seen a
Much bandsomer dress, or a daintier style.
Said I to myself, “ Tbat dear cbarmer bas led me
Round Love’s tborny maze—I sball never be free.
Her nod means assent wben I ’ll ask ber to wed me ;
Sbe ’s smiling because sbe is tbinking of me."
One lily-white band beld tbe bun you were eating,
Witn tbe otber you wrote on a tablet, you know ;
You were counting, I ’m sure, tbe sad bours till our meeting :
Ob, say, Angelina dear, was it not so ?
“ My good Sir,” you replied, “ you are strangely mistaken,
And all your fond rapture of lunacy smacks.
By your senses, I ’m sorry to say, you ’re forsaken ;
We were getting in coals—I was counting tbe sacks ! ”
In a trice on my tricycle trusty I bounded.
“ I bope you ’ll be off ! ” you exclaimed, tben. Alack !
It is “ all off ” witb you ! Yes, your heart I bave sounded,
Now you’ve cellared tbe coals, I will give you tbe sack.
“ Ex Nihil,” &c.—What tbey call a Nihilist in Russia, we call a
Grood-for-Notbing in England.
Yol, 82.
6—2