Page:The Plays of William Shakspeare (1778).djvu/24

12 Through all thee denominations of the drama, Shakepeare’s mode of compoition is the ame; an interchange of eriounes and merriment, by which the mind is oftened at one time, and exhilarated at another. But whatever be his purpoe, whether to gladden or depres, or to conduct the tory, without vehemence or emotion, through tracts of eay and familiar dialogue, he never fails to attain his purpoe; as he commands us, we laugh or mourn, or it ilent with quiet expectation, in tranquility without indifference.

When Shakepeare’s plan is undertood, mot of the criticims of Rhymer and Voltaire vanih away. The play of Hamlet is opened, without impropriety, by two centinels; lago bellows at Brabantio’s window, without injury to the cheme of the play, though in terms which a modern audience would not eaily endure; the character of Polonius is eaonable and ueful; and the Grave-diggers themelves may be heard with applaue.

Shakepeare engaged in dramatick poetry with the world open before him; the rules of the ancients were yet known to few; the publick judgment was unformed; he had no example of uch fame as might force him upon imitation, nor criticks of uch authority as might retrain his extravagance: he therefore indulged his natural dipoition, and his dipoition, as Rhymer has remarked, led him to comedy. In tragedy he often writes with great appearance of toil and tudy, what is written at lat with little felicity; but in his comick cenes, he eems to produce without labour,