New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-04-19

the power Of Nj. Sumner, or any .othe
one man to destroy the Republican party
BAIQUOs aH0sT--sH0ULD IT APPEAL
70 The sAuDRNOR7
| This question, recently started by his
trionic critics, 6ccurre6 to us the othe
evening on witnessing the tragedy o
Macbeth, " and we think the answer i
that it should NOT. It is no character il
the play. It has NO part to perform, nj
words to speak. It is not seen by thu
queen nor by the guests. Why should
it be seen by the audience? Because the
stage directions in the old manuscripts
call for it because audiences are accus-
toned to it, and its non-appearance
would be considered an innovation, an
unwarrantable liberty with the plan Of
the play as conceived by its immortal
author? But other liberties are con-
stantly taken with his plays, and liberties
which are not improvements, but the re-
verse; Whereas moments reflection will
show the propriety of this. In the first
place, it should. not be introduced, be-
cause, as we have already said, it has no
part to perform. The ghost in Hamlet
is almost as important q. character as
Hamlet himself Upon his revelations the
whole plot Of the play turns. He is evi-
IDENTIFY not creature of Hamlet's iwagina.
ton, for he is seen by Horatio and Mar
cellus, and not by each singly, when by
loneliness and darkness the Imagination
might be inAamed, but by all three
together. The ghosts, likewise, which
appear. to Richard the Third, on the night
before the battle of Bosworth, are prop
erly made visible to the audience; for, al,
though they appear in dream, yet they
are seen by Richmond as well as by Rich
ard. They have, moreover, an important
part to perform. They predict to the
sleeping tyrant his approaching downfall.
So, also, with the apparitions called up by
Macbeth's order in the witches cavern.
They are visible to the witches, and have
words to speak. Very different is the APP
partition Of the freshly murdered Banquo.
which is seen by NO one but. Macbeth
himself, and Is evidently only "a false
creation, proceeding from the heat OPP
pressed brain" The very words of his
wife on the occasion, it would appear,
should settle the matter. She says
This is the verypaintins Of Jour fear;
~ = .1ef ... dagger wnicn you said
''Aa When all. done
You look but ON . stool
The audience likewise should look but
on stool; and it would be quite as rea-
scnable to suspend dagger by an in
visible wire, in order to help the imagina-
ton Of the spectators, as to introduce this
absurd parody of q ghost for the same pur-
pose. Consider the circumstances. Mac
beth has been all the evening following in
thought the steps of the two murderers.
He has just been called out to get their
report, and learned from them the shock
ing particulars of the murder; that Ban
quos ''throat is cut, and that he lies in
the ditch with twenty trenched' gashes
on his head, the least death to nature"
This CHASTITY picture brings up by contrast
the promised presence Of the victim at
the feast; for the bloody tyrant has
q most tormenting imagination. This is
made manifest even before the dagger
scene; in the very first scene, in fact, in
which he appears, when, after the saluta-
ton of the weird sisters, he learns that |
their first prophecy is already accom-:
plished He is Thane of Cawdor, and
Immediately arises that suggestion whose |
horrid image" did ''unix his hair" and |
make his seated heart ''knock at his ribs"
If such was the effect of murder which |
was as yet but. ''fantastical," how much
more lively must have been that of the
bloody business which, had just been &C
by his orders?
Another reason for emitting this dis
yusting spectacle is that the effect would
DO greatly enhanced thereby. The audi
.nce would be in the same condition as
he guests. In the horror-stricke9 aspect
md incoherent words of Macbeth, they
would see the sudden frenzy Of q guilty
mind transported out Of itself by the fear
Ful image of some bloody deed. As this
'cene is now conducted, the effort to seem
not to SEQ what is plainly before their eyes
prevents those who personate the. guests
rom assuming the expression and atti-