pular efteem, should take fuch a round-about method to dispose of a nephew he seems to fear, and full as ftrange is it, that Hamlet, who has fo much cause to fufpect his uncle's intention, and who has fuch powerful motives for ftaying at, home, fhould tamely, without objection, go upon the voyage. On returning, we do not find him taking any step towards punishing the murderer; nay,, moft politely undertakes to win a wager for him; how unworthy for him then does the catastrophe come about! when wounded with a poifoned weapon himself, when he hears of his mother's being poifoned, then and not before, urged by defperation, not just revenge, he demolishes the king of fhreds and patches, as he properly ftiles his uncle in the third act. From this view, it is, with all deference, apprehended, that, after his detection at the play, if his majefty, upon the principle of felf-defence, had formed a defign of taking the prince off by inftruments at home; if that defign had been made known to the Queen; had she, through maternal affection, put Hamlet on his guard; and had that prince taken meafures worthy the motives of ftimulation, a tyrant of fome confequence and uniformity would have been fhewn in Claudius; a tender mother in the Queen, and a hero in Hamlet; the innocent characters, Polonius and Ophelia, might have been faved; and death prevented from stalkking without limitation at the catastrophe: as it stands, no less than eight of the characters are dif pofed pofed of that way, four in view at one time upon the stage. In respect of characters, we are to lament that the hero, who is intended as amiable, fhould be fuch an apparent heap of inconfiftency; impetuous, tho' philofophical; fenfible of injury, yet timid of refentment; fhrewd, yet void of policy; full of filial piety, yet tame under oppreffion; boastful in expreffion, undetermined in action: and yet from being pregnant with great variety, from affording many opportunities to exert found judgment and extenfive powers, he is as agreeable and striking an object as any in the English drama. In the performance of this character, we must, as in RICHARD, place Mr. GARRICK far before any other competitor; his reception of, and address to the Ghoft; his natural, picturefque attitude, terror-ftruck features, low, tremulous expreffion, rifing in harmonious gradation, with the climax of his fpeech and feelings, all give us the most pleafing, I had almost said, astonishing fenfibility; in all the pointed parts of the dialogue his matchless eyes, anticipate his tongue, and imprefs the meaning upon us with double force; no man ever did, nor poffibly, ever will, fpeak hemiftics, broken fentences, and make tranfitions with fuch penetrating effect; in this lies the indifputable fuperiority of our modern Rofcius; that, where other performers, and good ones too, pafs unnoticed, he is frequently great; where an author is languid, he gives him fpirit; where powerful, due fupport; out of many inftances, I fhall felect only two. First, where VOL. I. F Ham Hamlet fays to his interpofing friends-I fay, away-then turning to the Ghoft-Go on—I'll follow. His variation from extreme paffion to reverential awe, is so forceably expreffed in eyes, features, attitude and voice, that every heart muft feel; the fecond is in the third act, where the Queen says, the Ghost is but the coinage of his brain; his turning fhort from looking after the apparition with wildness of terror, and viewing his mother with pathetic concern is most happily executed. Mr. BARRY gave confiderable pleasure in Hamlet, which was, however, chiefly derived from a fine figure and mufical voice; but declamation and originality were wanting. Mr. SHERIDAN, under the difadvantage of a moderate person, and still more moderate voice, by the effects of found judgment, undoubtedly stands fecond; in the lighter fcenes, he wants, 'tis true, eafe and levity; but in the foliloquies, and the third act closet scene, he is, or has been, truly excellent. Mr. Ross has the ease of a gentleman and dignity of a prince; but wants weight for the declamation; poignancy of expreffion for the spirited parts, and variation of countenance for the vehement paflions; however, he might justly gain more critical applaufe, if he wouid forget the audience; glow with his character, and be more affiduous in the fupport of every scene, not drop fome, as if unworthy his notice. The whole part of the King, except his foliloquy, is truly wretched for an actor: and, to fay truth, I never faw one who did not make a very infipid figure in it, the late Mr. SPARKS excepted; he was great in the forementioned foliloquy, refpectable in every paffage of the leaft regard, and fo peculiarly happy in falling, when stabbed, from the throne, that we may truly fay, a good end apo. logized for a very bad character. Polonius is drawn with fome tint of the whimfical, yet I cannot fuppofe him meant for that laugh1 ing-stock, that buffoon of Tragedy, he is gene rally represented; wherefore I must be bold to af fert, that Mr. MACKLIN, who, while his capabilities lasted, should never have been separated from the stage, was far the beft of many I have feen; he fhewed oddity, grafted upon the man of sense, and, as I remember, retained moft of that fcene at the beginning of the fecond act, which good fenfe and Shakefpeare's friends must lament the general omission of. -Mr. SHUTER, whom nature conceived and brought forth in a fit of laughter, may mean extremely well, but, in this character, his literally happy contenance plays rather against him. Mr. TASWELL and Mr. ARTHUR fteered a medium course, which, if it did not reach capital propriety, yet deserved confiderable praise. Laertes is a character no way remarkable, unless as contributing to the catastrophe; unlefs by joining in, and executing a villainous device for the deftruction of Hamlet; Mr. LEE, whofe abilities ftrengthened many fecond and third parts, while they marred principals, made more of Laertes confiderably than any other performer has done for feveral years. F 2 The The Ghoft is most admirably written; and ac cording to the idea I form of fupernatural utterance, adapted to fupernatural appearance. Mr. QUIN has never been excelled, nor by many degrees equalled; folemnity of expreffion was his excellence in tragedy, and, if I may be allowed the remark, his fault. Tho' not directly to my purpose at present, I cannot help obferving that Shakefpeare's fame as an actor, was difputed only because he wrote, as plainly appears, for the mode of fpeaking, Mr. GARRICK, by moft excellent example, has established; he certainly, as a judge and lover of nature, defpifed the titum-ti, mono tonous fing-fong then fashionable, and indeed equally admired, till within less than these last thirty years; for this reafon, he was judged to be but a middling performer, except in the Ghoft; and there, with propriety, no doubt, he affumed pompofity, which, on other occafions, lefs commendable, would have rendered him a very popular actor. Want of action in the Ghoft throws a damp on the narration; if a spirit can affume corporeal appearance, there can be no reason to fuppose imaginary arms motionless, no more than imaginary legs; however, fome peculiarity in this point, as well as the tones of expreffion, should be observed. - Horatio is the only amiable man in the piece, yet except his firft fcene, is very inconfiderable: what could be made of fuch a character, Mr. HAVARD fhewed in full; and it would be wronging Mr. HULL's fenfibility, for fuch feelings as actuate Ham |