This is not profound criticism, to be sure, but it shows clearly that this litterateur in far-away Trondhjem had a definite, if not a very new and original, estimate of Shakespeare.  It is significant that there is no hint of apology, of that tone which is so common in Shakespearean criticism of the day—­Shakespeare was a great poet, but his genius was wild and untamed.  This unknown Norwegian, apparently, had been struck only by the verity of the scene, and in that simplicity showed himself a better critic of Shakespeare than many more famous men.  Whoever he was, his name is lost to us now.  He deserves better than to be forgotten, but it seems that he was forgotten very early.  Foersom refers to him casually, as we have seen, but Rahbek does not mention him.[1] Many years later Paul Botten Hansen, one of the best equipped bookmen that Norway has produced, wrote a brief review of Lembcke’s translation.  In the course of this he enumerates the Dano-Norwegian translations known to him.  There is not a word about his countryman in Trondhjem.[2]

    [1.  “Shakespeareana i Danmark”—­Dansk Minerva, 1816 (III)
    pp. 151 ff.]

    [2. Illustreret Nyhedsblad, 1865, pp. 96 ff.]

After this solitary landmark, a long time passed before we again find evidence of Shakespearean studies in Norway.  The isolated translation of Coriolanus from 1818 shows us that Shakespeare was read, carefully and critically read, but no one turned his attention to criticism or scholarly investigation.  Indeed, I have searched Norwegian periodical literature in vain for any allusion to Shakespeare between 1782 and 1827.  Finally, in the latter year Den Norske Husven adorns its title-page with a motto from Shakespeare. Christiania Aftenbladet for July 19, 1828, reprints Carl Bagger’s clever poem on Shakespeare’s reputed love-affair with “Fanny,” an adventure which got him into trouble and gave rise to the bon-mot, “William the Conqueror ruled before Richard III.”  The poem was reprinted from Kjoebenhavns Flyvende Post (1828); we shall speak of it again in connection with our study of Shakespeare in Denmark.

After this there is another break.  Not even a reference to Shakespeare occurs in the hundreds of periodicals I have examined, until the long silence is broken by a short, fourth-hand article on Shakespeare’s life in Skilling Magazinet for Sept. 23, 1843.  The same magazine gives a similar popular account in its issue for Sept. 4, 1844.  Indeed, several such articles and sketches may be found in popular periodicals of the years following.

In 1855, however, appeared Niels Hauge’s afore mentioned translation of Macbeth, and shortly afterward Professor Monrad, who, according to Hauge himself, had at least given him valuable counsel in his work, wrote a review in Nordisk Tidsskrift for Videnskab og Literatur.[3] Monrad was a pedant, stiff and inflexible, but he was a man of good sense, and when he was dealing with acknowledged masterpieces he could be depended upon to say the conventional things well.