scope is emulation; nor the musician's which is fantastic; nor the courtier's which is proud; nor the soldier's which is ambitious; nor the lawyer's which is politic; nor the lady's which is nice; nor the lover's which is all these; but, it is a melancholy of mine own, compounded of many simples, extracted from many objects, and indeed the sundry contemplation of my travels, on which my often rumination wraps me in a most humourous sadness.” -We here, however, in vain look for that kind of melancholy which press'd so heavily upon the heart of the amiable Hamlet. -The moralizing Jacques seeking refuge from the tyranny of an usurper, in the quiet recesses of a romantic forest, had full for the expression of those pathetic and touching sentiments, which pervaded the settled sadness of his disposition,— he moralized on the ingratitude of man, and drew his reflections, from those scenes of silent nature, which surrounded him; his retired contemplation, led him to descant on the follies of mankind, with peculiar advantage, whilst the picturesque and dramatic description of life in his speech of "All the world's a stage," gives to his character a deep interest, notwithstanding the bitter sarcasm and keen satire with which he has lash'd the vices and fashions of society.-The melancholy Jacques however amidst the deep solitude of the woods, and far distant from the pomp and peril of an envious court, had no rude or severe trials to ruffle and disturb his temper, except the remembrance of that injustice, which rendered him with his companions an unhappy exile; but in Hamlet, we behold a youthful Prince, placed by the circumstances of his birth, the inmate of a palace stained with the foul crimes of incest and of murder; a throne lost by usurpation, and exposed to the treachery of those whose nice scruples of courtly honor, did not deter them from being implicated in a plot for his destruction; surrounded by events sufficient to "Make mad the guilty, and appal the free," we see the gentle and accomplished Hamlet, a prey to the deepest anguish; his feelings struggling against a command, which a voice from the tomb, had charged him to fulfil, and yet maintaining amidst this tempest of affliction the calm spirit of meditation, his sentiments indicating the language of the scholar, and his manners denoting the deportment of the gentleman; mingled with that high and reflective thought which has justly secured to him, the character of the philosopher;—the remembrance of his murdered father, his mother's guilt, and his forced intercourse with sycophants of a base and perjured king, all conspired, to create in the breast of the generous Hamlet, those contemplations that led him so eloquently to soliloquise upon life, and indulge in that mournful sadness, which disposed him to look upon every thing appertaining to human existence, with studied neglect, and profound indifference;—these observations may be well illustrated when we contemplate the following beautiful but sombre reflections. “I have of late, (but, wherefore I know not,) lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercises: and indeed it goes so heavily with my disposition, that this goodly frame the earth, seems to me to be a steril promontory;-this most excellent canopy, the air, look you, this brave o'er-hanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire, why, it appears no other thing to me, than a foul and pestilential congregation of vapours. What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason! how infinite in faculties! in form, and moving, how express and admirable! in action, how like an angel! in apprehension, how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals! and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?" The play of Hamlet, as Shaftesbury has said, is one, which of all others, most affects English hearts; Shakspere however in this beautiful and philosophic drama, has not only excited with his countrymen the deepest emotions, but has awakened everywhere in the human breast, the most thrilling interest, not a theatre existing throughout the globe where civilization has any sway, but there Hamlet has been hailed with universal acclamation. The peevish conceits of Voltaire, which for long kept alive the prejudices of the French nation, have now given way to a more correct and refined taste, the contemplative powers of a Chateaubriant, with other celebrated writers, having added fresh and unfading laurels to the temple of Fame, consecrated to our immortal poet; but Germany, approximating more than any other country, in its poetic character, to the genius of England, has deeply appreciated the productions of our bard; the criticisms of Schlegel and Goëthé exceeding in classical beauty any thing known in the annals of modern literature; hence we have the philosophic author of Faust, with a skilful discrimination, delineating the character of Hamlet in colours, which can only be equalled by the pen of It is clear to me, the elegant and learned Schlegel. 99 says Goëthé, “that Shakspere's intention was to exhibit the effects of a great action, imposed as a duty upon a mind too feeble for its accomplishment. In this sense I find the character consistent throughout. Here is an oak planted in a China vase, proper to receive only the most delicate flowers. The roots strike out, and the vessel flies to pieces. A pure, noble, highly moral disposition, but without that energy of soul which constitutes the hero, sinks under a load which it can neither support nor resolve to abandon altogether. All his obligations are sacred to him; but this alone is above his powers! An impossibility is required at his hands; not an impossibility in itself but that which is so to him. Observe how he shifts, turns, hesitates, advances, and recedes! How he is continually reminding himself of his great commission, which he nevertheless in the end, seems almost entirely to lose sight of, and this without ever recovering his former tranquillity.' The feigned insanity of Hamlet, though adopted in accordance with a system of judicious policy to promote the ends of retributive justice, in the opinion of some authors led, however, to consequences touching the fate of "the fair Ophelia," that will ever rend the human heart with the deepest sympathy. We first hear of Hamlet's love, where Laertes, in a passage remarkable for its poetical beauty, breathes a purity of brotherly affection towards his sister, that bespeaks in no ordinary degree how deeply the poet could appreciate those sentiments which have the tendency to protect innocence and virtue; alluding to the love and importunity of Hamlet, Laertes, in language full of the most tender regard, says, "Fear it, Ophelia, fear it, my dear sister; Youth to itself rebels, though none else near. In this scene we also meet with Polonius, chamberlain to the king, who offers similar admonitions of caution to his daughter;the advice which he gives to his son in going upon his travels, is likewise replete with wisdom embodying maxims, worthy to be cherished, by every young man entering upon the great theatre of life, but notwithstanding this parental affection, tempered seemingly with a judgment, that implies much experience and knowledge of the world, the debasement of mind, which is associated with the general character of Polonius, leads us to consider those precepts offered by him to his children, merely as the offspring of a sordid and selfish feeling, adopted with the view of promoting the interest of himself and family, for, involved as he was in the base intrigues of a licentious court, his heart must have never felt the influence of sentiments, imbued with so much excellence. Dr. Johnson in the opinion which he gives of the old courtier, sums up his observations by remarking, "The idea of dotage encroaching upon wisdom, will solve all the phenomena of the character of Polonius ;”— the frailties of age may solve excessive garrulity, but never can extenuate fawning sycophancy, a qualification which rendered "this foolish prating knave," a fit personage to be a spy over Hamlet's actions;-the picture, however, is admirably drawn; -the ridicule which is excited by the tedious loquacity of Polonius, especially when he is alluding with so much mistaken confidence to the madness of Hamlet, is of the most exquisite kind; the sketch is true to nature, and will ever inspire us with a striking proof of the versatile power of the poet's graphic pen: -notwithstanding the entire absence of every principle of integrity, with a mind totally destitute of everything approaching to manly pride, or the dignity of virtue, we, however, discover in the portrait of this officious intermedling courtier a faithful delineation of the manners of Shakspere's time;-bred as a courtier, the language of Polonius is congenial with the fashion of an age, when obscurity of expression was considered the veil of wisdom;-the court, even the seats of learning, were in those days deeply tinged with this species of scientific jargon, a learned critic justly observing, "the Professor then quibbled in his chair-the judge quibbled on the bench-the prelate quibbled in the pulpit--the statesman quibbled at the council-board, nay even Majesty quibbled on the throne." portraying the obsequious chamberlain, Shakspere had no occasion to call forth the prolific powers of his imagination; he had only to cast his eye towards the court of Elizabeth to find a Polonius, in the same manner when drawing Menenius Agrippa, he had only to think of the senate to find a fool; for as Dr. Johnson sagely remarks, "the poet knew that Rome, like every other city, had men of all distinctions, and wanting a buffoon he went into the senate-house for that which the senate-house would have certainly afforded him." The venal period in which Shakspere lived offered ample opportunity of his witnessing the gross and fulsome adulation heaped upon the virtues of the maiden queen, whose reign, now that the romance which so long obscurred the page of history, has been In |