The collected works of William Hazlitt, Vol. 08 (of 12)Hazlitt, William
General
The collected works of William Hazlitt, Vol. 08 (of 12)
Hazlitt, William
English essays -- 19th century
After the Opera ‘God save the King’ was sung. The first verse was given
by Madame Grassini, with that ease and simplicity which are natural to
her. The second was torn to tatters by Signor Tramezzani with every
preposterous accompaniment of imitative action. Into the homely couplet,
‘Scatter his enemies,
And make them fall,’
he introduced as much heroic action, as if Jove, in the first line, had
had to shake a thousand thunderbolts from his hand, and in the next to
transfix the giants to the earth. The bow with which this celebrated
actor quitted the stage was endless and inimitable. The Genius of
Scotland would have turned pale with envy at the sight! Of the other
performers we shall say nothing. M. Vestris made an able-bodied
representative of Zephyr in the ballet.
MISS O’NEILL’S JULIET
_The Champion._
_Oct. 16, 1814._
We occasionally see something on the stage that reminds us a little of
Shakespear. Miss O’Neill’s Juliet, if it does not correspond exactly
with our idea of the character, does not degrade it. We never saw
Garrick; and Mrs. Siddons was the only person who ever embodied our idea
of high tragedy. Her mind and person were both fitted for it. The effect
of her acting was greater than could be conceived before-hand. It
perfectly filled and overpowered the mind. The first time of seeing this
great artist was an epoch in every one’s life, and left impressions
which could never be forgotten. She appeared to belong to a superior
order of beings, to be surrounded with a personal awe, like some
prophetess of old, or Roman matron, the mother of Coriolanus or the
Gracchi. Her voice answered to her form, and her expression to both. Yet
she was a pantomime actress. Her common recitation was faulty. It was in
bursts of indignation, or grief, in sudden exclamations, in apostrophes
and inarticulate sounds, that she raised the soul of passion to its
height, or sunk it in despair.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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