A Short History of the English Drama

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Harcourt, Brace, 1921 - 260 páginas

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Página 181 - ... in which the virtues of private life are exhibited, rather than the vices exposed ; and the distresses rather than the faults of mankind make our interest in the piece.
Página 94 - But deeds and language such as men do use, And persons such as Comedy would choose, When she would show an image of the times. And sport with human follies, not with crimes; Except we make 'em such, by loving still Our popular errors, when we know they're ill.
Página 181 - But there is one argument in favour of sentimental comedy which will keep it on the stage, in spite of all that can be said against it. It is of all others the most easily written. Those abilities, that can hammer out a novel, are fully sufficient for the production of a sentimental comedy.
Página 68 - The best in this kind are but shadows ; and the worst are no worse, if imagination amend them.
Página 224 - Unpleasant. -The reason is pretty obvious ; their dramatic power is used to force the spectator to face unpleasant facts. No doubt all plays which deal sincerely with humanity must wound the monstrous conceit which it is the business of romance to flatter.
Página 181 - In these plays almost all the characters are good and exceedingly generous; they are lavish enough of their tin money on the stage; and though they want humor, have abundance of sentiment and feeling. If they happen to have faults or foibles, the spectator is taught not only to pardon but to applaud them, in consideration of the goodness of their hearts...
Página 106 - A tragi-comedy is not so called in respect of mirth and killing, but in respect it wants deaths, which is enough to make it no tragedy, yet brings some near it, which is enough to make it no comedy, which must be a representation of familiar people, with such kind of trouble as no life be questioned; so that a god is as lawful in this as in a tragedy, and mean people as in a comedy.
Página 30 - The people, moved with the cruelty of the fact, rose in rebellion, and slew both father and mother. The nobility assembled, and most terribly destroyed the rebels ; and afterwards, for want of issue of the prince, whereby the succession of the crown became uncertain, they fell to civil war...
Página 181 - ... consideration of the goodness of their hearts; so that folly, instead of being ridiculed, is commended, and the comedy aims at touching our passions without the power of being truly pathetic. In this manner we are likely to lose one great source of entertainment on the stage; for while the comic poet is invading the province of the tragic muse, he leaves her lovely sister quite neglected.
Página 84 - The cloud-capp'd towers, tlie gorgeous palaces, The solemn temples, the great globe itself, Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, Leave not a rack behind.

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