Henry Irving, a biographical sketch . olehouse was crowded by an excited audience. The actor waswelcomed with acclamations when he stepped on the stageattired in no manner like the Hamlet of Sir Thomas wore no elaborate trappings or funereal velvet, no flaxenwig like that adopted by Charles Fechter; the order of theDanish Elephant was absent. He appeared simply as a man anda prince, clothed in thick-ribbed silk, and a paletot edged withfur; a rich but simple costume, relieved only by a massive goldchain. His face bore a troubled, wearied expression; the disorderedblack hair was car
Henry Irving, a biographical sketch . olehouse was crowded by an excited audience. The actor waswelcomed with acclamations when he stepped on the stageattired in no manner like the Hamlet of Sir Thomas wore no elaborate trappings or funereal velvet, no flaxenwig like that adopted by Charles Fechter; the order of theDanish Elephant was absent. He appeared simply as a man anda prince, clothed in thick-ribbed silk, and a paletot edged withfur; a rich but simple costume, relieved only by a massive goldchain. His face bore a troubled, wearied expression; the disorderedblack hair was carelessly thrown over the forehead, and the marvel-lous eye of the actor told of the distracted mind. His appearancefully bore out the descriptions. of Hamlet. Here, Indeed, were the dejected haviour of the visage and the fruitful river of theeye. But so subtle was the actors art, so daring his originality,that almost two acts of the play were allowed to pass in silence be-fore the audience began to understand him. After the scene with. raVING AS DUBOSCQ. J874.] HIS HAMLET. 49 the Ghost, Mr. Irving came off the stage depressed^ not by the silenceof the audience, but by the thought that he had not reached hisideal. To use his own words about this first night, I felt,hesaid, that the audience did not go with me until the first, meeting with Ophelia, when they changed towards me this point in the play his personation was recognised as themost human Hamlet that the audience had ever known, and thedelighted spectators were loud in their applause even at a quarterto one oclock in the morning. Mr. Irvings Hamlet was as mucha students success as an actor^. He not only acted the part^ butthought it out thoroughly, and gave a complete and perfectrendering of the character as a whole. Unlike most actors whohave played Hamlet, he did not make his success by his renderingof any particular scene or point, but rather by his realisation ofthe entire character. In the soliloquies he
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookpublishernewyo, bookyear1884
