In our day, the tragic powers, which Edmund Kean so eminently possessed, led him to pourtray the tyrant Richard, in a manner, very different from that, which influenced the acting of Garrick, Cooke, and Kemble;-the scene between Richard and Anne, was, by these actors, always exhibited, so as to excite in their audience, ridicule and laughter, as it was imagined, that Richard, with all his deformity, both of mind and body, making love to a woman, whose husband he had murdered, was perfectly incongruous :- Shakspere was blamed for drawing a scene, not in unison with nature;-Kean showed, however, that it was identified with truth, for in his approach to Lady Anne, his voice assumed all the tone and melody of love, and with the flattery which is used, the unhappy Anne, falls into the snare, laid for her, by the heartless and deep designing Richard. Shakspere knew that, Flattery is the key which opes the wicket of the female heart," and the fine acting of Kean, rendered a scene, which before his time, was deemed unnatural, congenial to the probabilities of human life, and consistent with all the rules of dramatic art.

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The first act of the Tempest, embodies much of the design of Prospero ;-his chief object, being the marriage of his daughter Miranda, with young Ferdinand, and to secure this point, he instructs his spirit Ariel, to conduct Ferdinand to the sight of Miranda, and dispose his mind to the influence of love, while Prospero, prepares his daughter, to

be impressed with the same sentiments. Ariel takes the opportunity of conveying to Ferdinand, in a song accompanied with sweet music, the news of his father's death, as it was necessary, the young couple, should be betrothed, before the knowledge of it came to Alonzo, for engaging Ferdinand, without the consent of his father, would have rendered the designs of Prospero more difficult; we have, therefore, a very interesting scene where Miranda discovers Ferdinand, whom she supposes a spirit, but Prospero informs her,

This gallant, which thou see'st,

Was in the wreck; and, but his something stain'd

With grief, (that's beauty's canker), thou might'st call him A goodly person; he hath lost his fellows,

And strays about to find them.

The interview, between Ferdinand and Miranda is beautifully drawn, and displays great power in Shakspere's knowledge of human nature:-Miranda's affections are soon won,-Ferdinand communicates his birth, and quality, but not before Prospero shows to the lover of Miranda, some rough usage, lest he should think his prize too lightly gained-accordingly, in an after part of the play, we find Ferdinand employed in the piling of logs, the labor of which, seems to distract the tender feelings of Miranda :-Prospero being in the distance, Ferdinand breathes to her "his soul in love," while she, with all the simplicity of a child of nature, ingeniously proffers herself, as the wife of her beloved Ferdinand, and in this ex

change of sentiment, we have one of those fine and exquisite touches of nature, as Stevens very justly remarks, which distinguishes Shakspere, from all other writers, when Miranda says,

I am a fool!

To weep at what I am glad of.

she being unconscious, that the excess of joy, and the extremity of grief, not unfrequently bring relief by a flood of tears.

In the first scene of the second act, we meet with Alonzo, Sebastian, Anthonio, Gonzalo, and others, contemplating their unhappy fate, and pondering over the dangers they have encountered;-Gonzalo makes some interesting remarks, whilst Alonzo regrets his voyage to Tunis, which was, for the object of marrying his daughter Claribel, to an African Prince; he bewails the loss of his son Ferdinand, whom he supposes drowned, and amidst the desolation around them, Gonzalo offers some curious views, upon the form of government, which he would adopt, were he to have the sovereignty of the island.

I' th' commonwealth, I would by contraries
Execute all things; for no kind of traffick
Would I admit; no name of magistrate;
Letters should not be known; wealth, poverty,
And use of service, none; contract, succession,
Bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, olives, none;

No use of metal, corn, or wine, or oil;

No occupation; all men idle, all,
And women too, but innocent and pure-
No sovereignty.

All things in common should produce
Without sweat or endeavor; treason, felony,

Sword, pike, knife, gun, or need of any engine
Would I not have; but nature should bring forth,
Of its own kind, all foyzon, all abundance,

To feed my innocent people.

These observations of the old councillor, as it has been justly observed by Dr. Warburton, have evidently been introduced by Shakspere, as a satire, upon the Utopian treatises of government, though among the ancient Spartans, efforts were made to reduce human society, to a state, approaching to the simplicity, which is here alluded to-hence it is, that these philosophers and law-givers, Minos, Plato, and Lycurgus, have been by the admirers of such a system, ranked amongst its adherents:in modern times, those illustrious men, Sir Thomas More, Rousseau, Montesquieu, and Mably, are likewise named among its supporters, and who, in their speculations on governments, affecting human happiness, have argued ingeniously, in behalf of this social condition of mankind, uncongenial, however, as it appears with the habits and feelings of our nature. (°)

Amidst the many pleasing, and agreeable events of this play, the scene before us, however, gives a sad picture, and a woful specimen, of the degradation which we not unfrequently meet with, in the records of human action; Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, a noble and generous character, devoting himself to the study of those

pursuits, which would have tended to promote knowledge amongst his people, is pounced upon, by his brother Anthonio, aided by Alonzo, King of Naples, and under the most profound confidence, which the generous Prospero reposed in them, he, with his daughter, a child at this period, of the tender age of three years, are seized, put into a boat, so crazy in its condition, without sails, or masts,―so rotten, that,

"The very rats instinctively had quit it,"

and there, some leagues at sea, left to the mercy of the wild and tempestuous ocean. This conspiracy, diabolical as it appears, is perfectly in accordance with the treachery, that is exhibited in the scene, about to be described, the passage in the commencement of which, having formed the source of the foregoing observations.

We left the good Gonzalo, speculating upon the form of government, which he wished to adopt in the island, but these speculations, had of course no effect, upon the party, to whom they were addressed; the mild and gentle Ariel, appears at this juncture, playing solemn music: Gonzalo falls into a heavy sleep, and Alonzo feeling himself overcome, gives way also to excessive drowsi

but not till he receives the assurance of Anthonio and Sebastian, that they will be his guard, and save him from all harm. The base Sebastian and Anthonio, taking advantage of this occurrence, enter into a plot, to murder Alonzo,