shakspeare's writings. 257 



power of conception and the susceptibility of impress- 

 ion. The one enables us to feel with Othello ; the 

 other to feel for Lear. The former is more easily 

 acted ; the latter, perhaps, as easily to be understood 

 by the spectator, when acted. In the case of Othello, 

 we imbibe a feelino: : in that of Lear we sustain a 

 shock. We participate in the cause of the one : we 

 shudder under the effect of the other. In the first 

 instance we are tossed upon the ocean : in the second 

 we are fixed in the midst : — while our attention is 

 given to Othello we roll with him over the billows 

 of passion. In the case of King Lear we experience 

 not ourselves the upheaving power of the waves ; but 

 we quiver under their concussion, and are stunned 

 by their roar ! Of course, I am speaking of young 

 people in particular. Such as live to have grey 

 beards and undutiful daughters, of course feel the 

 more with King Lear : but Shakspeare's life, alas ! 

 did not reach the day of silver locks ; nor was he 

 otherwise capacitated, by personal experience, to 

 write the tragedy. Of his two daughters, one was 

 more favored than the other ; but we do not hear 

 that he ill used the most deserving, or that the most 

 favored ill used him. In short, if ever a piece of 

 profane writing bore marks of inspiration, the cha- 

 racter of Lear may be said to exhibit them. Some 

 of the impassioned bursts are so Hghtning-like in 

 their intensity and nimbleness, that we only wonder 

 how the pen can have followed thought, or how the 

 hand could have been engaged while the heart was 

 in such a state of agitation. It is not, as if Shaks- 

 peare had composed King Lear for enactment by 

 others ; but rather, as if it had been an extempo- 

 raneous performance, secured to us by the short- 

 hand writer. Or, we may imagine him under the 

 influence of a mighty dream loudly uttering the 

 emotions under which his deluded senses are labour- 

 ing, and finally awaking from a consummation of 

 distress and horror, panting with agitation yet pale 

 with exhaustion, and inexpressibly relieved at finding 

 VOL. IV. — 1834. II 



