182 sim] prec to c he of 1 and Ed eve jus cha arl lik II G1 which the idea of that Induction is borrowed. Com while Shakespeare was still under the influence of lowe, The Taming of A Shrew shows at what an date the idea of the mingled tragedy and come human life began to form itself in his imagination. Of In the structure of the early comedies, which! called Comedies of Illusion, the influence of Lyly is evident than is the influence of Marlowe in the comp of the early tragedies. The atmosphere of dream fancy, the introduction of the underplot, the susta combats of verbal wit in the dialogue, all derive origin from the author of Euphues and his Court come but just as Shakespeare has contributed an element of own to the Machiavellian principle in Marlowe's t manner, so in his comedies he has appropriated euphuistic style with an inventive skill that leaves features of its first parent barely recognisable. acter, as a motive of action, there is, as might be expec in these plays, little trace. In them men are represe rather as being moved by external forces than by t own wills. Bottom is almost the only character in Comedies of Illusion indicating in the poet a subtle co Faint outlines, however, ception of human nature. ideas afterwards elaborately executed appear in t Biron and Rosalind of Love's Labour's Lost, the origina of Benedick and Beatrice; while in the blunders of Du and Costard are anticipated the inimitable humours Dogberry and Verges. As regards language and versification these play exhibit a great variety of styles. Traces remain in the of the jolting irregular metres of the Morality;1 the rhyming couplets of ten syllables, used by Peele in Th Arraignment of Paris, are revived in A Midsummer Night's Dream: the bombastic diction of Marlowe has almost entirely disappeared, but the regular simplicity of his blank verse is preserved in beautiful combinations of metrical harmony, expressive of the fanciful thought and 1 See Comedy of Errors, Act iii. Sc. 1; and Love's Labour's Lost, Act iv. ling by which the poet is inspired. The following ample from A Midsummer-Night's Dream may be ken as representing the genius of this group of ays: SANDER. Ay me! for aught that I could ever read, IERMIA. YS. HER. LYS. HER. LYS. Could ever hear by tale or history, The course of true love never did run smooth; Swift as a shadow, short as any dream; Brief as the lightning in the collied night, That, in a spleen, unfolds both heaven and earth, The jaws of darkness do devour it up: So quick bright things come to confusion.1 In spite of the apparently fundamental conflict between Shakespeare's tragic and his comic view of life, between the Machiavellian principle, illustrated in his early tragedies, and the Catholic sentiment, underlying his Comedies of Illusion, both elements are combined and reconciled in the group of plays produced between 1596 and 1600. These include the chronicle histories of Richard II., Henry IV., and Henry V.; the tragi-comedies, The Merchant of Venice and Much Ado about Nothing; and the comedies As You Like It and Twelfth Night. Shakespeare himself seems to have now attained an inward state of ease and serenity, and this is reflected in the perfect harmony, the complete equilibrium of his art. He maintains in his work an admirable balance between the principles of action and reflection. The Catholic doctrine of the vanity of the world still exerts a powerful influence on his thought, finding expression in such speeches as "All the world's a stage," and "What art thou, thou 1 A Midsummer-Night's Dream, Act i. Sc. 1. which the idea of that Induction is borrowed. Composed while Shakespeare was still under the influence of Marlowe, The Taming of A Shrew shows at what an early date the idea of the mingled tragedy and comedy of human life began to form itself in his imagination. In the structure of the early comedies, which I have called Comedies of Illusion, the influence of Lyly is no less evident than is the influence of Marlowe in the composition of the early tragedies. The atmosphere of dream and fancy, the introduction of the underplot, the sustained combats of verbal wit in the dialogue, all derive their origin from the author of Euphues and his Court comedies; but just as Shakespeare has contributed an element of his own to the Machiavellian principle in Marlowe's tragic manner, so in his comedies he has appropriated the euphuistic style with an inventive skill that leaves the features of its first parent barely recognisable. Of character, as a motive of action, there is, as might be expected in these plays, little trace. In them men are represented rather as being moved by external forces than by their own wills. Bottom is almost the only character in the Comedies of Illusion indicating in the poet a subtle conception of human nature. Faint outlines, however, of ideas afterwards elaborately executed appear in the Biron and Rosalind of Love's Labour's Lost, the originals of Benedick and Beatrice; while in the blunders of Dull and Costard are anticipated the inimitable humours of Dogberry and Verges. As regards language and versification these plays exhibit a great variety of styles. Traces remain in them of the jolting irregular metres of the Morality; the rhyming couplets of ten syllables, used by Peele in The Arraignment of Paris, are revived in A MidsummerNight's Dream: the bombastic diction of Marlowe has almost entirely disappeared, but the regular simplicity of his blank verse is preserved in beautiful combinations of metrical harmony, expressive of the fanciful thought and 1 See Comedy of Errors, Act iii. Sc. I; and Love's Labour's Lost, Act iv. feeling by which the poet is inspired. The following example from A Midsummer-Night's Dream may be taken as representing the genius of this group of plays:- LYSANDER. Ay me! for aught that I could ever read, HERMIA. LYS. Lys. HER. Lys. Could ever hear by tale or history, The course of true love never did run smooth; O cross! too high to be enthralled to low, Swift as a shadow, short as any dream; Brief as the lightning in the collied night, -- That, in a spleen, unfolds both heaven and earth, The jaws of darkness do devour it up: So quick bright things come to confusion.1 In spite of the apparently fundamental conflict between Shakespeare's tragic and his comic view of life, between the Machiavellian principle, illustrated in his early tragedies, and the Catholic sentiment, underlying his Comedies of Illusion, both elements are combined and reconciled in the group of plays produced between 1596 and 1600. These include the chronicle histories of Richard II., Henry IV., and Henry V.; the tragi-comedies, The Merchant of Venice and Much Ado about Nothing; and the comedies As You Like It and Twelfth Night. Shakespeare himself seems to have now attained an inward state of ease and serenity, and this is reflected in the perfect harmony, the complete equilibrium of his art. He maintains in his work an admirable balance between the principles of action and reflection. The Catholic doctrine of the vanity of the world still exerts a powerful influence on his thought, finding expression in such speeches as "All the world's a stage," and "What art thou, thou 1 A Midsummer-Night's Dream, Act i. Sc. I. idol, Ceremony?" but the Puck-like love of mischief, illustrated in the words And those things do most please me and inspiring the earlier comedies, is now mitigated with compassion while the poet contemplates the actions of his dramatis persona with the calm of a philosopher, he feels for them with the heart of a man. There is in these plays no sign of those terrible internal conflicts of conscience which break out in his late tragedies; a spirit of serene humanity elevates his conceptions of character. Interesting us in the imaginary action for its own sake, he finds means at the same time to point out its moral significance. Whether he represents opposing views of honour as a motive of conduct, in the persons of Hotspur, Prince Henry, or Falstaff; the profound mixture of resolution and reflection in the character of Henry V.; the conflicting claims of justice and mercy, advocated on the one side by Shylock, on the other by Portia ; the contrast between court and country life delightfully idealised in As You Like It; the happy blunders diverting the action from tragedy to comedy in Much Ado about Nothing; the incomparable mixture of pathos and absurdity in Twelfth Night,-in all these wonderful creations we are struck by the complete suppression of the poet's personality, by the soundness of his philosophy, by the sublime serenity of his art. An increased power of dramatic conception is accompanied by a corresponding advance in the art of structural arrangement, representation of character, diction and versification. The structure of all the plays produced during this period is admirable. Already in his early Histories, in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and in Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare had shown himself to be instinctively aware that the drama is only a higher and more vivid rendering of the form of ideal action contained in the epic, and he had founded the plots of his plays on chronicles or tales familiar to the imagina |