Calderon, His Life and Genius: With Specimens of His PlaysRedfield, 1856 - 233 pages |
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Common terms and phrases
admiration altogether appear ARSENE HOUSSAYE assonants Astolfo Author autos BEAUTY BEGGAR behold bestow Blackwood's Magazine blank verse Calderon Calderon's plays century Christian church CLARIN CLOTALDO cloth comedy court death DISCRETION divine dost doth Edition England English Enter Estrella flowers genius give glory Goethe grace hand Heaven History honor HUSBANDMAN king language leave LIFE'S A DREAM literature Lope de Vega Lord Madrid matter Mayor of Zalamea merely monarch moral mourn mysteries never noble Philip Philip IV poct Poems poet poetical poetry pomp Portrait praise present Price $1 Price 75 cents pride prince Pues reader religious rhyme RICH Roman Rosaura scene Schlegel SECOND SERVANT Shakespeare Siege of Breda SIGISMUND sometimes soul Spain stars theatre thee thine thing thou tion Tirso de Molina tomb translation trochaic true truth unto utterance verse vowels waken wholly words WORLD
Popular passages
Page 101 - Tis true that, where ever I have liked any story in a romance, novel, or foreign play, I have made no difficulty, nor ever shall, to take the foundation of it, to build it up, and to make it proper for the English stage. And I will be so vain to say it has lost nothing in my hands...
Page 112 - The law that rules his else eccentric action. So he that's in himself insensible Of love's sweet influence, misjudges him Who moves according to love's melody : And knowing not that all these sighs and tears, Ejaculations, and impatiences, Are necessary changes of a measure, Which the divine musician plays, may call The lover crazy; which he would not do Did he within his own heart hear the tune Play'd by the great musician of the world.
Page 112 - He who far off beholds another dancing, Even one who dances best, and all the time Hears not the music that he dances to, Thinks him a madman, apprehending not The law that rules his else eccentric action. So he that's in himself insensible Of love's sweet influence, misjudges him Who moves according to love's melody : And knowing not that all these sighs and tears, Ejaculations, and impatiences, Are necessary changes of a measure, Which the divine musician plays...
Page 154 - And the rich man dreams no less 'Mid his wealth which brings more cares, And the poor man dreams he bears All his want and wretchedness ; Dreams, whom anxious thoughts oppress, Dreams, who for high place contends, Dreams, who injures and offends ; And though none are rightly ware, All are dreaming that they are In this life, until death ends. I am dreaming I lie here, Laden with this fetter's weight, And I dreamed that I of late Did in fairer sort appear. What is life ? a frenzy mere ; What is life...
Page 99 - Germany during the second half of the sixteenth and the first half of the seventeenth century if she did not actually begin, at any rate she encouraged and actively aided, the religious wars.
Page 34 - PLAYS.) rPHEY convey altogether a wrong impression -*- of Calderon, who, willing to exalt and glorify him the more, isolate him wholly from his age, who pass over all its other worthies to magnify him only, presenting him to us not as one, the brightest indeed in a galaxy of lights, but as the sole particular star in the firmament of Spanish dramatic art. Those who derive their impression from the Schlegels, especially from Augustus, would conclude him to stand thus alone; — to stand, if one might...
Page 103 - Greek plays, and some of the ideal dramas of Calderon (with which I have lately, and with inexpressible wonder and delight, become acquainted) are perpetually tempting me to throw over their perfect and glowing forms the grey veil of my own words.
Page 13 - ... the national heart and will, accepting no laws from without, but only those which it has imposed on itself, as laws of its true liberty, and not of bondage. The Roman drama and the French are avowedly imitations ; nor can all the vigour and even originality in detail, which the former displays, vindicate for it an independent position : much less can the latter, which, at least in the nobler region of tragedy, is altogether an artificial production, claim this ; indeed it does not seek to do...
Page 124 - To the nest it hastes to quit, But with more of soul than it, I am grudged its liberty. And the beast was born, whose skin Scarce those beauteous spots and bars, Like to constellated stars, Doth from its great Painter win, Ere the instinct doth begin Of its fierceness and its pride, And its lair on every side It has measured far and nigh, While with better instinct I Am its liberty denied. Born the mute fish was also, Child of ooze and ocean weed ; Scarce a finny bark of speed To the surface brought,...
Page 153 - In a world of wonder thrown, Where to live and dream are one. For experience tells me this, Each is dreaming what he is, Till the time his dream is done. The king dreams himself a king, And in this conceit 'he lives, Lords it, high commandment gives, Till his lent applause takes wing, Death on light winds scattering, Or converting (oh sad fate !) Into ashes all his state : How can men so lust to reign, When to waken, them again From their false dream death doth wait ? And the rich man dreams no less...