Some Account of the English Stage/Volume 2/Jew of Venice
Jew of Venice, altered from Shakspeare’s Merchant of Venice by Granville. Bassanio＝Betterton: Shylock＝Dogget: Antonio＝Verbruggen: Gratiano＝Booth: Lorenzo＝Baily: Duke of Venice＝Harris: Portia＝Mrs. Bracegirdle: Nerissa＝Mrs. Bowman: Jessica＝Mrs. Porter.
Act 1st—the first scene is greatly curtailed and altered for the worse—the scene between Portia and Nerissa is likewise badly altered—one of Granville’s elegant additions deserves to be quoted—Portia says if she should be forced to marry the Dutchman she should become “La Signora Gutts! oh hideous! what a sound will that be in the mouth of an Italian?”—when Shylock enters the scene is not materially altered.
Act 2d—the characters of Launcelot and Gobbo are totally omitted—the act begins with Shylock’s telling Jessica that he is invited out to supper—Jessica elopes with Lorenzo—then comes an Entertainment at Bassanio’s—the Masque of Peleus and Thetis is introduced, by way of bribing the audience, and making Shakspeare go down more palatably—this scene of course is Granville’s, except that he makes Bassanio speak what Lorenzo says about Music in the 5th act of the original—Dr. Johnson says, the Masque has here and there a pretty line, but it is not always melodious, and the conclusion is wretched.
Act 3d begins with the Casket scene—some lines are judiciously inserted from what the Prince of Arragon says in the original—Portia’s speech, after Bassanio has chosen the right casket, is sadly mutilated—some poor lines are added to the part of Gratiano—Antonio’s letter is not read—after Bassanio goes out, Portia speaks a part of what Shakspeare has given her in a subsequent scene—and the rest is omitted—then follows a short scene of about a page and half between Shylock, Antonio, and the Jailer—Shylock speaks the most striking parts of what he says in the original to Salario and Tubal, but the whole is huddled together—Tubal is omitted and of course Shylock’s transitions from grief to joy at Tubal’s news—this part of Granville’s alteration is disgracefully bad—his object evidently was to exalt the character of Bassanio as much as possible and to depress that of Shylock.
Act 4th is not materially altered—but some lines are most injudiciously omitted—Bassanio speaks part of what belongs to Gratiano—he offers Shylock the whole of his own body instead of the single pound of flesh due from Antonio—and, lastly, draws his sword (a likely circumstance in a Court of Justice) to defend his friend.
Act 5th is not very different from the original, but there is a contemptible speech of 15 lines about Magic given to Bassanio—on the whole this is a very bad alteration—it must however be allowed that Granville has not used Shakspeare so ill as some others have done——at the end of the 3d act he makes Shylock say to Antonio—“But thou art caught and thou shalt pay the whole thief’s bill”—these and some few more expressions unsuitable to the part are thrown into it—which occasioned Rowe to say in his account of Shakspeare “though we have seen the Merchant of Venice received and acted as a Comedy, and Shylock acted by an excellent Comedian, yet I cannot but think that the character was tragically designed by the author”——this is so plain, that it is strange that Granville should not see it—or that seeing it, he should presume to alter it—Dogget we may be sure acted Shylock without buffoonery—Downes speaks of it as one of his best characters.
The Prologue was spoken by the Ghosts of Dryden and Shakspeare—a good thought if it had been properly pursued.
Dryden says that the generality of people
“Our scenes desert, some wretched Farce to see,
They know not nature, for they taste not thee.”
Shakspeare is made to say—
“These scenes in their rough native dress were mine,
But now improv’d, with nobler lustre shine;
The first rude sketches Shakspeare’s pencil drew,
But all the shining master-strokes are new.
This play ye Critics shall your fury stand,
Adorn’d and rescu’d by a faultless hand.”
Dryden concludes with—
“Be to my ashes kind,
Indulge the pledges I have left behind.”
Granville, much to his credit, gave the profits of this play to Dryden’s son—to which circumstance the last line alludes—Higgons wrote this Prologue, but Granville must have been the vainest of mortals to have suffered it to have been spoken—The Epilogue says—
“Each in his turn the Poet and the Priest
Have view’d the Stage, but like false Prophets guess’d:
The man of zeal in his religious rage
Would silence Poets and reduce the stage.
The Poet rashly, to get clear, retorts
On Kings the scandal, and bespatters Courts.”
The Priest is of course Collier—the Poet, Dryden, whom Granville here means to censure for having in his Epilogue to the Pilgrim exposed the Mysteries of the Court to the view of the profane—
Aula locus sacer est—extra meite.