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Article STRICTURES ON PUBLIC AMUSEMENTS. ← Page 3 of 3
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Strictures On Public Amusements.
and at length the husband , of Penruddock's mistress . Twenty years had ireillies . effaced the memory of the wrong , nor destroyed his original affection from the breast of Penruddock . To gratify his revenge , therefore , he returns into society , and after many intermediate circumstances of uncommon interest , which we will not relate , he consents to forget his injuries , resumes his natural benevolence , and completes the happiness of a party he had at first designed to ruin . There is an under plot interwoven with great ingenuity , which consists of the family of the Tempests ; it connects very well with the main subject , and takes
little or nothing away from "" the simplicity or perfection of the drama . Mr . CUMBERLAND is the author of this Coiiiedy ; and it-does infinite credit to his GENIUS , his JUDGMENT , and his TASTE . The stile of the composition comes nearest the Je-jj , but , in our opinion , tin . comparison between that comedy and the present is infinitely to-the disadvantage of the former . Penruddock , like Sheva , is the hero of the piece , to which everything else is made exactly subservient , and which embraces the whole subject , directs all the business , puts in motion all the agents , and excites ail the interest ;
it is , in short , the central point , which attracts or impels , as suits best , ihe purposes it designs to fulfil . We know not whether the author has borrotoed the plan for this character , or laid it out himself ; if an IMITATION , there has been exquisite skill in the conveyance ; if an ORIGINAL , no commendation can be too great . Let either be the case , it is a fine bold character , full of strength and energy , designed with amazing ingenuity , pursued with unabating vigour , and wmpleted with masterly effect . If CUMBERLAND should write no more , he will have ended his labours with the same spirit he began them ; let there be . no more idle nonsense about the infirmity of his genius , or the imbecility of his faculties ; the character of Penruddock will
completely refute all general objections that may be made against him on this score . It were impossible to give the reader any just notion of the part : —benevolent , misanthropic , sententious , contemplative ; now , thirsting for immediate revenge ; then , apostrophizing the long-lost object of his affection . Subdued by the SOFT , and agonized by the FIERCER passions ; at one time tender , at another unrelenting , just as the presiding disposition directs . The whole ishoweverso finely implicatedand the interest so forcibly applied ,
, , , that we do nni i' - 'itate to say , -it deserves to be ranked " --. h th' * most admired instances- ^ f finished and impi . .. _ .- e M . » ransr * -. ' There is nothing very striking ' m ' any of the other personages ; Governor Tempest has the impatient good humour of Sir Anthony Absolute . Timothy Weazle is a pert attorney , with more , than the usual quantum of professional sincerity . Sydenham is a blunt sentimental man , who does not confine his good intentions merely to theory . Sir David Daw is a Monmouthshire baronet , who has more ' money thar > wit , and more impudence than good maimers . We should imagine
the author meant here some character in life . We do not , however , feel the force of the satire . If a draughtfrom / micy , the humour does not teil ; if modelled from nature , the irony is incomplete . The ladies are purely sentimental , without a taint of frailty—angels upon earth . In life we have none cf these perfect beings ; of cdin'se there should be none upon the stage . The custom of dramatizing novels introduced fin ' s absurdity . It may be an EPIC beauty , but it is certainly a DRAMATIC defect . ' The language is beautiful throughout ; the sentiments are not trite ; there is much solid remark , and some useful information ; the progress of the scene ii simple and interesting , and the mora ) unexceptionable .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Strictures On Public Amusements.
and at length the husband , of Penruddock's mistress . Twenty years had ireillies . effaced the memory of the wrong , nor destroyed his original affection from the breast of Penruddock . To gratify his revenge , therefore , he returns into society , and after many intermediate circumstances of uncommon interest , which we will not relate , he consents to forget his injuries , resumes his natural benevolence , and completes the happiness of a party he had at first designed to ruin . There is an under plot interwoven with great ingenuity , which consists of the family of the Tempests ; it connects very well with the main subject , and takes
little or nothing away from "" the simplicity or perfection of the drama . Mr . CUMBERLAND is the author of this Coiiiedy ; and it-does infinite credit to his GENIUS , his JUDGMENT , and his TASTE . The stile of the composition comes nearest the Je-jj , but , in our opinion , tin . comparison between that comedy and the present is infinitely to-the disadvantage of the former . Penruddock , like Sheva , is the hero of the piece , to which everything else is made exactly subservient , and which embraces the whole subject , directs all the business , puts in motion all the agents , and excites ail the interest ;
it is , in short , the central point , which attracts or impels , as suits best , ihe purposes it designs to fulfil . We know not whether the author has borrotoed the plan for this character , or laid it out himself ; if an IMITATION , there has been exquisite skill in the conveyance ; if an ORIGINAL , no commendation can be too great . Let either be the case , it is a fine bold character , full of strength and energy , designed with amazing ingenuity , pursued with unabating vigour , and wmpleted with masterly effect . If CUMBERLAND should write no more , he will have ended his labours with the same spirit he began them ; let there be . no more idle nonsense about the infirmity of his genius , or the imbecility of his faculties ; the character of Penruddock will
completely refute all general objections that may be made against him on this score . It were impossible to give the reader any just notion of the part : —benevolent , misanthropic , sententious , contemplative ; now , thirsting for immediate revenge ; then , apostrophizing the long-lost object of his affection . Subdued by the SOFT , and agonized by the FIERCER passions ; at one time tender , at another unrelenting , just as the presiding disposition directs . The whole ishoweverso finely implicatedand the interest so forcibly applied ,
, , , that we do nni i' - 'itate to say , -it deserves to be ranked " --. h th' * most admired instances- ^ f finished and impi . .. _ .- e M . » ransr * -. ' There is nothing very striking ' m ' any of the other personages ; Governor Tempest has the impatient good humour of Sir Anthony Absolute . Timothy Weazle is a pert attorney , with more , than the usual quantum of professional sincerity . Sydenham is a blunt sentimental man , who does not confine his good intentions merely to theory . Sir David Daw is a Monmouthshire baronet , who has more ' money thar > wit , and more impudence than good maimers . We should imagine
the author meant here some character in life . We do not , however , feel the force of the satire . If a draughtfrom / micy , the humour does not teil ; if modelled from nature , the irony is incomplete . The ladies are purely sentimental , without a taint of frailty—angels upon earth . In life we have none cf these perfect beings ; of cdin'se there should be none upon the stage . The custom of dramatizing novels introduced fin ' s absurdity . It may be an EPIC beauty , but it is certainly a DRAMATIC defect . ' The language is beautiful throughout ; the sentiments are not trite ; there is much solid remark , and some useful information ; the progress of the scene ii simple and interesting , and the mora ) unexceptionable .