New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-04-03
MR.. EDHIN FORREST AS MACBETH.

Macbeth is tale Of wchcrsft. That religious en-
tbusiasm which with solitary fire. lii up the Eleventh
century, was surrounded with its usual attendant
spirits of superstition and strange hallucinaton.
The priest ct once seized on it as an instru-
uent of eLchantment weak woman, ever at
tracted by the supernatural followed and Witch
craft regped in the air, and ruled with its mystic
rious wsnd the castle and the cottage. If Witch
craft thus threw her spell over every country
of Europe, in no land was she worshiped with such
fear and awe as in ths. where Nature herse in the
wild, picturesque scenery, the shaggy wood, and
lonely moor and bold, bald mountain, lent an exter
nal aid 10 inward superstition and the ignorance Of
the people and their comparative isolation from less
ideal contaot, gave to her infuesce strength and in
tensty Tie mountaiDeer, returning to bis Wild lint
at night. and standing silent upon peak Of Ben
levin to whose free sotudes Nature sends the cloud,
and the flash, and the wiz and all the children OF
the air, TO sport with strange and fantishc Joy IN
known in tanner regions, may almost be forgiven for
believing in wild unreal things. So it in the days
of Macbeth; and so lie II still among thy mountains,
beautiful Scotland! And surely the loyal shepherds
of the hills might be excused for following the
weakness Of the hour and place, when their
King led the way and usurped the throne by
numbering the rghtul sovereign. instigated by three
friend a bleak ard blasted moor. The friend was
Bsrouo; the King was Macbeth. Bat what could
have induced our poet to weave story from suca
enchanted web and one whose threads were knit by
such myst rious fingers To find TO this strange
fancy Of Shakspere we must travel back to the great
moyemen. Of the Crueades, which-as the King and
the Knight and the palmer came back from the holy
shrine scattering the relic and the image, aud the
Eastern legend-left in every land through which 1t
passe5 with much Of heroic sentiment and graceful
cbiyary. also erosstr material of religious super.
tton and belief sorcery. The few, Of strong mind,
formed vigorous sentiments Of religion; the many,
of weak mind, became the prey of priests aad
witches In this manner-as up to this hour in many
of the isolated parts Of France Spsin, Italy, Hun
gary. Bohemia and not longer than two hundred
wears ago, in New England, as Boston Common can
tei-Wi,chci aft received stimulus from the Cru
sades which the advancing civilization often strug-
eled with in vain. In the time OF Elizabeth, the
craft was in high feather; and in the old English
town of Huntingdon the conviction OF the witches oil
Warbois is commemorated 10 this hour. Partly at
tracted by the supernatural romance OF this cele-
brated trial and partly by the weakness Of bis feeble
mind James became thorough adept in the art OF
Wjtctcrsft and published his work on Demonologies
Shaksoere AZ we have before shown, loved to court
the favor and please the preudices Of Royalty
and with this feeling he drew from his exquisite fancy
that grace full and airy tale Of enohsntmen with when
the witches beguiled Macbeth to murder, and hins
james into parting with what little sense he hai'
But there was another servle consideration which IN
huencsd Shakspere. James was lineal descendant
of Banquo; Banquos son having been created oy
Queen Margaret of Scotland, Lord OF S'uarts
"Isles," and been the actual founder OF the snsit
dynasty Banquo was in poin. Of fact and history,
| as guilty as Macbeth Of Duncan's murders but, OF
! course, King James would have felt deeply wounded
to have seen he bloody crime OF the founder OF his
race fixed with red stain upon the poets page so
Shskspere, with courily accommodation, made
playful sheraton Of the fact, and turned the MUIR
de1er into 9 martyr. To iatter the King and make
the contrast with Macbeth more striking, Shakspere
Goes still further and gives Bapquo credit for host
of noble virtues Macbeth, for instance, In the first
scene Of the third act when he expresses his dread Of
Ronouo's superiority, and plsns his murder, says;
Our fears In BSnquo
Stick deep; and 10 his royalty OF nature
Reisps that which would be feared
Til. attributing royalty OF nature to the founaei
of the Stuart dynasty tckled, no DOUBT the ioc'u
vanity of silly James, but tits taking even Tor poe
almost too cool liberty with the historic muse Inc
spparition of the eight kings invoked by tbs witches
in the fret scene OF tie fourth at, with baniuos
dark figure looming in the rear, seen with twoioia
balls, represerting England and Wales and 'le'ie
scepttrs representing England, Ireland and scoAAn
is evidently introduced to crafty the Sc ne moroid
vanity by yestrg three kingdoms in the Stuart race.
How delicate Shakspere was in mis- servty, may be
gathered from the fact that, II having c,me gu. one