He had made his first big success some five
years before with _Romeo and Juliet_, and was, so far as we can
judge, on the high tide of financial prosperity. The profession of
an actor carried with it in those days much discredit, but in his
far-off home at Stratford, Shakespeare had in 1601 already begun to
seek the repute of a country gentleman, and had purchased the finest
house and estate in the little village.
Mr. Halliwell-Phillipps' _Memoranda on Hamlet_ were never thrown
into final shape by the author. Therefore the editors have taken
such slight liberties in rearranging the order of his text as were
necessary to make its discourse consecutive.
The tragedy of _Hamlet_ is unquestionably the highest effort of artistic
literary power yet given to the world. There is nothing to be found in
real competition with it excepting in the other works of Shakespeare,
but all are inferior to this great masterpiece. There is hardly a speech
in the whole play which may not fairly be made the subject of an
elaborate discourse, especially when viewed in connection with its
bearings, however occasionally remote, on the character of Hamlet, the
development of which appears to have been the chief object of the
author, not only in the management of the plot, but in the creation of
the other personages who are introduced.
Pages:
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497