Papers of the Manchester Literary Club
by Literary Club Manchester Literary Club (9780217528887)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: HAMLET. BY THE REV. W. ANDERSON O'CONOK, B. A. Read February n, 1878.) 'IPO make no allusion to the copious literature that exists on A the play of Hamlet would be either to leave one's self without excuse for going beyond verbal criticism, or to assume the first discovery of the problem which has, in fact, engaged a host of writers. It is well known that the diff1culty which has attracted so many commentators is owing to a supposed indistinctness in the character of the chief person, and to the inference that Shakspere meant to illustrate some principle or convey some lesson. If any such indefmiteness were observed in one of the historic plays, its cause would reasonably be sought in the neces- sary, fancy-filled, interval that lies between the prose narrative and the poetic conception. But Hamlet is virtually a historical play. Traditions or fabulous legends must exercise as large a modif1ca- tion on dramatic compositions founded on them as established facts of history. This is matter of observation as well as of pro-; bability. Let us sketch the history of Saxo Grammaticus, which suggested directly or indirectly the character of Hamlet to the mind of Shakspere. In the reign of Roderick, two brothers, Horvcndilc and Fcngon, were joint rulers of a province. The King of Norway challenged Horvendile to combat, and was slain by him. The conditions of 'the fight were that all the riches in the ship of the vanquished should pass to the conqueror. Roderick gave his daughter, Geroth, in marriage to Horvendile. Hamblet was their son. Fengon murdered Horvendile, and had sufficient address to gain condonement from the people and nobles, and even their consent to his marriage with his brother's widow. Hamblet, left friendless, counterfeited madness in order to elude his uncle a...

USD $12.75

   Dispatch: Immediate - In Stock