The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1879-09-26
The Macbe.h Usbnse.
ESQ replied o, b feaaest.l J

: The Macbeth ueDnKe-
Essay replied to, By reqnest)
\
I see 10 the columns ofaar worthy
paper an Interesting aEguasnt in de.
tense of General Maeb-sa's career
AS lover of rightsd wtsngs, i feel
inclined to open the eyes the reading
public to the falsity Of his argument
and prevent a vile impos becoming
subject of pitied remembsshce
Having attended couffin our little
city during the past moath was an
interested listener to aarder trial
which forcibly reminds me Of the
Macbeth Duncan case.
The young lady wbeo e eevtly
acquitted herself on sps side
of the debate before hickman
Literary Club" viii allcs q assign
her the position Of Delsn pea ser,
while come forward Outing
- sgvrusy ne nave = >-~cf
our prisoner, where he y Eake at
the verdiot-guiltyi be it Of |slaush-
terror of murder, as you wi'qsentenee
him to the penitentiary, thaR b l say,
build gallows forty cut8s high. )"
Lady Macbeth, as only an accompIice,
must necessarily occupy secondary
position; though with all due Difference
for her ladyship's superior abilities;
aud for her polite Defender of our own
sex
Wharton defines murder thus
Murder is where person Of sound
mind and discretion unlawfully kills
any reasonably creature or being. with
malice prepense, or forethousht. either
ex pressed or implied l aver the
prisoner was man of sound mind,
and;as such regarded by his fellow
men--a man of discretion, as such
trusted with the chief position in the
kings army.
Our history ofthis man begins with
his contemplating murder, aye, this
very murder We know nothing of
his early life, and, as Miss Gober
would say, "it Is enough for us to de
termine that he was gentle. kind and
peaeeable !" So geBtle, kind, and
peaceably discreet as to gain his kings
favor aud be honored as chief general
OF Scotland's soldieTy.
Lady Macbeth, as wives are wont,
can deal a little praise aud little
rebuke, as her mood may serve her
but if Miss c. will call to mind the /
occasion upon which Lady Macbeth /
pronounced her lord 'sinsane from /
youth up, she will remember it was
to avert suspicion from her husband
when he gave way TO stings Of guilty +
conscience before the assembled guests. I
She, on other occasions, spoke Of his I
tender heart, constant love, blending
with pride and ambition to make him
"a man of noble strength she, "hls 7.
dearest partner in greatness.
saaaNVa sill nothine &c isi-ftes ancs ssUoaA-s,
ness, nothing OF his after tyranny-we t
call the prisoner to the par for the /
murder of Duncan.
Macbeth does not rave frantically at 4
all times, nor do we hold continual
rage essential to the state Sf insanity j
then, he is not maniac; nor does he T
rave at any time-then, he is not a
monomanac
To prove the latter clause: Mono
maniacs are persons who ere sane on
all subjects save one, but mention this /
one subject, however omprehensiye /
they may be on all others, their minds 4
fly of at a tangent, aud nonsense IS
the result
Was Macbeth a monomaniac upon
the subject of murder? History says
Macbeth was filled with the milk Of
human Kindness previous to the mur
der of Duncan" Was the murder of /
Duncan, this particular man, his
mania? If so, would he have reasoned I
about it as be did? Let US follow his
conduct previous to the act. Return
ing from the field of battle with body I
worn with fighting, and mind filed with I
ambition for greater things after his
victory, he calls to his proud brain
visions of regal hoDors. His heart
aloud procaims, not until am king
shall | be content. From thane Of
Gamis he will rise to'thaHe of Cawdor,
aud sking hereafter Witches are
said to have appeared to him and ad-
dressed him by these titles. Not alone
did Macbeth behold these apparitions;
another general, Banquo, viewed them
10 his company Nor did the two
tremble and quivsr in flesh or spirit
at sight of supernatural beings. Why
should they? They were strong, rea-
sonable men; both heard what they
most desired "a
Could these witches be-eysions Of
Macbeih's disordered braiR Was
Banquo also insane, and Z same
nature to hear and see v indred
senses?
Before going on in the ia Kigation
of Macbeth's arrangement oNind, let
US contemplate Why thess shes are
introduced by the author? Shakespeare
wrote his plays 20 please his age; sur
rounding bis characters with striking
pictures to excite deep interest in both
reader aud beholder; and by their
means be gives us an insight into the
ruling passions Of his creatures. Such
are the pictures for the stage:
their utterances-the workings OF two
evil, ambitious minds.
Now, here my opponent has over
stepped space in time and quotes.
"sleep no more. Macbeth doth murder
sleep" as being previous to the murder