nd animals. In Greek tragedy, Nature stepped into the background; metaphors, comparisons, and personifications are rarer; it was only by degrees, especially in Sophocles and Euripides, in the ch

tragedy, educated to the pathos of Seneca, only produced cold declamation, fro

id Calderon was the b

s not only the greatest dramatist of modern times as to human action, suff

, and, despite his mastery of language, he was free both from the exaggeration and redundance o

and comparisons shew this, and, most of all, the very perfect art with which he assigns Nature a part in the play, and make

ière po

s turning its attention to music, his mental accord produc

han to actual beauty, yet, like a great painter, he brings all Nature into sympathy with man. We feel the ghostly shudder of the November night in Hamlet, breathe the bracing Highla

ing the murder of Duncan, the wolf howls, the owl hoots, and the cricket cries. And since Shakespeare's characters often act out of part, so that intel

terrible occurrence men hide away in their hearts, is expressed; that which they carefully shut up and lock away in the

er of Nature; in one of his sonnets he compa

et 130

yes are nothin

more red than

e, why then her

s, black wires g

ses damask'd,

roses see I

rfumes is ther

th that from my

aven, I think

belied by f

rror in which the who

ou, mine eye i

the rudest or

favour or defor

r the sea, the

, it shapes them

net

im it seems winte

d his pleasure

, the very bi

net

ntrasts in Nature are often u

ovely dost thou

canker in the

beauty of th

ts dost thou t

net

n

ed at that which

rns and silver

ipses stain bo

canker lives i

net

ite sense i

t of beauty

ies in heaven'

e the sweetest

ntest a pure u

et 7

ient when the

burning head,

o his new-app

looks his s

net

re thee to a

lovely and m

shake the darli

ase hath all to

nal summer s

ssion of that

brag thou wander

l lines to tim

can breathe o

is, and this giv

net

s make toward th

nutes hasten

ace with that wh

il all forwar

net

ife thou mayst

aves, or none,

hs which shake

s, where late the

'st the twilig

nset fadeth

y black night

self, that seal

'st the glowin

shes of his y

bed whereon i

hat which it wa

st, which makes th

l which thou mus

and death, than the sere leaf trembling in the wind,

are original, and rather keen and lightning-like t

grows underne

nry

water where th

nry

ll before a bo

hard

ed up, like Calderon's,

hadow, short

ightning in th

n unfolds both

hath power t

darkness do

er Night

on; in place of the naive simplicity and naturalness of antiquity, this modern geni

eaf as the sea,'

as unsun

re. These are char

rd doth hi

blushing dis

fiery porta

es the envious

ory and to st

t passage to

hard

e fair crysta

m the clouds t

olden sun sal

lt the ocean w

diac in his gl

the highest

Tam

Andro

rld is cheere

; it is my d

hard

ss the golden

morning drops

, when their fre

w that on my ch

silver moon one

ansparent boso

through tears o

n every tear t

Labour

much richer in individuality than the most fam

stream a

seasonable

silver rivers dr

d were all dis

his limits s

broke. (R

at with gentle

ng stopped, impat

fair course i

music with the

ntle kiss t

eth on his

ny winding n

sport to th

nder not my course. (T

time showers comes

t that makes sma

Edward but a

nry

reason for t

mits could I

weep, doth not th

age, doth not

welkin with hi

have a reason

hark, how her

eping welkin,

sea be moved

arth with her

ge, overflow'

Andro

res like to th

ds contend with

shepherd blowi

ll it perfect

this way, lik

tide to combat

at way, like th

tire by fury

ood prevails an

better, then

be victors, br

conqueror no

al poise of t

nry

e epic treatment and the per

nimal life are for

r, stricken by

ie here! (J

III. i

bloody and

summer fields an

blood like wash a

ll'd bosoms; t

in the centr

hath seized th

hard

st objects

nton boys are

or their sport

y lord, I have

that fly had a f

ang his slende

enting doing

armles

is pretty bu

make us mer

kill'

Andro

miniature painting, for which all the li

ra s

n, wherefore l

g doth make a

ant melody o

rolled in the

s quiver with t

quer'd shadow

Andro

in Two Gentl

desert, unfre

than flourishin

it alone, un

htingale's com

resses and r

legiac sentimen

he worsh

e golden window

ng hath he t

enting the fres

n idyllic traits; the artificiality of court life is contrasted with

e greenw

s to lie

e his m

sweet bir

come hither

shall

e

r and rou

ou Li

w, thou w

t not s

s ingra

h is not

thou art

hy breat

heigh-ho unto t

feigning, most lo

ou Li

parisons, we find bi

t the eagle s

nd buzzards p

hard

ft and flies wit

hard

that the creep

ted choughs,

awing at the

ves and madly

ght away his

er Night

s touched with s

nders had wet

bedashed

hard

ranches when t

the leaves that

hard

e four red ros

summer beauty k

hard

tende

owers, new ap

hard

me

o secret and

bit with an

ad his sweet le

his beauty

st and most fragile things, and found the most poetic exp

flower of all the field.

d the triflin

shion and a

the youth of

ermanent, swe

nd suppliance

ls the infants

their buttons

rn and liquid

astments are

mle

solil

ale, flat, an

ll the uses o

ie! 'tis an u

d; things rank an

s it m

ory, this most excellent canopy the air, look you--this brave o'erhanging firmament, this majestical roof fre

n far more in the sympathetic way in which

ny between human fate and th

iet's brief dream, when all Nature, moon, st

melancholy,

y is only night without sleep, and the tragedy holds us impriso

o'er Nature in Macbeth! A

her, like towering storm clouds, hither and thither; it is black oppressive Nature with

sions. Personification of Nature lies at the root of it, and to examine this in the different p

m mythical to purely poetic personification, increasing in individuality in the Hellenic period; but Shakespeare opened up

e sa

conspire together and keep faith to destroy the Argive army; it is individual to call sea and wind old wranglers who enter into a momentary armistice. Other personifications of Shakespeare's, as when h

nt, the more individual his feeli

ors, new points of resemblance between the inner and outer wor

n the gay spring time and his own unhappy heart in which Eros raged like 'the Thracian blast.' Theocritus had painted the pretty shepherdess drawing all Nature under the spell of her charm

speare's trea

inter hath m

pleasure of the

ave I felt, what

mber's barene

ime removed wa

umn, big with r

his pleasures

y the very b

ng, 'tis with

pale, dreading

net

I been absent

April dress'd

irit of youth

rn laugh'd and

s of birds nor

flowers in od

any summer's

it winter

net

s in Theocritus sole witnesse

irdie who ne

i

ined violets

, nor know not

and A

and hands to lilies, are common with t

violet thus

didst thou steal t

m my love'

condemned f

arjoram had s

rfully on tho

ame, another wh

noted, yet I

olour it had s

net

e personificati

lorious morni

ntain tops with

olden face the

treams with he

the basest c

ck on his ce

orlorn world h

n to West with

n one early m

mphant splend

k! he was but

d hath mask'd h

is my love no

may stain when hea

ht in Venus

d's comforter

task hath ende

herald, shrieks

one to fold, bi

louds, that shad

to part and b

ning, in Rom

rn smiles on the

stern clouds with

rkness like a

s path and Tita

sun advance h

, and night's da

sonification was not found again

y rich in desc

n hath made

ight track of

of a goodly

rshipp

he golden wind

l-chee

farthest Eas

rtains from

mo

o a si

nt in

nia

d thee in

odbine the swe

ist; the fe

barky finger

I love

, which somet

l, like round an

in the pretty

e t

er Night

fod

re the swallow

of March w

er's

pri

rried, ere th

ebus in hi

er's

waves lovers. In Troilu

being

low bauble bo

ent breast, m

se of no

ruffian Bore

Thetis, and

bark through liq

tween two m

erseus

on in the

f the sea! sh

on in t

bounde

r bosoms higher

f the river in Henry

gentle Sever

pposition,

nd the best p

rdiment with g

eath'd, and three t

t, of swift S

ghted with thei

among the tr

isp head in th

with these val

personification from A

at in, like a b

ater; the poop

ils, and so p

esick with them; t

e of flutes kept

h they beat to

s of thei

on'd in the marke

he air, which

gaze on Cl

a gap i

) personifications, it is of more interest to see how Shakespeare used Nature, not only as background an

of Act III. in Ki

e beside f

ded like the weath

here's

ng with the fr

blow the earth

urled waters '

change or cease; t

tuous blasts w

r fury and ma

little world of

o conflicting

own feelings in the elements; his daughters' ingratitude, hardness, and cruel

crack your che

ts and hurr

ch'd our steeples,

and thought-e

of oak-cleaving

ad! And thou, all

thick rotundit

oulds, all germe

ungratef

lyful! Spit fi

thunder, fire

you elements, w

u kingdom, call

subscription;

easure; here I s

, weak, and de

ll you servi

two perniciou

nder'd battles

te as this. O!

makes the storm, rain, thunder, and lightning live, and at the same time endues his human figures with a streng

upon the fo

low seems to pe

like moles

enchafe

ruly elements s

ves, high seas a

rocks and con

p'd to clog the

ense of bea

atures, lettin

ine Des

ntention of the sea and skies'; but w

soul'

y tempest com

ow till they hav

ouring bark cli

h, and duck

heaven. If it w

w to be m

ements to witness

ever-burning

that clip u

t here Iago

of his wit,

d Othello

usted at Othel

nose at it, and

d, that kisse

hin the hollo

l not h

mental confu

table, O h

hould be now

, and that the

awn at a

Desdemon

at sighing by a

a green

r bosom, her h

ow, willo

ran by her and m

ow, willo

ntains a beautiful per

e lark at heav

bus 'gin

o water at t

d flowers

ng Mary-b

heir gol

thing that

sweet,

e! A

ion of sympathy for

ature shudders before the crime, a

himsel

hide yo

see my black a

at the hand;

ears, when it i

ady M

ven himsel

he fatal entr

ements.... Com

in the dunnest

ife see not the

through the bl

'Hold!

spectingly, is in most striking contrast to the fa

ath a pleasan

weetly recom

r gentl

Ba

est of

unting martle

sonry, that the

ly here; no j

coign of vanta

endent bed and

breed and haun

r is d

iscrimination; and at this point of the tale of horror it has t

describes his own h

the one h

.... Thou sure an

s, which way the

es prate of m

acbeth

that shriek'd,

the stern'st

cribes th

been unruly:

re blown down;

i' the air; stran

ng, with acce

stion and con

he woeful time:

ve-long night: s

ish and d

on, an old

nd ten I can

ume of which t

things strange; b

led forme

answer

ood f

eavens, as troubl

ody stage; by th

ht strangles the

redominance or

does the-face

light shou

attributes its own feelings to her--a human shudder in presence of the w

seelin

tender eye of

bloody and

ar to pieces

keeps

ature is shocked

an act (t

e grace and b

n's face

lidity and c

visage, as aga

t-sick at

s in this most wonderful of all tra

dawn, in russe

dew of yon hi

t player

ten see, agai

e heavens, the

speechless, a

h as d

lia

weedy trophi

the weep

rtes co

i' the

fair and un

olets

ined the right background for his dramas, not only through choice of scenery, but by making Na

hat poetic intuition which is so closely allied to mythology. And this holds good not only in dealing with the great elementary forces--storms, thunder, lightning, etc.-

Nature became symp