Thou art inclin'd to sleep; 'tis a good dulness, And give it way; I know thou can'st not choose. [Miranda sleeps. Act 1. Sc. 2. THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA : A COMEDY, BY WILLIAM SHAKSPEARE. SEVERAL indications, both in the historical allusions and style of this play, are supposed to prove it one of the author's earliest productions; if not, as Malone conjectures, his very first, written in 1595. Of the former marks, is that passage descriptive of the employment of young men of rank at the period, in the 3rd Scene of the 1st Act ; "Some to the wars, to seek their fortunes there; Some to discover islands far away:" which have been referred to the military preparations against the Spaniards, and for the assistance of Henry IV. of France, at the time above-mentioned; and to Sir Walter Raleigh's voyage to the Island of Trinidado, and up the River Oronooko, to discover Guiana, in 1595, or to Sir Humphrey Gilbert's expedition of the preceding year. Speed, also, in enumerating the symptoms of love, Act ii. Scene 1, mentions "to walk alone, like one that had the pestilence;" which has been considered an allusion to the plague of 1593, when nearly 11,000 persons died near London. Most of the original materials of the story seem likewise to point to the same period, as an imitation of a passage in the old play of King John, 1591, 4to.; the incident of Valentine joining the robbers, probably taken from that of Pyrocles and the Helots, in Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia, published in 1590; some allusions to Marlow's poem of Hero and Leander, entered at Stationers' Hall in 1593; and the story of Proteus and Julia, which has been compared to one in George of Montemayor's Diana, also translated in the time of Shakspeare. The style of this piece is considered to be less figurative and more natural than any of the author's dramas; which, with it's abrupt conclusion, has been considered a proof of it's early composition. Sir Thomas Hanmer, Upton, &c. have doubted if Shakspeare did more than supply some speeches and lines, but Dr. Johnson found his sentiments and language in both the serious and comic parts; and few plays, he adds, "have more lines and passages, which, singly considered, are eminently beautiful." There is no edition of this Comedy earlier than that of 1623, though it is mentioned by Francis Meres in his Wits' Treasury, 1598. It was produced at Drury-Lane, in 1763, with alterations and additions by Benjamin Victor, but performed five nights only; was again adapted to the modern stage by J. P. Kemble, at Covent-Garden, April 21st, 1808; and on November 29th, 1821, was again revived with great splendour of scenery, and an introduced Masque and Songs, selected from Shakspeare's Poems and Plays. Speed. Item, She brews good ale. Launce. And thereof comes the proverb,-Blessing of your heart! you brew good ale. Act 3. Sc. 1. THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR: A COMEDY, BY WILLIAM SHAKSPEARE. THE events of this play are certainly supposed to take place between the First and Second parts of Henry IV., whilst Falstaff is yet in favour at Court; and in some credit for Prince Henry's report of his services at Shrewsbury, on which "warlike, courtlike, and learned, preparations," he is complimented by Ford. Dennis, on the information of Dryden derived from Davenant, and thence from the author himself, states that the drama was written by command of Queen Elizabeth, to continue the character of Falstaff, and exhibit him in love: a passion, however, which Shakspeare protected from so vile a habitation, and substituted avarice in it's stead. It is also recorded, that the Queen was so desirous of seeing the Comedy acted, that she ordered it to be finished in fourteen days; and was very well pleased with the representation. The time when this was done, is believed to be in 1600 or 1601, the play being entered on the books of Stationers' Hall, January 13th in the latter year. There was, however, no perfect and entire edition of it until the folio of 1623; the quartos of 1602 and 1619 having possibly been printed from a corrupt copy, surreptitiously procured, as they contain many profane and gross expressions, afterwards omitted, and many chasms occur in the dialogue. A few incidents in this Comedy were perhaps taken from an old translation of the Dunce, or Il Pecorone, of Giovanni Fiorentino; and the same are to be met with in the Fortunate, the Deceived, and the Unfortunate, Lovers. The adventures of Falstaff appear to have been taken from The Lovers of Pisa, a story in Tarleton's Newes out of Purgatorie, black-letter, 4to., no date, but entered on the Stationers' books in 1590: and the character of Justice Shallow is generally received and well known as a satire upon Sir Thomas Lucy. The most remarkable feature of this drama, is the number, variety, and discrimination, of the characters; but the action is often broken and not naturally successive, yet the whole is full of wit, and in the highest degree entertaining. The scene is laid in Windsor and the adjacent parts, and the action is supposed to extend from the dinner at Page's house, about twelve at noon, to midnight on the third day after. This drama was adapted to the modern stage by J. P. Kemble, and produced by him at Drury-Lane, November 9th, 1797, and at Covent-Garden, April 18th, 1804: and, February 20th, 1824, it was again brought out at Drury-Lane as a Musical Play, by the addition of songs taken from the author's own works, with original and selected music by H. R. Bishop. The Merry Wives of Windsor. Mrs. Page. Come, mother Prat, come; give me your hand. Ford. I'll prat her: out of my door, you witch!-[beats him.] you rag, you baggage, you polecat, you ronyon! out! out! I'll conjure you, I'll fortune-tell you. Act 4. Sc. 2. Ford. There is money; spend it, spend it; spend more; spend all I have; only give me so much of your time in exchange of it, as to lay an amiable siege to the honesty of this Ford's wife: use your art of wooing, win her to consent to you; if any man may, you may as soon as any. Act 2. Sc. 2. |