An Introduction to ShakespeareMacCracken, H. N. (Henry Noble)
General
An Introduction to Shakespeare
MacCracken, H. N. (Henry Noble)
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
In 1601 a poem, _The Phoenix and the Turtle_, was also printed as his
in an appendix to a longer poem by another man. We cannot trust the
printer when he signs it with Shakespeare's name, and we have no other
evidence about its authorship; but the majority of scholars believe it
to be genuine. Another poem, _A Lover's Complaint_, which was printed
in the same volume with the sonnets in 1609, is of distinctly less
merit and probably spurious.
{71}
Lastly, the short poems incorporated in the plays deserve brief notice.
In a way they are part of the plots in which they are embedded; but
they may also be considered as separate lyrics. Several sonnets and
verses in stanza form occur in _Romeo and Juliet_ and in the early
comedies. Three of these were printed as separate poems in _The
Passionate Pilgrim_. Far more important than the above, however, are
the songs which are scattered through all the plays early and late.
Their merit is of a supreme quality; some of the most famous musical
composers, inspired by his works, have graced them with admirable
music. One of the most attractive features in his lyrics is their
spontaneous ease of expression. They seem to lilt into music of their
own accord, as naturally as birds sing. The best of these are found in
the comedies of the Second Period and in the romantic plays of the
Fourth. "Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more" in _Much Ado About
Nothing_; "Blow, blow, thou winter wind" in _As You Like it_; "Hark,
hark, the lark at heaven's gate sings" in _Cymbeline_; and "Full fathom
five thy father lies" in _The Tempest_,--these and others like them
show that the author, though primarily a dramatist, could be among the
greatest of song writers when he tried.
The following lines taken from the little-read play, _The Two Gentlemen
of Verona_, may serve to illustrate the perfection of the Shakespearean
lyric.
SONG
Who is Sylvia? what is she,
That all our swains commend her?
Holy, fair, and wise is she;
The heaven such grace did lend her,
That she might admired be.
{72}
Is she kind as she is fair?
For beauty lives with kindness:
Love doth to her eyes repair
To help him of his blindness,
And being helped, inhabits there.
Then to Sylvia let us sing,
That Sylvia is excelling;
She excels each mortal thing
Upon the dull earth dwelling;
To her let us garlands bring.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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